Location
Description
THE COMMUNITY
The City of Menlo Park is a thriving community with tree-lined neighborhoods, active commercial areas, spaces to enjoy the outdoors, and opportunities to engage in local activities. Located conveniently between the major metropolitan areas of San Francisco and San Jose, Menlo Park is home to just under 34,000 residents in its 19 square miles. The stunning natural surroundings of the city afford views of the San Francisco Bay to the east and the Pacific Coastal Range to the west. Menlo Park’s climate is moderate to warm, with an average of 265 sunny days a year.
Menlo Park’s residents reflect a range of backgrounds and interests, with a tendency toward being actively engaged in community life. The City’s close proximity to Stanford University and Menlo College provide a multitude of academic, cultural and athletic event opportunities. The City regularly hosts musical performances and cultural experiences at both the Burgess campus and the newly opened Belle Haven Community Campus. The Downtown, with its many eateries and unique shops, attracts locals and visitors alike. The Menlo Park Caltrain station also provides a convenient connection to the numerous arts and leisure activities in the San Francisco and San Jose areas.
Known worldwide as the “Capital of Venture Capital,” Menlo Park hosts many venture capital firms and is well situated to benefit from and help shape new technologies and markets originating from the Silicon Valley. Additionally, Menlo Park is host to numerous technology and healthcare related companies, including such major employers as Meta (formerly Facebook), SRI International, Pacific Biosciences, Exponent, Grail, CSBio, and Robinhood. For additional information, visit the City's website at: menlopark.gov.
THE ORGANIZATION
Incorporated in 1927, Menlo Park is a General Law city operating under a Council-Manager form of government. The City Council is the City’s five-member governing body whose members are elected by district for four-year overlapping terms in general municipal elections. The Mayor and Vice Mayor each serve one-year terms and are selected annually by the City Council.
The City Council appoints the City Manager and City Attorney as well as members of the Planning Commission and numerous advisory boards. The City Manager appoints all executive and management level positions. City staff report to one of six departments: City Manager’s Office, Administrative Services, Community Development, Library and Community Services, Police, and Public Works, which includes water and solid waste enterprises. Fire protection and sanitary services are provided by separate special districts.
The City is supported by 296 FTE and has over 55 funds with a total expenditure budget of $207.9 million. As evidence of the City’s sound financial stewardship and solid financial standing, Menlo Park consistently maintains an AAA bond rating, in large part due to its healthy reserves and diverse revenue base
In addition to its many attributes, Menlo Park has one of the most beautiful civic center campuses in the Bay Area. Heritage trees, a running fountain and a duck pond surround City Hall. The campus also includes a nine-acre park, recreation facilities and the Menlo Park Library. These civic amenities make the campus a noted destination for residents, local employees and visitors. Conveniently located, the campus is a short walk to the Menlo Park Caltrain Station and the downtown district with numerous restaurants and shops.
THE DEPARTMENT
The Community Development Department is responsible for ensuring a sustainable and vibrant community that supports a high quality of life for residents, businesses and visitors. It is comprised of 35 FTE who operate as an effective and cohesive team across multiple functional areas and lead a number of City initiatives to support the City Council goals. The Department includes the Building, Planning and Housing Divisions, and core services include building permits, plan check, inspections, affordable housing administration and housing initiatives, as well as long-range planning and development review.
The Building Division, which is the division this position will be responsible for overseeing, includes managing building permit, plan check and inspection processes for compliance with all applicable State laws, local municipal codes and related policies involving building construction. These functions require a high level of customer service with the public and coordination within and across various departments and agencies. The Division issued approximately 1,700 building permits and conducted 10,000 building inspections in 2024. For additional budget information, visit menlopark.gov/budget.
THE POSITION
The City of Menlo Park is seeking a strong, forward-thinking leader who is collaborative and passionate about serving the community and advancing department and City goals. This position serves as the City’s Building Official, as well as plans, organizes, manages, and provides administrative direction and oversight for major functions, activities, and staff of the Building Division. The incumbent will assist with department initiatives, including annual budgeting and monitoring and the development and administration of departmental policies, procedures and services, as well as day-to-day operations, including reviewing plans, interpreting applicable code, and meeting with stakeholders to explain processes. Areas of responsibility include building and safety, permit processing and issuance, inspection and compliance with the California Building Standards Code and relevant parts of the City’s Municipal Code, and building plan check review.
This position plays a key role in collaborating and coordinating assigned activities with other City departments, teams, and outside agencies and fostering cooperative working relationships. The person in this role is also expected to have excellent rapport with the general public, with the ability to respond to, and resolve difficult and sensitive citizen inquiries and complaints.
Current examples of notable projects include coordinating the upcoming California Building Standards Code cycle, collaborating on the IT Master Plan and land management permitting system (Accela) to improve customer experience and service delivery, and overseeing the building permit process for a diverse range of development from tenant improvements to hotels to comprehensive mixed-use campuses. The City has over 2,000 residential units, two hotels and more than 1.8 million square feet of commercial spaces approved, but not yet under construction, along with a number of large development projects currently under review. This position reports directly to the Community Development Director and is responsible for overseeing several positions within the Building Division across all functional areas.
Ideal Candidate
The City of Menlo Park is seeking an experienced management professional who is able to exercise independent judgment and initiative, while always keeping the best interests of the City as a priority. The ideal candidate will be an engaged, working manager who imparts a service orientation to staff, inspires teamwork, builds relationships, maintains a positive and productive work environment, addresses and solves problems, and takes effective action when appropriate.
A combination of excellent technical and communication skills, as well as a keen awareness of the broader organizational context, is essential to this position. The ideal candidate will exhibit an ability to effectively oversee employees, serving as both a guide and a coach, as well as contribute as an effective member of the City's Management Team. The ability to make sound decisions, demonstrate a strong grasp of operations-management, clearly and effectively communicate with others, manage and prioritize multiple tasks, and thrive in a fast-paced environment will be key to a successful candidate.
The successful candidate will also be well-versed in how to utilize data to analyze the department's level of service and make recommendations for improvements, as needed. Experience administering policies and procedures, budgets, contracts, and invoicing will also be essential.
The body of work encompassed in the Community Development Department has been described as "big city work in a small town" in that responsibilities can range from working on large-scale development projects to assisting residents or small businesses with permitting requirements. The ideal candidate will have the ability to successfully navigate both ends of the spectrum, and everything in between, while leveraging the talents of a small but experienced team.
QUALIFICATIONS
This position requires the equivalent of:
- A degree in urban planning, engineering, public administration, business administration or a related field;
- Five (5) years of professional building services plans review and/or inspection experience, three (3) years of which should include building program management or supervision; and
- Certification as a Building Official from the International Code Council (I.C.C.).
- Possession of a valid California driver license and a satisfactory driving record is also required.
Benefits
The salary range for this position is $158,186 - $213,551, depending on qualifications. The City also offers a generous benefits package for unrepresented management positions, which includes the following:
- Retirement – California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) plan, which offers reciprocity between agencies. “Classic” tier II employees new to the City of Menlo Park receive a 2% @ 60 formula. “PEPRA” employees (those new to CalPERS since 2013 and who do not belong to a reciprocal agency of CalPERS) will receive the tier III formula of 2% @ 62. Employees pay the full member contribution. The City does not participate in Social Security, except for the 1.45% Medicare contribution by both the City and employee.
- Health Insurance – The City pays 100% of health premium costs for medical, dental (through Delta Dental), and vision (basic plan premiums through Vision Service Plan).
- Education Reimbursement – Reimbursement up to $3,600 per year for tuition expenses or existing student loan payments, subject to program guidelines.
- Life Insurance – City provided policy equal to 1.5 times the employee's annual salary up to $350,000.
- Deferred Compensation – City provides 457(b) plans and matches employee contribution up to 4% of salary or the IRS maximum, whichever is less, for “Classic” tier II and all “PEPRA” members.
- Paid Time Off – Paid time off includes 338 hours of General Leave, 80 hours of Management Leave, and 8 official paid holidays. Up to 120 hours may be cashed-out in accordance with the City’s leave buy-back policy. Accrued general leave is fully paid out upon separation from the City.
- Other: City contribution of $2,500 per year for health reimbursement account. Employees who are not
assigned a City vehicle receive an auto allowance of $277 per pay period. City Manager may award a bonus of up to $20,000 per fiscal year. City-paid long-term disability and AD&D insurance. Counseling and referral services provided through the Employee Assistance Program.
For additional benefit information, visit www.menlopark.gov and review the City of Menlo Park Management Compensation Plan for Unrepresented Appointees.
Special Instructions
This recruitment is conducted by Peckham & McKenney. Interested and qualified individuals are invited to submit a resume and cover letter of interest in PDF format electronically to Peckham & McKenney by Wednesday, July 23, 2025. Applications will be reviewed for depth and breadth of experience, and for level and relatedness of education. The most qualified candidates will be invited to participate in further selection procedures.
Preliminary interviews are scheduled to take place from Thursday, July 24 to Tuesday, August 5. The finalist interview process is scheduled for Wednesday, August 27 and Thursday, August 28.
Confidential inquires are welcomed and should be directed to:
- Anne Caldwell: 866-912-1919 or anne@peckhamandmckenney.com