City Manager

129 N. 2nd St. ~ Yakima, WA 98901 ~ yakimawa.gov

City of Yakima, Wainvites your interest in the position of

Career Opportunity

The City of Yakima is seeking a knowledgeableleader who is approachable, fair, organized, andprogressive for the position of City Manager. TheCity is looking for an individual with commonsense and a can-do attitude.

The City seeks a candidate who is a visionary, yethas practical business sense and experience. TheCity desires a candidate with a heart for acommunity invested in agriculture and hometownvalues of integrity, hard work and service to others.

At the City of Yakima, customer service is not just acatch phrase, but a  core principle. The bestcandidate will be respectful of council, staff, andthe public, encourage an environment wherecreativity flourishes, ensure  results andaccountability. Other important characteristics areexperience managing in lean times and the abilityto anticipate and resolve issues before theyescalate.

The position reports to the City Council and isresponsible for the administration and dailymanagement of the municipal government of theCity of Yakima  including, but not limited to, thesupervision and direction of department directorsand other staff.

Annual salary range:

$190,000 to $220,000

Benefits:

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Self-insured medical, dental &vision coverage

Free access to City-ownedhealth clinic

English/Spanishbilingual/biliterate pay

WA State PERS pension

Life insurance

Voluntary long-term disability,long-term care insurance, &other supplemental insurance

Wellness Incentive Program

Flexible Spending Account

Relocation reimbursement

Car allowance

Salary and Benefits

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will possess a master’s degree in Public Administration, Business, Law, Political Science or closely related field and a minimum of five (5) years experience as a City Manager, Assistant City Manager, exempt level department head or other senior administrative officer.

The successful City Manager candidate will have outstanding interpersonal and communication skills while   being open and approachable.

She/he will work in the best interest of the City of Yakima  in accordance with the City Charter and policies  determined by the City Council.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Plans, directs and coordinates the City's administrativefunctions. Administers and executes the City's laws andordinances.

Prepares/submits annual budget to Council and performsbudget administration. Regularly advises Council of thefinancial conditions, makes  recommendations, andsubmits annual report of the City's finances and activitiesfor the preceding year.

Recommends measures for Council adoption.   Overseespreparation and presentations of reports   andrecommendations for Council action. Attends all   Councilmeetings and assures follow-up on all actions   and staffassignments.

Possesses appointing authority for departmentdirectors. Provides departments direction, problem solvingand assistance while encouraging input andcommunication. Supports the administration of the City'spersonnel policies in compliance with collective bargainingagreements, City Charter and Civil Service.

Serves as local liaison with state and county agencies.Attends a variety of meetings as the City's official staffrepresentative, including community groups, service clubsand professional organizations.

Ensures timely resolution to operational issues, anticipatespotential crises and acts to prevent their  occurrences orreduce operational impacts.

Fosters cooperation, coordination and efficient use ofresources. Provides ongoing efforts to improveprocesses and provide quality customer service.

The City of Yakima employs750+ permanent employeesin addition to approximately200 temporary employees.

Operating departments:

City AdministrationPublic WorksFinance & BudgetHuman ResourcesCommunity DevelopmentYakima Air TerminalMunicipal CourtLegalPoliceFire

City of YakimaDepartments & Staff

ECONOMY and COMMUNITY

Yakima has been the cultural, business, educational,healthcare, and governmental focal point of theCentral Washington region since it was foundedmore than 125 years ago.

Originally built along the then-new Northern PacificRailway line, Yakima has grown from its agriculturalroots into a vibrant, diverse, metropolitan city. Witha rich history and a bright future, Yakima is theHeart of Central Washington.

Yakima's economy has traditionally revolved aroundagriculture and a wide variety of crops are grown inthe Yakima Valley. These include more than 30varieties of fruit (apples, cherries, peaches, pears,nectarines, apricots and berries) and vegetables(such as asparagus and eggplant). The Yakima regionis well known for producing about 75% of all thehops grown in the United States.

While Yakima still relies on agriculture to drive itseconomy, over 250 manufacturing firms call the areahome and produce a variety of products. Theyinclude aircraft parts, wood products, plasticproducts, recreational vehicles and communicationstechnology.

Tourism is the fastest growing segment of theYakima economy. More than 70 wineries are locatedin the Valley and regularly draw visitors to sampleand buy internationally renowned varietals. Multiplecraft breweries and distilleries utilize home-grownproducts in their unique offerings.

Yakima is host to many family-friendly facilities andevents including the new YMCA/Yakima RotaryAquatic Center, Capitol Theatre, Sozo SportsComplex, the Central Washington State Fair, a woodbat summer league baseball team, and welcomesnumerous regional youth and adult  sportstournaments.

Outdoor recreation, including water and snow skiing,fishing, hunting, boating, hiking, horseback riding,and white water rafting, also makes Yakima afavorite destination for people from throughout theNorthwest and around the world.

Yakima is a Charter CivilService city governed by aseven-member Counciloperating within thecouncil/manager form ofgovernment.

Council members servestaggered four-year terms andare elected as representativesfrom within the City'sseven districts. The mayor isselected by the Council fromamong its members.

As a full-service city, the 2020General Government budget isapproximately $70 million andits total budget is just over$232 million.

Based on the 2018 CAFR, full-time employees consist ofapproximately 25% in Police,13% in Fire, 9% in Wastewater,7% in Transit, 4% inStreets/Traffic, 5% inWater/Irrigation, and 37% inother City departments ordivisions.

City Government

GEOGRAPHY and CLIMATE

Yakima is located in the south central region of Washington State, approximately 150 miles east of Seattle. Yakima covers about 28 square miles.

Sunshine is the norm with 270 to 300 blue sky days per year. The area enjoys four separate and distinct seasons, with hot and dry summers while winters are cool with light snowfall.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Yakima is the largest city in Yakima County and servesas the county seat. With a population of more than94,000, Yakima  is the 11th largest city in WashingtonState.

Most of the people who founded Yakima were ofEuropean descent, although significant numbers ofAfrican-Americans and Asian-Americans homesteadedin the area as well.

Over the past 30-plus years, the Valley hasexperienced a large influx of Latino  immigrants,accounting for approximately 45% of the populationin Yakima County.

Today, the Yakima community enjoys a rich mixture ofpeople from many cultural and ethnic backgrounds -74% of the population have at least a high schooldiploma and 18% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.The median annual household income was estimatedto be $49,871 in 2018.

COST of LIVING

The cost of living in Yakima is below thenational average at 95% and there is nostate-imposed income tax. The mediansales price of a home is approximately$200,000 and the average commutingtime to work is about 15 minutes.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Beyond K through 12, the area boasts aprivate technical college, a communitycollege, a university, a  medical school,and a number of vocational educationprograms.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The City of Yakima is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

How to apply: Submit an online application at www.yakimawa.gov.

A complete application must include the following attachments:

Letter of interest and resume

Name and complete contact informationfor five references,  including at least onecurrent or previous supervisor

Helpful links

129 N 2nd StreetYakima, WA 98901

For more information contact:

Connie MendozaDirector of Human ResourcesConnie.Mendoza@yakimawa.gov509-249-6868

City of Yakima

Thank you forconsidering theCity of Yakima

City of Yakima:www.yakimawa.gov

Greater Yakima Chamber ofCommerce  www.yakima.org

Yakima Valley Tourismwww.visityakima.com

Downtown Association of Yakimawww.downtownyakima.com

Yakima School District:www.yakimaschools.org

Yakima County Devt. Assoc.www.chooseyakimavalley.com