What Does a Public Works Director Do?

The public works director supervises the activities of various departments in the public works sector. These departments include water and sewage treatment plants, streets, parks, utilities and equipment maintenance, and more. While the services managed by a public works director varies from city to city, it usually involves functions that require construction and maintenance and those that citizens are billed for on a monthly basis, including water, electricity, and trash collection.

When city governments lack the staff, time, resources, or expertise to undertake particular projects or parts of projects, they rely on services from outside vendors to complete projects. The public works director reviews and approves procurement documents for this work, requests for proposals, and invitations for bids. A public works director’s technical skill, management responsibilities, and project management techniques come together in these assignments.

Public Works Director Duties & Responsibilities

This job requires candidates to be able to perform responsibilities that include managerial and administrative duties such as the following:

• Monitor and oversee the physical facilities of a local community or area.
• Analyze and assess proposals of the public work staff, and evaluate projects against budget.
• Monitor the work progress of staff and other employees on projects.
• Develop the protocol for hiring outside vendors.
• Create bid specifications and recommend specific vendors for projects.
• Ensure that all works are completed successfully by contractors, vendors, and other public staff members.

A public works director plays an important role in creating and planning long-term programs that develop and aid the growth of a community. These individuals, like management executives in a corporate environment, oversee various sub-departments within a city’s public works department with the goal of planning and carrying out public works proposals and projects.

Public Works Director Salary

Director salaries in city government largely depend on the size of the city and the number of staff under each director’s supervision. The larger the city, the more the directors make. Heads of larger departments tend to make more than those with smaller departments; however, the salaries should still be comparable because of department heads’ relative status level in the organization.

A public works director's salary also varies based on the level of experience, education, certifications, and other factors. The following salary range represents the pay for top executives, including the public works director:

• Median Annual Salary: $74,481

Source: Payscale, 2019

Education, Training, & Certification

The public works director position involves fulfilling education and training requirements as follows:

• Education: Cities generally require candidates for public works director positions to have a bachelor’s degree in public administration, engineering, or a related field and significant experience in public works and management. A public works director must be a solid manager and a technical expert. Lacking in either area significantly diminishes a public works director’s effectiveness.
• Experience: Candidates should also have experience writing reports and give presentations to groups. Because much of the work done by public works departments is projected, it is essential that a public works director has experience managing projects with large budgets, long time frames, and broad scope.
• Certifications: A project management professional certification is desirable.

Public Works Director Skills & Competencies

In addition to education and other requirements, candidates that possess the following skills may be able to perform more successfully in the job:

• Excellent communication skills: Public works directors must synthesize complex information about public works projects that can be understood by audiences that do not have the technical background to understand the finer details.
• Project management: Ability to plan, organize, and direct the work of various project personnel.
• Written skills: Ability to create and prepare clear, comprehensive written reports.
• Networking: Excel at maintaining strong relationships with city officials, employees, contractors, the general public, and representatives of other agencies.
• Financial skills: Knowledge in principles of budget preparation and expenditure control.

Job Outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job growth outlook for public works directors between 2016 and 2026 is 8%, driven by new organizations and expansions, but offset by increases in technology that make it easier to manage work, which requires fewer top executives. This growth rate compares to the projected 7% growth for all occupations.

Work Environment

The public works director spends a good amount of time in an office setting but may travel to other offices for meetings. This individual may also visit project sites in the field.

Work Schedule

Top executives, including public works directors, often spend many hours in the office, including evenings and weekends. In 2016, about half of the employees in this position worked more than 40 hours per week.

Comparing Similar Jobs

People interested in a public works director career also consider the following career paths, listed with the median annual salaries:

• Civil Engineer: $86,640
• Surveyor: $62,580
• Architect: $79,380

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018