Note: This position is open until filled, with a first review of applications three weeks after the first posted date (12/19/2022).

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES

The Manager of Special Projects, under general direction of the County Manager and Assistant County Managers, helps our organization live its core values and empower Successful People to thrive in a Strong Community supported by Quality Government by providing highly responsible and complex professional, administrative, analytical, and operational support to the County Manager’s Office in achieving Board of Commissioners goals and objectives involving multiple service areas. The Manager of Special Projects operates in a constantly evolving environment and completes a variety of high-level tasks that directly impact county operations, require collaboration across diverse internal and external stakeholders, and may be highly sensitive and confidential in nature.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS

Under general direction of the County Manager, the Manager of Special Projects performs highly responsible and complex professional, administrative, analytical and operational work in the County Manager’s Office. The position supports the County Manager and Assistant County Managers by conducting and managing complex projects, providing project planning and management oversight, and ensuring priority initiatives established by the County Manager’s Office and the Board of Commissioners are implemented. This position serves as a primary liaison between the County Manager's Office and the departments on special projects and requests, as well as to outside agencies and the general public. The incumbent performs difficult, diverse, and confidential duties which require initiative, independent judgment, and considerable working knowledge of operations and programs. Responsibilities may also include implementation of programs, processes, policies and/or procedures to successfully achieve objectives of the County Manager and the County’s mission, strategic plan, and outcomes. Effectively completing these assignments requires a strong degree of discretion, good judgment, and tact. Assignments cross all areas of county government operations. Contacts are broad at the local, state, and federal level to include county department leadership and program staff, elected officials, other public and private officials and regulatory agencies, and the public. The Manager of Special Projects must assume responsibility for completion of assigned objectives and outcome-oriented functions and is accountable to the County Manager for expected quality of work without direct daily oversight and supervision. Priorities may change without warning and the Manager of Special Projects must be able to adapt quickly and work effectively in rapidly evolving situations. The incumbent will provide support and supervision of County Manager’s office interns and indirect supervision of and delegation of tasks to team members in other departments as required to complete assignments.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

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  Plan, coordinate, conduct, and supervise multiple complex and sensitive operational, management, and administrative management analyses, studies, projects, and research across departments and with external partners, including those involving county-wide services and issues.
• Lead diverse and inclusive work groups on subjects or projects that result in providing a recommendation for action, such as a policy change, a new program implementation, or the development of a new process.
• Implement programs, processes, policies and/or procedures to successfully achieve objectives of the County Manager and the County’s mission, strategic plan, and outcomes.
• Select, adapt, and apply appropriate research and statistical techniques to collect, analyze, and synthesize quantitative and qualitative data from various sources on a variety of specialized sources to support informed decision-making and policy direction.
• Complete a variety of operational support tasks such as developing and managing select contracts and agreements; preparing financial estimates or projecting and monitoring of revenues and expenditures for select programs and/or departments; and preparing reports, agenda items, presentations, and other documentation.
• Ensure projects, action items, and other work are completed on time, achieve established objectives, and are of desired quality by keeping the County Manager’s Office and Department Directors updated on work progress and concerns.
• Facilitate co-created resolutions to difficult issues that impede progress on and quality of assigned projects.
• Attend Board of Commissioners meetings and work sessions, keep track of Board decisions and requests, oversee the follow-up and implementation of those decisions and requests, and delegate actionable items to staff.
• Establish and manage a system for tracking and reporting statuses of projects, pending items, Board of Commissioner requests, and inquiries and service requests, as well as the impacts of completed work on our organization, our community, and/or our residents.
• Manage the preparation of the County Manager’s Update to the Board of Commissioners and assist in the preparation of and follow-up on departmental agenda items
• Coordinate content development for monthly department director meetings.
• Respond to inquiries and service requests from Commissioners, residents, and other stakeholders, including the identification of staff or other parties capable of assisting with specific inquiries and the delegation of follow-up tasks as necessary. Work to resolve issues and complaints that rise to the County Manager’s Office.
• Develop and present memos, reports, and presentations to the County Manager’s team, the Board of Commissioners, department directors, internal and external stakeholders, and the public.
• Represent the County Manager’s Office on committees and task forces and at interagency and community events and meetings.
• Seek out and attend professional development opportunities and community events to expand knowledge about Guilford County, better understand residents’ experiences, build networks, and stay updated on the professional skills and knowledge related to position’s duties.
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through continuous development, modeling inclusive behaviors, and proactively managing bias.
• Support county leadership teams in ensuring equitable and inclusive experiences and promoting a culture of inclusivity and belonging that embraces the contributions of all team members.
• Performs other duties as required.

RECRUITMENT STANDARDS

• Local, state, and federal government services, organizational structures, financial structures, policies, and laws.
• Principles, practices and techniques of public administration and local government administration.
• Principles, practices, and techniques of management, evaluation, and policy analysis; research methods; strategic planning; and project management.
• Appropriate research and statistical techniques to collect, analyze, and synthesize quantitative and qualitative data from various sources on a variety of specialized sources.
• Pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations.
• Sources of information related to a broad range of local government programs, services and projects.
• Supervisory and management practices and conflict resolution techniques.
• Principles and practices of sound business communication, writing, and presentations.
• Customer service and public relations methods and techniques.

• Management, evaluation, and policy analysis; research methods; strategic planning; and project management.
• Quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis, and synthesis and appropriate research and statistical techniques.
• Using logic, reasoning, and critical thinking to solve problems; identifying the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems; and making effective decisions.
• Preparing budget, financial, and operational plan and projections and monitoring performance.
• Team development and leadership, including direct and indirect supervision of team members and work performance.
• Communicating and presenting complex information, ideas, and recommendation orally and in writing to diverse audiences in a variety of private and public settings.
• Developing and maintaining strong relationships, facilitating conflict, and guiding and inspiring others.
• Customer service.

• Plan, organize, and carry out a full range of non-routine and complex administrative and analytical assignments from the County Manager with minimal supervision and direction.
• Conduct management, evaluation, and policy analysis; research projects; strategic planning activities; and project management.
• Conduct difficult and complex analysis and research on a variety of administrative and operational topics, identify and recommend alternative solutions, project consequences of proposed actions, and implement recommendations in support of goals.
• Develop and lead diverse teams to accomplish assigned tasks, including ability to break large projects into smaller assignments and delegate those assignments to appropriate individuals throughout the organization.
• Directly supervise interns in the County Manager’s Office and other staff as assigned and indirectly supervise department directors and others to accomplish assignments.
• Understand, interpret, explain and apply applicable federal, state and local policies, laws, and regulations.
• Establish priorities and manage own time and the time of others; monitor/assess performance of other individuals or the organization to make improvements or take corrective action; and motivate, develop, teach and direct people as they work.
• Work on multiple, concurrent projects with strict deadlines and with frequent interruptions and rapidly changing priorities of elected and appointed officials.
• Exercise sound independent judgment and maintain confidentiality of critical and sensitive information, records, and reports.
• Develop and maintain cooperative and professional relationships with employees, citizens, community and private organizations, elected officials, boards and commissions. Must be able to handle all interactions with poise, tact and diplomacy.
• Facilitate discussions among relevant parties to reach consensus on recommendations and approaches.
• Clearly communicate, orally and in writing, complex information, ideas, and proposals to diverse audiences.
• Model behavior that is consistent with our core values of transparency and communication, equity and inclusion, accountability, service and outcomes excellence, and our people matter.
• Use, with advanced proficiency, all modules of Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).

Note: This position is open until filled, with a first review of applications three weeks after the first posted date (12/19/2022).

Questions

• Environment: Work environment involves normal, everyday discomforts or unpleasantness. Work area has adequate light, heat, and ventilation; environment is organized and stable.
• Hazards: Work presents no significant hazards to employees