Portland, OR – Deputy City Administrator – City Operations

About the Position

The City of Portland, Oregon is seeking an experienced executive to lead the enterprise services that support every City bureau, employee, and resident during a historic transformation of municipal government. Reporting directly to the City Administrator, the Deputy City Administrator for City Operations will provide strategic oversight of Portland’s integrated City Operations Service Area while helping establish the operating discipline, executive coordination, and organizational infrastructure required under the City’s new governance model.

The portfolio includes 311, Business Operations, Community-Based Police Accountability, the City Data & Privacy Office, Fleet & Facilities, Human Resources, Portland’s evolving police-accountability functions, including Independent Police Review and the transition to Community-Based Police Accountability, Procurement & Grants, Security, Technology Services, and Small Donor Elections. Together, these functions support approximately 7,000 City employees and oversee a multi-hundred-million-dollar operating budget.

The Opportunity. The Deputy City Administrator – City Operations will strengthen enterprise operations, organizational performance, and service delivery across the City; coordinate strategic initiatives with the Mayor, City Council, City Administrator, and fellow Deputy City Administrators; and build strong partnerships with bureau directors, labor organizations, and executive leadership while helping shape Portland’s evolving governance model.

The executive Portland needs. The successful candidate is a politically astute, collaborative leader with experience managing large, complex organizations, leading organizational transformation, and overseeing enterprise operations. Candidates may come from city or county management, senior municipal administration, or executive leadership roles in shared services, human resources, technology, operations, or related fields, but should bring an enterprise-wide perspective, exceptional judgment, and a commitment to building a high-performing organization that supports every City service. This executive may not be the technical expert in every function, but must be able to align experienced professionals across multiple disciplines, resolve cross-bureau barriers, lead thoughtful change management, and strengthen accountability and internal customer service.

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a closely related field.
• Six (6) years of increasingly responsible experience in managing programs, activities, and personnel in management, finance, and/or administrative functions, including three (3) years of leadership experience in a complex and diverse organization
• Experience overseeing enterprise operations, strategic planning, budgeting, organizational development, and executive administration
• Demonstrated success building relationships with elected officials, labor organizations, executive leadership, bureau directors, and organizational stakeholders
• Proven experience leading organizational change, shared services, operational modernization, and continuous improvement initiatives

The salary range for this position is $265,000 – $300,000 annually, DOE/DOQ.

For more information on this position, contact:

Clay Pearson

Senior Vice President, Executive Recruitment

[email protected] | 817-337-8581