Palm Beach County’s County Administrator is retiring after serving the organization for approximately 38 years, and the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners is seeking a dynamic and accomplished executive to continue to lead the County into the future.

 

The Board seeks a visionary leader who is ethical, innovative, collaborative, accountable, and results-oriented – one who will provide the County with direction and purpose while soliciting broad support from all stakeholders. The ideal County Administrator candidate has a track record of successfully leading and managing the daily operations of multi-agency government entities and cost centers, preparing and overseeing substantive budgets, and inspiring organizational excellence. Additionally, he/she is approachable, team-oriented, possesses exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, and is an experienced strategic planner and decision maker. The ideal County Administrator candidate is diplomatic; politically astute; apolitical; and able to work effectively with the Board of County Commissioners, Constitutional Officers, and other governmental officials, including city/state/federal agencies as well as external agencies, partners, and residents of the County. The next County Administrator will continue to build and maintain alliances throughout the community inclusive of municipalities and taxing districts.  

 

Located in sunny South Florida, Palm Beach County is one of the largest of Florida's 67 counties by area. Consisting of a vibrant, growing, multicultural population of over 1.5 million residents, it is also Florida’s fourth largest by population. Palm Beach County joins Broward and Miami-Dade as the gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean. The County is located less than one hour from Miami, two and a half hours from Orlando, and a two hour boat ride to the Bahamas. 

 

The County has a large, diversified business community, including aerospace, communications, information technology, education, agriculture, tourism, construction, healthcare, and financial services firms.  Within the County is the Port of Palm Beach, one of the busiest container port in the United States, and Palm Beach International Airport, recently named as the 3rd Best U.S. Airport by Travel + Leisure Magazine. Additionally, there is a continued focus to advance the economic, industrial and civic interests of the community at large, and to ensure sustainable growth and prosperity. 

 

The County offers a multitude of cultural attractions such as concerts, professional sporting events, museums, and live theater. The region is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts with many wildlife refuges and natural areas. In addition to its beaches, the County has over 8,000 acres of parkland to discover and explore. County-owned amenities include beaches, parks, golf courses, civic centers, equestrian parks, amphitheaters and a wide variety of other facilities.

 

The Board of County Commissioners, the seven-member elected legislative branch of County government, adopts ordinances and resolutions to establish programs that protect and maintain the health, safety and welfare of County residents.

 

As stated in the Palm Beach County Charter, the County Administrator is “appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Board of County Commissioners.” The executive responsibilities and powers of the County, as authorized by the Board of County Commissioners, are assigned to and vested in the County Administrator.

 

In this role, the County Administrator implements Board-approved programs and manages the day-to-day operations of County government. With Commission ratification, the County Administrator appoints Department Directors. The County Administrator oversees a FY2025 total budget of $9 billion, over 35 County departments, and more than 6,500 employees. 

 

The responsibilities of the County Administrator include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Directing and coordinating the operations of the County under the authority of the Board of County Commissioners.
• Performing executive management duties, strategic and operational planning, and assisting and supporting County government.  
• Overseeing preparation of the County budget, including reviewing and analyzing department budget requests, and providing financial advice and decisions based on the directives of the Board and per the adopted budget. 
• Implementing and monitoring the adopted budget.
• Meeting with rating agencies to discuss the financial conditions of the County.
• Overseeing the development and administration of policies, procedures, goals, and objectives. 
• Overseeing the development and management of the County's emergency management program, including planning, preparedness, response, and recovery.
• Directing Department Directors and assigned staff to ensure alignment with Board priorities. 
• Working in collaboration with Department Directors, the County Attorney, and elected officials. 
• Assisting the Board in decision-making processes, information gathering, policy development and review. 
• Serving as the final resource and authority for specific assignments, policy implementation, guidelines and procedures.
• Providing long-range planning and policy direction.
• Facilitating the communication and decision-making process between departments and the Board. 
• Conducting special studies and assignments at the request of the Board.  Preparing and presenting written reports with recommendations for action as required. 
• Ensuring that information provided to the Board is professional and presented in a manner that facilitates executive decisions.
• Facilitating and maintaining intergovernmental communication and coordination. 
• Preparing for the future development of the County.

 

As stated in the Palm Beach County Charter, “the County Administrator shall be chosen on the basis of his/her professional training, executive and administrative experience and qualifications.” For this recruitment, a Bachelor’s degree is required or the equivalent experience; a degree in Public or Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Engineering or a similar field is preferred, as is a Master’s degree. Additionally, the candidate should have at least ten (10) years of executive level management experience preferably as a County/City Manager, Deputy/Assistant Manager, or executive leader in an organization of similar structure, size and complexity with progressively responsible experience preferred; or any equivalent combination of related training and experience.

 

The salary range for this position is $341,403 - $477,669. Starting salary will be dependent upon qualifications, including the knowledge, skills, and experience of the individual selected. In addition, the County offers a comprehensive benefits package including health and dental insurance, and participation in the Florida Retirement System (FRS). Please note that if selected, residency within the County is required.

 

 

To apply, please send a letter of intent and your resume to CtyAdmRecruitment@pbc.gov by April 28, 2025 at 5:00 pm EDT.