Description

The County of San Mateo is currently seeking highly qualified applicants for the position of Director of Public Works.

The Opportunity 

The County of San Mateo is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and forward-thinking Director of Public Works to lead a diverse and high-impact public service organization committed to resilient infrastructure, environmental stewardship, and community well-being.

Reporting to the County Executive, the Director of Public Works leads a multi-faceted department responsible for the planning, construction, maintenance, and stewardship of essential County infrastructure.

The Director oversees:

• County road and transportation systems
• Facilities, capital construction and new building programs
• County fleet operations, including a transition toward electrification
• Airport operations at San Carlos and Half Moon Bay
• Utilities, environmental compliance, and stormwater systems

The Director of Public Works is an executive leader responsible for:

• Shaping long-range infrastructure strategies.
• Ensuring regulatory compliance and promoting sustainability.
• Fostering collaboration across County departments, communities, and agencies.
• Leading a talented workforce and stewarding complex operations.

This role is ideal for a visionary leader who excels at navigating political environments, developing trusted relationships, and delivering practical, community-focused solutions.

Strategic Priorities 

The next Director will guide and advance several significant initiatives, including:

• Delivery of capital improvement projects on schedule and within budget, while working to strategically mitigate rising construction costs, scalability of projects, and potential fluctuations in funding, requiring agile financial planning and project delivery strategies.
• Continued progress on the County’s Strategic Energy Master Plan, energy efficient building upgrades, climate-resilient infrastructure efforts, EV charging stations, etc.
• Compliance with Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit requirements and other environmental regulations.
• Vehicle and equipment management and fleet electrification for the County.
• Capital improvement projects for utility special district infrastructure (sewer, water, drainage, and streetlights) to meet long-term service needs.
• Replacement and modernization of the County’s access control systems.
• Strategic management of a growing and evolving facilities portfolio in alignment with service demands and asset lifecycle planning.
• Expansion of service delivery efficiencies through process improvement, technology integration, inter- and cross-department collaboration.
• Development of a strong and sustainable workforce, with an emphasis on leadership growth, talent recruitment and retention, skills training, and employee engagement.

This leader will ensure alignment with Board priorities, regional partnerships, regulatory frameworks, and community expectations.

Leadership Profile

The County seeks an executive who brings:

• Strategic vision and “can-do” mindset, along with the ability to anticipate emerging issues and shape long-range priorities.
• Unquestionable integrity, strong personal accountability, even when navigating complex or sensitive situations.
• Political and organizational acumen, capable of building trust with elected officials, community leaders, staff, and partner departments and agencies.
• An adaptive and collaborative leadership style that fosters a culture of service, accountability, and performance.
• Strong people leadership skills, including the ability to develop, mentor, and coach staff; cultivate future leaders; and inspire shared purpose across diverse workgroups.
• Exceptional communication and decision-making capabilities, with the ability to integrate complex operational and policy considerations clearly and consistently while engaging effectively with the public, staff, and diverse stakeholders.
• A record of innovation and creative problem-solving, advancing new ideas, technologies, and approaches that enhance service delivery, sustainability, and organizational effectiveness.
• Flexibility and a culturally responsive approach to community engagement, ensuring effective collaboration with populations that have diverse needs and priorities.
• Fiscal accountability, budgetary, and financial management skills to effectively manage a $241 million budget.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications 

Any combination of skills and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying.

A typical way to qualify is six years of experience in public works administration and an understanding of the full range of public works issues, practices, policies and trends. At least two years of experience in a managerial capacity within a large, public agency and political environment is required.

Application/Examination

To apply for this opportunity, please submit the required application materials online at https://jobs.smcgov.org. Email submissions will not be accepted.

• Resume
• Cover Letter that is no more than 3-pages long that highlights the following:
  • Why you are interested in this position and the relevant public works leadership experience you would bring to this role; and
  • A recent and significant professional accomplishment that demonstrates your strategic leadership and innovative thinking skills.
     

Tentative Recruitment Timeline

Final Filing Date: Monday, January 12, 2026, 5:00 PM PST

Application Screening: Friday, January 16, 2026

Panel Interviews: Week of January 26, 2026

Finalist Interviews: Week of February 2, 2026