The new Assistant City Manager will join a growing and engaged City Manager’s Office. Successful candidates must be people-focused, exhibit an exemplary customer service approach, and have a strong commitment to public service. The City Manager values collaboration and is seeking a leader that is both confidently independent and works to ensure a united voice within the City Manager’s Office. While members of the City Manager’s Office will have assigned areas of responsibility, a team-based approach that includes functional partnerships to achieve results is important to the City Manager’s vision for the office.

The City of Thornton also has a newly adopted strategic plan and the Assistant City Manager will have roles in supporting Departments in their alignment to the strategic plan and in directly supporting Strategic Plan Operations Teams and Strategic Plan Advisory Teams. Members of the City Manager’s Office will also be working to identify organizational improvements to address areas of employee priority through a recent employee survey and to strengthen capacity to model the City’s newly adopted Vision, Mission and Values.

This Assistant City Manager will be one of the first recruitment efforts to implement organizational changes proposed by a recent third-party structural review. The review was intended to build on the already strong performance and quality of life by realigning functions for greater role clarity, organizational collaboration, and to prepare for future growth. If all recommendations of the third-party assessment are implemented, the new Assistant City Manager will supervise the following functional areas as outlined by the recommended future organization structure: Planning and Permitting, Economic Development, Housing and Human Services, Code Compliance, and Parks and Recreation.

For optimal consideration, candidates are encouraged to apply immediately by completing an application and attaching a comprehensive resume and compelling cover letter via our website.

Applications will be accepted until December 19, 2025. The City of Thornton will review applications as they are received.

The City is seeking a professional with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, or a related field; eight years’ experience in local government including at least four years’ executive experience in a City Manager’s Office or as a department director. Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered. The candidate will have successfully served in or demonstrate strong familiarity with the Council-Manager form of government. Successful candidates will also have a proven record of leadership, fiscal stewardship, innovation, and relationship-building.

About City of Thornton

Mission Our mission is to build a resilient and thriving Thornton by providing vital services that support safety and well-being for our community. Vision As one of the largest cities in Colorado, Thornton is a regional leader with a dynamic economy and safe, welcoming, and diverse neighborhoods focused on innovation, fiscal responsibility, and service excellence that enriches lives. Values We earn and value our community’s TRUST We value the TRUST our community has in us to serve as stewards of resources to provide essential services. We make decisions in a selfless and professional way that prioritize the collective, evolving, and long-term needs of the organization and community. We build systems of communication and transparency that reinforce accountability for our performance and actions. Our internal and external COLLABORATION builds strong relationships and better outcomes We demonstrate COLLABORATION by recognizing that the needs of our community and our work extend beyond the borders of our departments and our organization. We engage internal and external partners to align our efforts and achieve common goals. By working together, we capitalize on ne...w opportunities and identify creative solutions to problems. We demonstrate our DEDICATION to public service We serve with DEDICATION by treating the public and our teammates with respect and compassion. We incorporate these values and practices into our work, recognizing that respect must be earned and maintained. We realize that our actions are a reflection on the City and we commit to listening to and supporting the community. We continuously seek service EXCELLENCE through creativity and continuous improvement We each take the initiative to pursue EXCELLENCE by increasing efficiency, improving service, creatively addressing problems, and adapting to new opportunities and challenges in our work. We serve with a mindset to continuously improve our processes and raise our standards.

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