City Administrator

The City Administrator (“the Administrator”) is the Chief Administrative Officer of the City and is responsible to City Council for the proper and efficient administration of the day-to-day affairs of the City. The powers and duties of the administration of all City business is vested in the Administrator, unless expressly imposed or conferred upon other City Officers by the Home Rule Charter, Administrative Code, PA statutes, or ordinance.

Threshold Qualifications:

The Administrator is appointed by the Council solely on the basis of her/his executive and administrative qualifications, experience, and education.

The City Administrator shall have at minimum a bachelor’s degree in public, municipal, or business administration or related field. A combination of a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field and experience in municipal management may be considered by Council

Candidates with a Master’s Degree in a related field will be given preference during the recruitment process.

The candidate selected for the position must have a minimum of seven (7) years’ experience in business, non-profit, or local government management.

S/he shall be eligible to be a member or associate member of the International City/County Management Association or successor organization.

At the time of her/his appointment, s/he need not be a resident of the City or of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Council by an affirmative vote of at least four (4) Members of the Council may authorize residency outside City limits. If Council does not vote to permit residency outside City limits, the City Administrator must become a resident of the City within one (1) year of employment.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide for the enforcement of all laws and ordinances of the City.
• Appoint or remove all department directors with the consent of the Council.
• Appoint or remove all other City employees as provided by the Administrative Code or by ordinance.
• Direct and supervise the administration of all departments, offices and agencies within City government, except as otherwise provided by the Charter or law, and to make recommendations to Council concerning the affairs of the City.
• Negotiate contracts on behalf of the City, subject to the approval of the Council.
• Make recommendations concerning the nature and location of City improvements.
• Assure that all terms and conditions imposed in favor of the City or its inhabitants in any statute, public utility franchise or other contract are faithfully kept and performed and shall bring violations to the attention of the Council.
• Prepare an agenda for and attend all public meetings of the Council (except those in which personnel decisions regarding the City Administrator are discussed) with the right to take part in discussions, but without the right to vote.
• Make such recommendations to the Council concerning policy formulation as s/he deems necessary.
• Keep the Council and the public informed of the conduct of City affairs.
• Oversee the preparation and submission of the annual budget and budget message to the Council and administer the budget approved by the Council.
• Carry out all policies established by Council for the proper administration of City affairs within the jurisdiction of the Council.
• Prepare an annual report.
• Perform such other duties as may be required by ordinance or resolution of the Council.
• Work with the Chief Finance Officer to prepare and submit the annual budget and budget message to the Council.
• Work with the Chief Finance Officer to oversee and administer the budget approved by Council.
• Ensure that the Council receives monthly budget reports.
• Serve as Purchasing Agent for the City in accordance with the provisions of the Home Rule Charter and Administrative Code.
• Issue rules and regulations governing the procurement of all City supplies and equipment.
• Employ necessary experts and consultants to perform City-related work with the approval of Council.
• Work with labor counsel to negotiate collective bargaining agreements on behalf of the City, subject to the approval of the Council.
• Assure that all terms and conditions imposed in favor of the City for any statute, public utility franchise, or other contract are faithfully kept and performed.
• In conjunction with the City Solicitor, prepare ordinances, resolutions and other legal documents for review by the City Solicitor.
• Approve and oversee the submission of grant applications by any City department, board, agency, or commission.
• Ensure that all monies owed to the City are promptly paid and take the proper and legal steps necessary to collect all outstanding City claims.
• Take in, investigate, respond to, and report to Council on all complaints regarding City services.
• Investigate complaints related to the internal affairs of any City department including but not limited to charges of harassment, unsafe working conditions, workplace violence, or illegal drug use.
• Maintain and manage all personnel files per state and federal requirements.
• Carry out any of the non-legislative and non-judicial powers and duties of the Council when delegated to the Administrator.
• Represent the City within the community and when attending any municipal gatherings outside the City.
• Make recommendations to Council concerning the affairs of the City.
• Make recommendations to the Council concerning policy formulation.
• Keep the Council and the public informed of the conduct of City affairs.
• Perform such other duties as may be required by direction of Council.

Skills, Abilities, and Experience:

• Demonstrable ability to lead, manage and coordinate complex professional and administrative activities within the structure of the City government.
• Capable of completing the tasks assigned by Council in an accurate and timely manner.
• Ability to provide detailed policy information to the Council for decision-making.
• Able to delegate appropriate levels of authority to others while engendering a spirit of collaboration with the Administrative staff in an oftentimes stressful environment.
• Basic knowledge of the common rules, regulations, policies and practices within the municipal/local government sector.
• Ongoing awareness of the current state and federal legislative trends affecting local government.
• Familiarity with the local culture – residents, streets, locations, merchants, companies, history – within the City.
• Working knowledge of civil engineering principles and practices, municipal infrastructure, and construction practices.
• Experience in dealing with state regulatory agencies such as PennDOT, DCED, DEP, DCNR, etc
• Familiarity with the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and basic human resource standards and practices.
• Ability to establish relationships and communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with Council, other municipal officials, staff, employees and residents.
• Working knowledge of Act 111 and collective bargaining processes along with the collective bargaining agreements held with the City, their grievance procedures, and the basic tenets of public employment management.
• Skills in analyzing a situation, accessing alternative solutions, and recommending an effective course of action to City Council or department directors.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications and basic accounting software.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing, using accepted standards of correct grammar, punctuation, and business communication formats.
• Ability to recognize sensitive discretionary information and maintain confidentiality at all times.
• Capable of performing multiple tasks simultaneously in a busy office environment.

Competencies & Physical Requirements: (The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.)

• Able to work effectively with frequent interruptions in an open office environment
• Possess speech and hearing capabilities effective enough for communication with or without accommodations
• See within the normal visual range, with or without correction, and possess sufficient vision to read a computer screen and printed documents with or without reasonable accommodations
• Possess the mental acuity to analyze data and figures, operate a computer terminal, and do extensive reading and comprehending
• Able to perform sedentary work exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently
• Able to lift files and boxes up to a maximum of 30 pounds
• Possess fine finger dexterity and enough light-to-moderate finger pressure to manipulate a keyboard, operate equipment controls and other office equipment
• Able to frequently move neck from side-to-side, walk, stand, bend, stoop, push, pull, twist at waist, use a moderate wrist torque to twist equipment knobs and dials
• Able to frequently lift objects weighing up to 20 pounds from below waist to above shoulders and transport for distances up to 50 yards
• Able to occasionally squat, kneel, reach above and at shoulder height, use a moderate grasp to manipulate reference books and manuals and lift objects weighing up to 20-35 pounds from below waist to above shoulders and transport for distances up to 50 feet
• Able to use own transportation to get to and from work and to outside meetings

Work Environment: (The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job)

• Professional office environment requiring interaction with the public, City officials, fellow staff members and City employees.
• Work tasks are deadline driven and may incur a medium level of stress to satisfactorily complete assignments accurately and timely.

To apply, please submit your resume and three professional references to cityclerk@newcastlepa.org

The deadline for resumes to be submitted is 8/4/23. The process will take a several months and the position will be filled in December 2023.