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Community Services Director

The City of Torrance invites your interest in the position of Community Services Director! The City of Torrance is a vibrant coastal city situated in the South Bay region of Southern California. With nearly 150,000 residents and a peak daytime population that grows to 250,000 or more, Torrance spans an area of almost 22 square miles, including a picturesque mile of beach. Known for its diverse culture and strong sense of community, the city offers a blend of natural beauty and urban convenience, boasting a rich history, an array of parks, excellent schools, and a thriving business sector. The City of Torrance is governed by the Council-Manager form of government with an elected Mayor and six Council Members who appoint a City Manager, a City Attorney, and members of 14 advisory commissions, boards, and council. The Executive team works under the direction of the City Manager based on merit principles. Torrance is a full-service city with an annual operating budget of $525.4 million, capital improvement plan of 182.1 million and a staff of over 1,600 organized in 14 departments. Torrance features world-class medical and research facilities, vibrant shopping, four-star dining, as well as an intricate mix of burgeoning industrial and commercial facilities. Torrance is one of the few cities in the South Bay to feature its own municipal airport and support facilities. It is also considered to be a "headquarters" city, with major corporations such as Sunrider International, Alpinestars USA, Health-Ade Kombucha, Pelican Products, L3 Harris Technologies, RapiScan Systems, American Honda Motor Company, and Robinson Helicopter Company all calling Torrance home.

The mission of the Community Services Department is to enrich the community through the provision of recreational, cultural, and educational opportunities for persons of all abilities. The goals of the Department are to provide stewardship of the City's public open space including parks; to provide materials and services in a variety of formats that satisfy the educational, information, recreational, and cultural needs of our diverse community supporting lifelong independent learning; and to serve as a center for community information, services and activities in easily accessible locations throughout the community. A philosophy of community and customer services continues to provide the focus for our efforts. The Community Services Department offers Torrance residents the unique opportunity to help achieve a sense of purpose, identity, self-worth, and improved self-esteem within the specialized areas of Cultural Arts, Library, Parks, and Recreation. The Department has five divisions : Library, Administrative, Cultural, Recreation, and Parks. The Community Services Department is a diverse organization ranging from maintenance of parks facilities and grounds, development of open space, recreational programming, continuous public education in library services, and cultural services with unique features such as a local museum. This short video shows a sample of what the Community Services Department has to offer.

The Community Services Director position is well suited for a visionary and innovative leader. The position provides leadership and works with managers to develop, maintain, implement, and monitor long term plans, goals, and objectives focused on achieving the City's mission and Council priorities. The Director will be responsible for the supervision of five managers from the aforementioned divisions with an annual operating budget of approximately $26 million, a capital budget of approximately $6.6 million, and a staff of 249. The Community Services Director is a Department Head, executive position charged with administrative, managerial, supervisory, and professional duties in directing the City's Departmental functions which include : Cultural and Recreation activities and programs; operation and maintenance of Parks and Recreational facilities; operation of the Rangers, Animal Control, and Coyote Management programs; and the operation of the Municipal Library System.

The ideal candidate is public service oriented, able to work with all groups and interests in the City and the community, and has a strong background demonstrating superior supervisory and management skills. As a vibrant community committed to excellence, Torrance needs a strategic and self-motivated leader committed to creating a shared vision and strategy, executing their vision and strategy all the way through completion, and developing the leadership potential in others for operational efficiency by improving performance through consistent feedback and coaching. The City also seeks to hire someone who understands and is responsive to the community's needs. The successful candidate will have experience with municipal management, employee relations in a unionized environment, political sensitivity, operating in a fiscally constrained environment, as well as seeking, obtaining and managing grants; they will have knowledge of current public services trends and forecasts, be active in professional growth, and have steadfast integrity. This candidate will have a proven track record of building and maintaining effective working relationships with coworkers (peers and subordinates), elected officials, citizens, and contractors. As a member of the Executive Management Team, the Community Services Director will collaborate with team members to achieve the City's short and long-term goals.

Key responsibilities include overseeing, managing, and promoting sustainable programs and practices; providing leadership and overall direction to Departmental staff; creating long-term funding strategy for faade improvements of libraries, park buildings, etc.; ensuring that all budget modifications have been implemented; working with a vivacious community to preserve and enhance City Council desired goals and objectives; managing analysis and implementation of all State Legislation that impacts the Community Services Department.

Major initiatives and opportunities include Parks Infrastructure & Operations, Technology & Service Innovation, Community Engagement & Marketing, Workforce Development, and Facility Planning.