5.3. SR 12-07-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City of Elk River Page Two The Search Process We anticipate the search for the Planning Director for the City of Elk River will take from three to four months (90 to 120 days) from the time we are retained to the time the City Council makes an offer. This is somewhat dependent on the time required to screen candidates, and the availability of the City Administrator and the City Council to review consultant reports and conduct final interviews. We have prepared a preliminary timetable which corresponds to the various steps in the process. After further discussions with the City Administrator and the City Council we will refine the timetable and develop a target date for the reporting of the new Planning Director. PHASE I Position Profile A successful search begins with a thorough definition and agreement by the City on each aspect of the position to be filled. During this initial phase our consultants will meet with the City Administrator, City Council, Department Heads, and key staff to learn more about your goals and objectives. Critical factors to be determined include position responsibility and authority; reporting relationships; educational and experience requirements; personal and leadership qualities; management style, and organizational priorities. The listing of priorities serves a two-fold purpose: It assists the hiring authority in developing a consensus on what is important for the organization and it alerts potential candidates to the important issues of the organization. Of equal importance to the success of the search is identifying the community priorities and environment in which the Planning Director must function. We would expect to meet with selected representatives from the community to further assess the climate within which the selected candidate will most effectively perform. This may be accomplished through individual interviews or through a public forum. Prior to our meetings we will supply an Ideal Candidate Profile Survey to assist the interviewees in assembling their ideas on what should be included in the Position Profile. As a result of the meetings we will reach an Understanding of the critical specifications of the position and we will draft a Position Profile. A great deal of emphasis is placed on the agreement of this analysis. Without this information, it is difficult to determine how potential candidates will affect the City's plans and organizational team. The final Position Profile becomes the document against which we evaluate prospective candidates. During the meeting with the City Council agreement will be reached concerning the number of qualified candidates that will be interviewed before making a final decision.