Deputy Director of External Affairs

JOB INFORMATION

The City of San Diego Public Utilities Department is recruiting for a Deputy Director of External Affairs. This newly created position oversees communications, water policy, legislative and regulatory affairs. This position is responsible for creating a lasting, significant impact for the City, the department, and our customers.

The Deputy Director of External Affairs reports to the Public Utilities Director and is a member of the Public Utilities Senior Executive Team and Executive Team. We are looking for a proven strategic leader and change agent with a positive outlook. Experience in the public sector and experience with program and/or project management will be extremely beneficial.

The External Affairs team manages overall water policy and public communications. The Public Utilities Department is impacted by local, state, and federal policy and is actively engaged in advocacy, as well as monitoring of regulatory agency decision-making. The External Affairs team coordinates with subject matter experts throughout the department to develop policy ideas, comment on proposed policy, and collaborate with water industry groups and other City departments to advance the City’s and Public Utilities’ interests. Another specific priority is working on matters related to regional water solutions including our work with the San Diego County Water Authority, and the Metro Wastewater Joint Powers Authority. The External Affairs team leads the development and implementation of the department’s communications plan. This work includes close collaboration with the City Communications Department and is expected to include oversight of an external strategic communications contract within the next year. An element of communications work is supporting proactive and reactive media engagement, including serving as a spokesperson when necessary. Strengthening outreach to our customers, leaders, and other stakeholders is a key initiative.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the division.
• Manage diversity in the workplace and encourage high-performing teams.
• Represent the Department before various governing bodies within the City, including oversight committees, City Council, Civil Service Commission, etc.
• Develop the External Affairs Division to improve coordination on a variety of external-facing activities.
• Develop the Department’s strategic communications program to educate both internal and external stakeholders on the services the department provides to customers.
• Participate in negotiations with various agencies, working closely with elected officials, community leaders, and representatives from those agencies to achieve resolutions or decisions.
• Cultivate relationships with key regulatory agencies to ensure all regulatory requirements and milestones are met.
• Lead the preparation of the Division’s annual operating, capital outlay, and personnel budget, including justifying budget requests and monitoring expenditures against goals and objectives.
• Represent the Department at various industry and professional forums.
• Establish and coordinate Department administrative policies within assigned areas of responsibility.
• Work collaboratively with other department managers and their staffs to ensure the efficient and effective operation of the Department.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in business administration, public administration, or a related field, and
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible managerial experience and experience managing large water or wastewater utilities.

Desirable Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:

• Ability to oversee a high volume of projects with an agile, collaborative approach and ability to guide diverse teams through a fast-moving internal and external environment.
• Drives change in a large public organization, understands priorities, and manages multiple projects and meet short, non-negotiable, and competing timelines.
• Creative thinker who can shift gears quickly and be comfortable in a high-pressure environment.
• Commitment to integrity and professionalism.
• Provides leadership by creating an enjoyable work environment that prioritizes phycological safety and consistent collaboration.
• Strong work ethic and able to take initiative while working in a fast-paced, growing, and dynamic public agency.
• Exceptional writing, critical thinking, public speaking, and interpersonal skills.
• Attention to detail and ability to create clear strategies and plans for success with prioritization and changes to plan to optimize results.
• Comfortable in a highly interactive, dynamic, collaborative work environment.
• Approachable and willing to engage with diverse stakeholders, including colleagues, customers, business partners, industry associations, elected and community leaders, agency partners, and the public.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse communities and people of different culture, backgrounds, and opinions. Experience developing working relationships that demonstrate high trust, collaboration, and team-player attitude.
• Proven ability to motivate others, including team members who are not direct reports.
• Ability to develop a wide variety of short- and long- term strategic plans and recommendations in response to federal and/or state legislation, both pending and active policy changes.
• Ability to balance multiple priorities to meet deadlines and escalate key issues.
• Ability to be nimble and self-directed in a highly fluid and rapidly changing environment.
• Advanced editing and proofreading skills with the ability to deliver on deadlines.
• Excellent writing skills and passion for conveying complex issues in a simple manner.
• Demonstrated capability to utilize balanced judgment in assessing the likely impact of messaging within the organization, and effectively adjusting the message as needed to achieve the required objective.
• Ability to represent the Public Utilities Department to elected and appointed officials, regulatory agencies, large groups, and customers.
• Exercise good judgment in answering questions; exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality in all matters.
• Proficiency in MS Office including Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Access to reliable transportation.

Benefits:
The City offers a robust benefits package that includes:

• Defined retirement plan, including pension reciprocity, dependent on an employee’s eligibility status (new hire, rehire, etc.).
• A wide variety of cafeteria-style health and wellness plans or in-lieu cash waiver.
• 11 paid City holidays per calendar year and 1 floating holiday per fiscal year.
• Approximately 176 hours of paid annual leave for an employee’s first 15 years of service, and approximately 216 hours for 16+ years of service.
• Up to 24 hours of paid discretionary leave per fiscal year.
• Up to 320 hours of paid Parental Leave per childbirth or placement of a child.
• Up to 40 hours of paid Bereavement Leave per fiscal year.
• Tuition reimbursement up to $2,000 per fiscal year, and complimentary LinkedIn Learning professional development opportunities.
• Free transit pass (including MTS Trolley, MTS Bus, and all Rapid and Rapid Express bus services).
• Access to premier City golf courses at a discounted rate.
• Reduced-rate fitness center memberships.
• City-paid life insurance.

For additional details, please review the Benefits Summary for Unclassified Employees (Download PDF reader)(Download PDF reader) or contact the Benefits Division of the Risk Management Department at (619) 236-5924.

The Department:
The Public Utilities Department (PUD) is comprised of six branches that are primarily funded by the Water Enterprise Fund and the Sewer Enterprise Funds: the Water Delivery Branch, Water Recovery Branch, Pure Water Branch, Business Support Branch, Technical Support Branch, and the Community Services and External Affairs Branch. The Department is committed to the following in its management of Water and Wastewater services:

Quality: We surpass quality and safety standards.
Value: We operate and invest wisely.
Reliability: We consistently provide dependable services.
Customer Service: We are responsive, professional and courteous.

The Public Utilities Director is responsible for setting the overall direction for the department and providing high-level guidance on day-to-day activities. The External Affairs Division reports directly to the Director. All other day-to-day activities of the department are overseen by the Executive Assistant Director who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the department. Operational responsibility for each branch rests with the Assistant Directors, who report to the Executive Assistant Director. The Public Utilities’ management team is further comprised of Deputy Directors, who typically report to the Assistant Directors and head each of the major divisions within each branch. PUD currently has a staff allocation of approximately 1,900 and a Fiscal Year 2024 budget of $1.9 billion.

The water system serves the City and certain surrounding areas, including retail, wholesale and reclaimed water customers. The water system's service area covers 403 square miles, including 342 square miles in the City, and has approximately 1.4 million retail customers. This water system can treat up to 378 million gallons of drinking water per day and includes: 49 pump stations; 3 water treatment plants; over 3,400 miles of pipeline; more than 320,000 service connections; and 135 separate pressure zones.

The wastewater system consists of two sub-systems: the Municipal Sub-System and the Metropolitan Sub-System. The Municipal system is a sewage collection and conveyance system for the City's residents, and the Metropolitan system treats and disposes of the wastewater generated by the City and 12 other cities and districts near the city. The Metropolitan system has sufficient capacity to accommodate a regional population in excess of 2.5 million. The entire wastewater system covers approximately 450 square miles and a population of over 2.2 million. The system can treat up to 255 million gallons of wastewater per day and includes: 79 pump stations; 3 wastewater treatment plants; a bio-solid processing plant; 2 ocean outfalls; and more than 3,000 miles of pipeline.

The City is implementing a large-scale potable reuse program called Pure Water San Diego that uses proven water purification technology to produce a safe, sustainable, and high quality water supply for San Diego. This program is a cost-effective investment that will provide a reliable, locally-controlled and drought-proof drinking water supply. An initial 30 million gallon per day water purification facility is planned to be operational by 2026. The long-term goal, producing 83 million gallons of purified water per day (one-third of San Diego's future drinking water supply), is planned to be reached in 2035.

Additionally, the City is further enhancing its Dam Safety Program, which includes inspecting, maintaining, planning, evaluating, repairing, and improving the City’s nine dams, of which four are currently rated “poor” or worse by the California Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD). The goal of the program is to ensure the dams continue to perform as intended, remain in compliance under jurisdiction of DSOD, and provide public safety.

The City:
With more than 1.4 million residents, the City of San Diego is the eighth largest city in the United States and the second largest in California. The City of San Diego’s strong economy, diverse population, great educational institutions, unsurpassed quality of life, and world-renowned location make it the ideal place to work, live, and play. With its great weather, miles of sandy beaches, and major attractions, San Diego has something to offer for everyone.

The City’s Mission, as stated in the Strategic Plan is “Every day we serve our communities to make San Diego not just a fine city, but a great City.” The City’s Vision is "Opportunity in every neighborhood, excellent service for every San Diegan".

As one of the region’s largest employers, the City of San Diego employs nearly 13,000 highly dedicated employees and has a combined Fiscal Year 2025 operating and capital budget of approximately $5.65 billion. Additional information about the City of San Diego can be found on the City’s website.

Pre-Employment Requirements and Screening Process:
Employment offers are conditional, pending the results of all screening processes applicable to the position. All the processes required by the City of San Diego must be successfully completed before employment begins. Please refer to the City’s pre-employment requirements and screening process webpage for additional information. Nothing in this job posting constitutes or should be construed as part of an express or implied contract for employment with the City of San Diego.

Application Instructions: Kindly adhere to the instructions provided in the "Selection/Application Process" section below, we regret to inform you that online applications will not be considered.

Selection/Application Process:
To be considered for this position, you must submit the following items to the Human Resources Department at: HumanResources@sandiego.gov
1) Resume;
2) Letter of Interest, highlighting your relevant work experience and qualifications for this position; and
3) List of three professional references.

NOTE(S):

• Attachments must be submitted in either PDF or Word Document format.
• Reference Recruitment Number U2530 in the Subject Line.
• Candidates are encouraged to apply promptly as interviews and selection may begin upon receipt of resumes from qualified individuals.

Following the closing date, resumes will be screened according to the qualifications outlined above and the most qualified candidates will be invited to interview. If you have any questions, please email the City’s Human Resources Department at HumanResources@sandiego.gov.

The City of San Diego has an active Equal Opportunity/ADA Program for employment and vigorously supports diversity in the workplace.