5-10

Director of Public Works - Butte County, CA

12/14/2025

The Director of Public Works will lead, mentor, and manage the Public Works Department, overseeing various engineering projects. The role requires fostering innovation and collaboration while navigating complex project requirements.

Salary

181591 - 219725 USD

Working Hours

40 hours/week

Company Size

2-10 employees

Language

English

Visa Sponsorship

About The Company

Peckham & McKenney is one of the most trusted and respected executive recruitment firms in the country. Known for our integrity and high ethics, Peckham & McKenney provides executive search services to local government agencies throughout the western United States and is headquartered in Roseville, CA with offices in Los Angeles and Colorado Springs, CO. Peckham & McKenney is a majority woman-owned firm and was established as a partnership in June 2004 and incorporated in 2014 by Bobbi Peckham and Phil McKenney, who serve as the firm’s President and Chief Operating Officer, respectively. The Peckham & McKenney team of Executive Recruiters brings over 100 years of experience in local government and executive search. Since 2004, we have conducted more than 600 executive level recruitments in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Peckham & McKenney, Inc. has successfully placed hundreds of City and County Managers, Chief Administrative Officers, Executive Directors, General Managers, Administrators, and Legal Counsel, as well as their Assistants and Deputies. In addition, we have placed hundreds of executives and organizational leaders in the areas of public safety (police and fire), community development and planning, economic development, public works and engineering, finance, human resources, city clerk, information technology, library services, parks and recreation, and community services. At Peckham & McKenney, we recognize that every agency and community we serve is unique, and the candidate you ultimately select must “fit.” We take the time to become familiar with your community, organizational culture, and issues and challenges in order to identify and recruit the best candidates for your consideration. Nearly 89% of our placements stay in those positions for over five years, which is a testament to our tagline "All about fit!"

About the Role

Located on the east side of Northern California’s Sacramento Valley, covering 1,640 square miles between the Sacramento River and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Butte County is home to 207,303 residents and five incorporated jurisdictions. The County offers an ideal economic atmosphere and a lower cost of living and is conveniently located within a few hours of metropolitan areas such as Sacramento and the Bay Area. Opportunities for recreation, cultural enrichment, and relaxation in a rural environment are endless.

Butte County is excited about its ambitious project list for the current fiscal year and FY 26/27. The County is seeking a highly accomplished engineering professional to lead, mentor, and manage a dynamic Public Works Department, a creative, solution-oriented, and collaborative leader; fiscally agile, with experience successfully maneuvering projects through complex and sometimes challenging requirements. The next Director will need to be an experienced and enthusiastic project manager and a versatile and inspiring leader that fosters innovation and the exchange of ideas.

Competitive candidates will offer seven years of broad and extensive professional engineering experience including at least four years in a supervisory or administrative capacity responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, and other public works functions. Experience overseeing major construction and demolition projects, and the challenges associated with aging infrastructure will be considered favorably. A Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from an accredited college or university. A Master’s degree is preferred. A valid certificate of registration as a Civil Engineer issued by the State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers from the State of California.

The salary range is $181,591 - $219,725, with approved %5 increases effective July 1, 2026, 2027, 2028, and competitive benefits.

Filing Deadline: January 9, 2026
Resumes are acknowledged within 2 business days.

By submitting an application and clicking “submit application” for this position, I agree to the terms of conditions here of the recruitment process facilitated by Peckham & McKenney Executive Search.

Key Skills

EngineeringProject ManagementLeadershipMentoringCollaborationInnovationFiscal ManagementPublic WorksConstruction ManagementInfrastructureProblem SolvingCommunicationTeam BuildingStrategic PlanningRegulatory ComplianceDesign