recruitment announcement

City Manager

1776 Mentor Ave | Cincinnati, Ohio 45212 | 513-221-0500

The PositionThe City Manager of Keene will have the

opportunity to serve one of the country’s

most distinctive destinations. Keene enjoys

the presence of three colleges, neighborhoods

sustaining a variety of lifestyles, a vibrant

downtown, unique businesses, excellent

schools, and a strong financial position.

The City has a history of an effective

government, stability in leadership, engaged

citizenry, and exceptional services.

The City Council appoints

the City Manager to serve

as the chief executive

officer of the City. Under

the Council/Manager form

of government adopted

by Keene, the City Council

establishes policies for operations within the

City, and it is the City Manager’s responsibility

to ensure these policies are carried out. In

general, the position supervises all property

and business affairs of the City, develops the

proposed operating and capital improvements

budgets, and oversees expenditure of all

funds appropriated for City purposes. The City

Manager is responsible for overseeing all City

staff and appointing all department directors

except the Library Director who is hired by the

Library Board of Trustees. The City Attorney

and City Clerk are City Council appointees.

The City Manager has three Assistant City

Managers who also function as department

directors – Assistant City Manager/

Administrative Services (Assessment, Finance,

Human Resources, Information Technology),

Assistant City Manager/Municipal Development

Services (Airport, Health and Code Enforcement,

Planning, Public Works), and Assistant City

Manager/Community Services (Fire, Human

Services, Library, Parks, Recreation and Facilities,

Police, Youth Services). The City has a workforce

of 285 regular full and part time employees

with approximately 195 employees represented

by six unions – including Keene Police Officers

Association, Keene Police Supervisors, Keene

Firefighters, Keene Fire Supervisors, Keene City

Employees, and AFSCME-Public Works.

The Governing BodyThe City has a 15-member Council and a Mayor.

Two Councilors represent each of the five wards

and five Councilors serve at-large, representing

the entire City. The Mayor serves as Chairman

and is the official head of the City for ceremonial

purposes. Each Councilor is assigned to one

of three Council Standing Committees which

are charged with hearing various issues and

providing recommendations to the full Council

for their consideration. The City engages the

community through many boards, commissions,

and standing, ad hoc, and special committees.

The OrganizationThe City Council adopts annually an operating

budget and a re-prioritized six-year Capital

Improvement Program (CIP). For FY17, adopted

operating appropriations totaled $63,285,740

with a General Fund budget of $31,273,255 net

capital and debt service, which is an increase of

approximately 1.67% from the FY 2016 adopted

budget. The City also has allocated $12,396,696

in 2017 for the first year of the CIP for capital

expenditures. The City enjoys an AA bond rating

by Standard & Poor’s rating agency.

The City is committed to planning for its

future as is illustrated through the adoption

of the 2010 Comprehensive Master Plan and

Community Vision. To achieve its vision, it has

been participating in numerous public/private

partnerships and community involvement on the

following initiatives.

• Development of a new courthouse

in downtown as an important

economic generator.

• Expansion of the bike and pedestrian

trails network that provides recreation

and social opportunities, as well as

important transportation alternatives.

• Construction of the Keene ICE

community ice arena.

• Redevelopment of downtown “railroad

land” and other Brownfield sites using

a variety of creative financing tools

including state and federal grants.

• Keene Public Library’s “Next Chapter”

project to renovate the Library

and Library Annex enhancing

services to the community.

RequirementsThe position requires a bachelor’s degree and

ten years’ progressively responsible experience

in a local government, including supervision

and executive level management (manager/

administrator, assistant manager/administrator,

or key department director) with community

engagement, redevelopment, and economic

development experience. Preferred qualifications

include a master’s degree in public administration

or a closely related field, experience growing

the tax base, effective business and community

engagement, strong intergovernmental and labor

relations, and a track record of public-private

partnerships to achieve community goals. An

ICMA-Credentialed Manager designation and

experience in a college or university community

are also preferred.

Residency is not required upon appointment to

the position, but residency within the City shall be

required within six months of the commencement

of employment.

City Manager – Keene, new Hampshire

The Ideal CandidateThe ideal candidate for Keene’s next City Manager

will be an ethical, experienced, local government

management professional who is passionate about

leading a collaborative, engaged staff team working

toward common goals with the City Council and the

community. He or she will be an effective listener and

communicator comfortable speaking with all audiences

and using a variety of tools to reach residents and

businesses. The City Manager will be an approachable

leader, with a track record of community engagement,

and skilled at building partnerships with government,

educational, private, and nonprofit organizations. The

ideal candidate will be a strong leader who can balance

conflicting interests and priorities and build consensus

with the Council and the community. He or she will

be a collaborative team leader, comfortable working

alongside staff to ensure the long-term success of the

City. The next City Manager will be a visionary who can

add fresh approaches to enhance Keene’s vision for the

future, help streamline current processes, and develop a

clear path for implementation of top priorities. The ideal

candidate will fit into a culture that is caring, progressive,

fiscally conservative, and focused on a sustainable

future. Keene’s next City Manager will have proven

economic development experience in attracting new

businesses, growing and supporting existing businesses,

working in partnership with K-12 and higher education

institutions, as well as nonprofits, and marketing the

community’s distinct attributes. The ideal candidate will

be energetic, personally invested in Keene, and active

and visible in the community.

The CommunityKeene, with 37.6 square miles, is located at the heart of

New England in the southwest corner of New Hampshire.

It is the hub of employment, business, industry, culture,

recreation, higher education, healthcare, social service,

and retail activity for the Monadnock Region. While its

residential population is 23,500, its estimated daytime

population increases significantly with visitors coming to

Keene to work, shop, eat, learn, and play.

The City is within a one- to three-hour drive from most

major New England cities including Concord, NH; Boston,

MA; Portland, ME; Providence, RI; Hartford, CT; and

Burlington, VT. Keene is connected to other major cities

via a well-maintained network of state routes and is

served by the Dillant Hopkins Airport, a general aviation

airport that serves corporate and commercial needs. The

City is also located 30 minutes from Amtrak’s Vermonter

rail line and one hour from the Manchester Boston

Regional Airport.

apply@thenovakconsultinggroup.comthenovakconsultinggroup.com/jobsquestions?apply online:

The expected hiring

range is $140,000–

155,000, depending

on qualifications, with

an excellent benefits

package.

Open until filled

with first review of

applications:

April 10, 2017.

Questions should be

directed to Catherine

Tuck Parrish at the

email address below

or 513-221-0500.

City Manager – Keene, new Hampshire

Applications will be accepted electronically by The Novak Consulting Group and will be kept confidential. Applicants first complete a brief online form and then are prompted to provide one document (Word or PDF) that has a cover letter, resume with salary history, and a list of 3-5 professional references. Open until filled with first review of applications April 10, 2017.

apply@thenovakconsultinggroup.comthenovakconsultinggroup.com/jobsquestions?apply online:

bringing solutions into focus

Keene is home to Cheshire Medical Center/

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene, a well-respected

hospital and large area employer. Jobs in

the health care and social assistance sector

constitute 18.4% of all jobs in the City, making it

the largest employment sector. The City’s other

top employers are Markem Imaje Corporation,

Timken Super Precision, Main Street America

Insurance Group, Liberty Mutual/Peerless

Insurance, Smiths Medical, Keene State College,

SAU 29 School District, C&S Wholesale Grocers,

Janos Technology, and the City of Keene.

The City boasts a variety of schools within its

limits. The local and regional public schools

consist of four elementary schools, a pre-

school, a middle school, a high school, a career

center, and a continuing education program.

Several private schools include the Monadnock

Waldorf School (nursery through high school),

the Monadnock Community Connections

School, Trinity Lutheran School, and St. Joseph’s

Regional School. Higher education institutions

include the Keene State College, Antioch

University New England, and River Valley

Community College.

From the eclectic mix of stores, boutiques,

and restaurants to the uniquely preserved

landmarks, downtown festivals and events,

and two live theaters, there is never a shortage

of things to do or see. Keene has great public

spaces and robust recreation assets. Residents

and visitors can enjoy its walkable historic

downtown, 27 miles of trails, over 2100 acres of

open space, and 16 city parks. The community

also places a high value on environmental

sustainability, health, wellness, and locally

sourced food and products.

The City of Keene has been recognized time

and again as a great place in which to live,

work, learn, and play. It is one of the “10 Great

Places to Raise a Family,” according to Parenting

Magazine’s tenth anniversary issue. Keene has

earned a number of honors including:

• Number 7 in “America’s Ten Fittest Small

Towns” by The Active Times in 2015.

• “Top Ten Most Beautiful Towns

in New Hampshire” from

TheCultureTrip.com in 2015.

• “Bicycle Friendly Community”

designation from the League of

American Bicyclists in 2015.

• “Honor Award” in 2014 for the former

railroad land development in downtown

from Plan New Hampshire as an example

of compact, mixed-use development.

• “Engineering Excellence Award” in

2013 for the Keene Micro-Turbine

Project, an engineering project that

epitomizes quality, innovation, value and

client satisfaction, from the American

Council of Engineering Companies.

• “Top Ten Great Public Spaces” in

2009 for Central Square from the

American Planning Association.

• Tied for tenth as “Best Small City in

the East” with ratings that include

climate, diversions, economics,

education, health care, housing,

safety, and transportation, in The

New Rating Guide to Life in America’s

Small Cities by Kevin Heubusch.

• Recognized by the White House as a

“Preserve America” community that

protects and celebrates its heritage,

uses it historic assets for economic

development and community

revitalization, and encourages people

to experience and appreciate local

historical resources through education

and heritage tourism programs.

Keene has a reputation for using new and

creative approaches to solving community

issues. From early decisions on placement of

the community meeting house and planting

elm trees in Central Square to addressing

contemporary issues like climate change and

sustainability, the community continues to be

recognized within the region, state, nation,

and throughout the world for its innovative,

practical solutions.

The 21st century has brought a strong

movement in Keene for sustainability, leading

the City to reduce carbon emissions, maintain

a healthy community, and foster the return of

local agriculture.

Applications will be accepted

electronically by The Novak Consulting

Group and will be kept confidential.

Applicants first complete a brief online

form and then are prompted to provide

one document (Word or PDF) that has a

cover letter, resume with salary history,

and a list of 3-5 professional references.

Open until filled with first review of

applications April 10, 2017.