Public Works Director

The Public Works Director provides strategic leadership and operational direction for the City of Hendersonville’s Public Works Department. This senior leadership role is responsible for ensuring efficient service delivery, regulatory compliance, fiscal responsibility, and high-quality maintenance of City infrastructure and facilities-quality maintenance of City infrastructure and facilities. The position serves as a key advisor to executive leadership and works collaboratively with internal departments, elected officials, contractors, and the community. The position reports to the Assistant City Manager – Public Services.  The director oversees an operating budget of $7.9 million (including a CIP of $2.5 million) and staff of 70, including 5 direct reports

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and management of the Public Works Department, leads department-wide performance management (KPIs, dashboards, service levels) 
• Strengthening asset management and capital prioritization (risk-based maintenance) 
• Drive workforce planning (succession planning, recruitment, training pipelines) 
• Advance interdepartmental coordination (Planning/Engineering, Finance, Water/Sewer) 
• Strengthen public communication around infrastructure expectations 
• Direct daily operations across all Public Works divisions to ensure safe, efficient, reliable service delivery 
• Develop and implement departmental goals, policies, and long-range operational plans 
• Oversee departmental budgeting, financial monitoring, purchasing, and resource allocation 
• Ensure compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and safety standards 
• Represent the department before City leadership, boards, committees, and community stakeholders. 
• Coordinate with other City departments and external agencies to support strategic initiatives and operational needs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering, project management, business administration, public administration, or a closely related field.
• A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in Public Works, Engineering, Infrastructure Management, or Municipal Operations.
• At least three (3) years of supervisory and administrative leadership experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Professional Engineer (PE) License or relevant master’s degree