Director of Portland Public Utilities

Director of Portland Public Utilities

City of Portland | Public Works Service Area

Job Location: In-person, based at the Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97204

Compensation: $194,563 - $289,577

Motus Recruiting and Staffing is proud to partner with the City of Portland in its executive search for a Director of Portland Public Utilities.

OVERVIEW OF THE DIRECTOR OF PORTLAND PUBLIC UTILITIES POSITION:

The City of Portland is seeking a transformational leader to serve as its first Director of Public Utility Services, a newly created executive role jointly overseeing the Water and Environmental Services bureaus. This role is the cornerstone of Portland’s One Water vision—unifying drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater services under a single leader for the first time in the city’s history. This position is part of a broader structural transformation under Portland’s new council–mayor–administrator form of government.

The Mayor acts as the city’s chief executive, directing policy and budget, while the City Administrator manages day-to-day operations. Bureaus are now organized into six strategic service areas led by Deputy City Administrators. The Director reports directly to the Deputy City Administrator (DCA) for Public Works, who is responsible for setting integrated strategies, aligning citywide priorities, and overseeing performance across all Public Works bureaus.

With a combined workforce of over 1,200 employees and an annual budget exceeding $1 billion, the Director is the senior executive responsible for service delivery, operations, regulatory compliance, financial stewardship, One Water strategy implementation, and cultural transformation across two historically independent utility bureaus. This is a high-visibility leadership role that will reshape Portland’s infrastructure future—centered on equity, climate resilience, and affordability—and will work closely with the DCA to realize the City’s strategic goals.

This executive-level position will lead the strategic integration of the Portland Water Bureau and Bureau of Environmental Services (BES). The Director is accountable for delivering high-quality utility services to over 650,000 Portlanders while aligning efforts with the City’s climate action, racial equity, and economic justice goals.

Key responsibilities include capital investment planning, utility finance oversight, regulatory compliance, labor-management collaboration, transparent community engagement, and coordination with the Portland Utility Board. The Director will execute strategic direction established by the Deputy City Administrator under Portland’s new service area model, ensuring alignment across bureaus, service areas, and partner agencies.

To learn more about the City of Portland, visit: https://www.portland.gov

WHAT YOU’LL LEAD:

• Strategic integration of leadership functions across the Water Bureau and BES
• A high-performing executive team delivering core utility services to over 650,000 residents
• Cross-cutting policy aligned with Portland’s climate action, racial equity, and justice goals
• Major capital programs including water filtration, sewer modernization, and green infrastructure
• A cultural shift rooted in transparency, frontline empowerment, and operational excellence
• Constructive labor-management partnerships that foster a positive, safe workplace
• Transparent public engagement that centers the voices of historically underserved communities
• Utility infrastructure alignment with broader city initiatives
• Risk mitigation, emergency preparedness, and climate-adaptive utility planning
• Execution of strategic priorities from the DCA for Public Works
• Collaboration with the Portland Utility Board for equitable, community-informed decision-making

ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE DIRECTOR OF PORTLAND PUBLIC UTILITIES:

• You are an experienced public utility or infrastructure executive with a proven record of leading large, complex organizations through transformational change.
• You thrive in politically nuanced, high-accountability environments, and you move comfortably between conversations with regulators, engineers, frontline workers, elected officials, and community organizers.
• You believe that transparent governance and public trust are foundational to effective utility management.
• You bring strong communication skills, political savvy, and a deep understanding of the value of culturally responsive community engagement, inclusive labor relations, and frontline empowerment.
• You understand the importance of advisory oversight and are committed to building strong, respectful relationships with bodies like the Portland Utility Board.
• You don’t shy away from legacy challenges—you meet them with vision, clarity, and courage.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE DIRECTOR OF PORTLAND PUBLIC UTILITIES :

• Minimum 7–10 years of executive leadership experience in water, wastewater, stormwater, environmental services, or related public-sector infrastructure
• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, engineering, environmental policy, or related field; master’s degree (e.g., MPA, MBA, MS) strongly preferred
• Proven success in leading organizational transformation and unifying siloed teams
• Expertise in utility finance, rate setting, and capital delivery within regulatory frameworks (e.g., SDWA, CWA, MS4, UIC)
• Strong experience collaborating with labor unions and labor-management committees
• Deep commitment to racial equity, environmental justice, and workforce inclusion
• Familiarity with city administrator–led government structures and centralized performance accountability models
• Exceptional communication and political acumen with the ability to engage media, labor, City Council, regulators, and community partners

About Motus Recruiting and Staffing, Inc.

Founded in 2006, Motus is an award-winning recruiting and staffing firm in the Pacific Northwest, specializing in professional services and technology solutions. We are a group of people who not only recognize the importance of representation, but actively fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the recruitment process. Our goal is to educate organizations on the importance of DEI when hiring, promoting, and supporting diverse employees. We are calling organizations to demonstrate their commitment to DEI by being intentional about who they hire.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability or protected veteran status.