Montana Career Opportunity – Associate Director, Local Government Center – Montana State University

Making a difference in Montana

Title: Associate Director, Local Government Center, Fulltime (1.0 FTE)

Position # LGC-0901

Location: Bozeman, Montana

Montana State University Local Government Center seeks a dynamic and innovative individual for the position of Associate Director. The Associate Director participates in conducting outreach workshops, technical assistance programs, research conducted by the Center, and in programs focused on community dialogue, leadership development, visioning and strategic planning in Montana communities. The mission of the Local Government Center, as set forth in Montana state law, is to "strengthen the capacities of Montana’s local governmental units to deliver essential services efficiently and to provide training, technical assistance, and research to local officials." (20-25-237, MCA)

The Center seeks to accomplish its mission by building and sustaining local leadership capacity, civil dialogue, and effective governance in communities throughout the state. The Center maintains valuable working partnerships with local government practitioners and their professional associations (especially the Montana Association of Counties, Montana Municipal Interlocal Authority and the Montana League of Cities and Towns), Montana Tribal governments, key state agencies, the Local Government Committees of the Montana State Legislature, and the appropriate departments, centers, faculty and staff of the Montana University System .

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

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Work with the Director to develop and plan public management training workshops, Montana Mayors Academy, certification programs, newly-elected officials’ orientation for local government officials, and related programs.

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Coordinates and facilitates community capacity building programs focusing on community dialogue, leadership development, visioning and strategic planning.

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Participates as an instructor at workshops for local government officials and supervisors, community leaders, instructional programs and research of the Local Government Center.

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Coordinates with community leaders, elected and appointed local government officials; occasionally works with state legislators, state officials, the media and other academics to plan and deliver leadership and capacity building training.

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Addresses inquiries and provides research and information in response to questions from the press, the public and local government officials.

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Supervises graduate & undergraduate students working with the Local Government Center, and, in the absence of the Director, other employees.

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Carries out research projects relating to legal, financial, organizational problems and policies of Montana local government.

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Coordinates the publication of Montana Policy Review, a biannual publication of the Center.

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Collects data and publishes Montana Local Government Profiles annually.

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Actively seeks grant funding opportunities and assists the Director in preparing grant applications.

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Travel throughout the state is expected.

Required Qualifications:

1. A Bachelors Degree in Political Science, Public Administration, Communication or related field.

2. Knowledge of local government function, structure and issues.

3. Experience in local government, non-profit, and community organizing.

4. Demonstrated ability to speak to large public audiences, perform research, and draft reports on local government or
community engagement issues.

5. Demonstrated experience coordinating multiple planning tasks with numerous individuals.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Masters Degree in Political Science, Public Administration, Communication, Education, J.D. or related field.

2. Municipal government experience.

3. Knowledge of strategic planning, leadership development and/or community engagement process.

4. Knowledge on increasing assets and wealth in low income communities.

5. Experience in planning and programming workshops and certification curricula for local government officials or
community volunteers.

6. Experience with improving public policy to create economic prosperity.

The successful candidate will have excellent written and verbal communication skills; demonstrated ability to communicate
effectively with constituencies at the local government, university, county, state and national levels; a commitment to
principles of civil rights and diversity; and an interest in working with people from diverse backgrounds. The successful
candidate will also be self-motivated, innovative, and persistent, with the ability to work well within a team environment. The
successful candidate will also have a familiarity with multi-cultural and different socioeconomic audiences, an interest in
working with people from diverse backgrounds, and a commitment to the principles of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action,
and diversity/pluralism.

Conditions & Benefits: This appointment includes participation in TIAA-CREF, coverage for health and life insurance, Social
Security, Workers’ Compensation and Unemployment Compensation. MSU may conduct a criminal history records check on any
applicant. The University will not employ persons whose criminal and employment history suggests they may pose a significant
risk to youth, faculty, staff or university property.

General Information: This position is administratively responsible to Dan Clark, Director of the Local Government Center, through
the hiring authority of the Vice Provost and Director of MSU Extension. For further information regarding this position, please
contact:

Dan Clark, Director, Local Government Center and Search Chair
Phone: 406.994-6694 or Email: [email protected]