THE COMMUNITY

On the idyllic central California coast and known as the American Riviera”, the City of Santa Barbara is a 21 square mile community with a culturally diverse population of approximately 85,000. With a nearly perfect climate year-round supporting an active lifestyle for jogging, bike riding, rollerblading, kayaking, boating, sport fishing, whale watching, surfing, and/or a leisurely stroll along the numerous pathways, wharf and harbor, a 2024 Visit Santa Barbara economic impact study stated that approximately 6.5 million tourists visit the Santa Barbara South Coast annually. Contributing to the attraction of the City, visitors and residents also enjoy an abundance of world-class shopping, dining, resort accommodations, wine tasting and the City’s unique “Funk Zone” that features boutique tasting rooms, cafes, and galleries. Santa Barbara’s superb quality of life is further enhanced by its world renown attractions, destinations, and educational institutions that include the Old Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Zoo, Stearns Wharf, Botanic Gardens, Shoreline Park, Earl Warren Showgrounds, University of California, Westmont College, Antioch University, and Santa Barbara City College.

With its spectacular mountains and open space, sparkling-blue ocean, incredible landscapes, Mission style architecture, miles of pristine beaches and coastline, and year-round sunny weather, Santa Barbara is one of the most beautiful places to live and work. For more information about the City of Santa Barbara, please visit www.santabarbaraca.gov .

THE ORGANIZATION

The City of Santa Barbara is a full-service Charter city managed under the Council-Manager form of government. The seven member City Council is elected by district except for the position of Mayor, who is elected at-large.

The City Administrator Kelly McAdoo , appointed in 2024, is responsible for the administration of all City operations that is provided by a total of 15 Departments: Airport, City Administrator, City Attorney, City Clerk, Community Development, Finance, Fire, Human Resources, Information Technology, Library, Parks and Recreation, Police, Public Works, Sustainability and Resilience, and Waterfront. The City operates with a General Fund 2025 operating budget of approximately $216 million. The staff team totals approximately 1,112 full-time equivalent employees.

Over the last several years to the present day, the City of Santa Barbara has experienced employee retirements and departures that have resulted in new or the future addition of personnel at all levels of the organization. As such, the City Administrator is engaged in the exciting opportunity of building a new team; the City is seeking exceptional individuals with demonstrated success in their fields of expertise that will work together and collaboratively with the team to accomplish the City’s strategic goals and initiatives. Moreover, with 5 of the City’s 8 labor agreements poised for re-negotiation and a recently completed Classification and Compensation Study ready now for implementation, the City is positioned to embark on several challenging matters that will influence the future of the organization and establish its foundation for success.

THE POSITION

The Human Resources Department was established as its own Department approximately 5 years ago. As a relatively new stand-alone organization of 11 professionals and a budget of approximately $2.8 million , it has the mission To recruit, retain, and develop a workforce that is dedicated to the Community and the Organization” through the values of 1) Acting with integrity to earn the respect and trust of the community and employees; 2) Customer service that exceeds expectations; 3) Teamwork that provides leadership and guidance to the organization; and 4) Developing a fair workplace through diversity and inclusion. The Department team is very collaborative, driven by a commitment to serving the organization and citywide personnel, experts in their individual fields, fun and hardworking.

The Human Resources Director oversees talent acquisition, employee relations, compensation and classification, Civil Service Commission, benefits administration, employee development, legal compliance, and labor relations. The Director must be an engaging, high energy, collaborative, personable, team oriented, empowering, and accessible leader and working manager (without micro-managing). The Director also needs to be a welcoming individual and a partner for working among people at all levels of the Human Resources Department and the citywide organization; support employees and their professional development; and steer programs, values, and services toward organizational excellence.

The Human Resources Director is expected to be a champion of City personnel and promote best practices in human resources management while concurrently and appropriately holding people accountable, administering ordinances, enforcing processes pertaining personnel, and leading / guiding Department and organization wide decision making. As such, the Director should be versed and have a deep understanding in the technical and legal aspects of labor relations and contract negotiations, supervision, accommodation and investigations, performance management, strategies for employee recruitment and retention, and discipline.

The ideal candidate as Human Resources Director is an individual who will model professionalism, find solutions to get to “yes”, and embrace challenges as an opportunity. The successful candidate will also have a track record that demonstrates action over analysis, excellent judgment, emotional intelligence, and political savvy.

Additionally, the Human Resources Director will:

Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying for the Human Resources Director. Ideally, applicants will have experience as a Human Resources Director, or as a Human Resources Assistant Director / Manager in a similarly complex and large organization. Experience in a municipality is also desired. A typical way of obtaining the knowledge, skills and abilities for the position includes 1) graduation from a college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management, Public Administration or a related field, 2) 8 or more years of broad and progressively responsible experience in a managerial and professional capacity, and 3) at least 5 years of supervisory and management responsibilities. The final candidate will be subject to City Council confirmation (of the City Administrator’s recommendation) and will have an employment agreement.

THE COMPENSATION

The successful candidate will be offered a competitive salary with an outstanding benefits package. The salary range is $191,922 - $233,284 annually. The starting salary for the selected candidate will reflect the candidate’s work experience and track record demonstrating career success. The City of Santa Barbara offers an outstanding benefits package, including:

For a complete explanation of benefits, please refer to the City’s Management Performance & Compensation Plan and the Employee Benefits Guide . Please understand that the provisions explained herein are simply a statement of relevant benefits; more information is available on the Benefits website .

SEARCH SCHEDULE

These dates have been confirmed, and it is recommended that you plan your calendar accordingly.

To apply for this key position and exciting career opportunity, please visit the Peckham & McKenney website at:

Peckham & McKenney
www.peckhamandmckenney.com

Resumes are acknowledged within two business days. Contact Anton “Tony” Dahlerbruch at 310.567.1554 or toll-free at 866.912.1919, if you have any questions regarding this position or the recruitment process.