Posting number: 020003-26-CMO
Department: City Manager
Division: Executive Office
Job classification: Assistant City Manager
Posting type: Open
Categories: Administration, Management, Executive Management, Miscellaneous
California’s capital city is building momentum, and the City of Sacramento is seeking two accomplished, collaborative executives to serve as Assistant City Managers and help advance the City’s priorities during an important period of leadership transition. One of these vacancies is the result of an upcoming retirement, and both positions follow successful, long-standing tenures that have provided stability and strong leadership to the organization. The next ACMs will have the opportunity to build upon that strong foundation, serving as trusted partners to the City Manager, supporting talented department leaders, and bringing the versatility, enterprise perspective, and executive judgment to lead across a dynamic municipal organization. For leaders energized by complex challenges, meaningful collaboration, and the opportunity to turn Citywide priorities into visible progress, Sacramento offers the chance to help shape what comes next for California’s capital city.
To see the full recruitment brochure and to apply, visit: https://tristargov.applicantpool.com/jobs/1333209-334416.html
To see the Assistant City Manager classification specification, visit: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/saccity/classspecs/823918?keywords=assistant%20city%20&pagetype=classSpecifications
CALIFORNIA’S CAPITAL CITY: ROOTED IN HISTORY. BUILT FOR WHAT’S NEXT.
Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers, Sacramento is a vibrant and evolving capital city where history, culture, recreation, and opportunity come together. Home to more than 500k residents, Sacramento offers the amenities of a major metropolitan area while maintaining distinctive neighborhoods and an approachable quality of life. As one of California’s most diverse cities, Sacramento embraces its diversity as a defining strength and is committed to advancing equity, inclusion, and opportunity across every neighborhood and community.
The city has earned a reputation for its farm-to-fork culinary scene, with restaurants, farmers markets, breweries, wineries, and local producers reflecting the richness of the surrounding region. Downtown and Midtown offer an active mix of dining, nightlife, arts, entertainment, and community events, while destinations such as the Golden 1 Center, Crocker Art Museum, Old Sacramento Waterfront, and the SAFE Credit Union Convention and Performing Arts District contribute to a lively cultural and visitor experience.
Outdoor recreation is equally accessible. With more than 200 parks and 80 miles of trails, Sacramento offers abundant opportunities for cycling, running, kayaking, and enjoying its rivers and green spaces. Its central Northern California location also puts residents within easy reach of Lake Tahoe, the Sierra Nevadas, Napa Valley, and the Bay Area.
As California’s capital, Sacramento is also a center for government, business, education, healthcare, and innovation, with institutions such as Sacramento State and UC Davis contributing to the region’s talent and economic ecosystem. Continued investment in the city’s neighborhoods, commercial corridors, waterfront, entertainment offerings, and major development projects is helping shape an increasingly dynamic place to build a career, establish a business, and call home.
CITY GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE. ONE CITY, ONE FUTURE.
The City of Sacramento is a charter city operating under a Council-City Manager form of government. The nine-member City Council consists of a Mayor elected at large and eight Councilmembers elected by district. Together, the Mayor and City Council establish policy, adopt the City’s budget, and appoint the City Manager, City Auditor, City Clerk, City Treasurer, and City Attorney. The City Manager serves as the City’s Chief Executive Officer and is responsible for implementing Council direction and overseeing City operations.
Through the “One City, One Future” Strategic Workplan, City Departments are bringing city services and City Council priorities into alignment with greater focus and accountability on coordinated action and measurable results. For FY2026/27, the Council has established three priorities that guide the City’s work:
These priorities are supported by the strategic workplan which identifies specific objectives and initiatives across City departments, creating clearer accountability for moving from policy direction to implementation and results.
The City Manager serves as Sacramento’s Chief Executive Officer, providing executive leadership for a full-service municipal organization with 13 departments, approximately 4,884 FTEs, and a $1.7B FY2026/27 Budget. As members of the City’s executive leadership team, Assistant City Managers provide oversight of assigned departmental portfolios while working across organizational boundaries to advance City Council priorities, coordinate complex Citywide initiatives, and strengthen alignment, accountability, and results across the organization.
Reporting directly to the City Manager and serving as members of the City’s Executive Team, Assistant City Managers (ACMs) serve as trusted partners to the City Manager, Mayor and City Council, providing executive leadership across assigned departmental portfolios and helping advance the City’s most important priorities. The City is seeking two (2) ACMs to provide direction and support to department directors, connect work across organizational boundaries, and help ensure Citywide priorities move forward with strong alignment, accountability, and execution. These positions carry broad executive authority and advise the City Manager on complex policy, operational, fiscal, and organizational matters; represent the City in critical internal and external settings; and act on behalf of the City Manager as assigned.
Sacramento’s ACMs are enterprise leaders first and foremost. The City benefits from highly experienced and technically strong department directors who bring deep subject-matter expertise to their respective functions. As a result, the ACMs do not need to be the technical experts in every area they oversee. Their value comes from bringing the versatility, strategic perspective, leadership, and organizational judgment to lead experts, connect priorities and resources, and help translate strategy into coordinated action and measurable progress.
The breadth of these roles creates opportunities to provide leadership across a wide range of municipal functions and Citywide initiatives. Depending on organizational needs, assignments may span areas such as economic and community development, finance and administrative services, human resources, technology, culture and destination development, and other critical City functions. Portfolios may evolve over time, allowing the City to align executive leadership with changing priorities while drawing on each ACM’s strengths and experience. The ACMs may also step across portfolio lines and support one another as priorities shift.
At the heart of these positions is the ability to see across the organization: understanding how decisions in one area affect another, bringing the right people together around complex challenges, and helping strong departmental leaders translate Citywide strategy into coordinated action and measurable progress.
The ideal candidates will be empathetic, collaborative, and action-oriented executives who understand that meaningful progress does not always require disruption. Sacramento has talented teams, significant initiatives underway, and a clear strategic direction. The next ACMs will recognize what is working, identify where greater focus or alignment is needed, and create the conditions for department directors and their teams to succeed, while fostering an organizational culture where diverse perspectives are valued and equity and inclusion inform how the City leads, makes decisions, and serves its communities.
These leaders will be approachable, responsive, and committed to exceptional customer service and organizational partnership. They will build trusted relationships across departments, listen to and understand operational needs, and approach challenges with a solutions-oriented mindset. Rather than focusing solely on barriers or why something cannot be done, they will look for thoughtful, responsible pathways to support departments in achieving their goals while balancing broader organizational priorities, policies, and requirements.
Importantly, Sacramento is not seeking executives defined by expertise in a single discipline. The successful candidates will bring the curiosity, versatility, executive judgment, and enterprise perspective to lead across diverse functions, support strong subject-matter experts, navigate complex issues, and adapt as priorities and assignments evolve.
Sacramento’s ACMs will have the opportunity to help advance a range of significant Citywide priorities, bringing executive leadership, cross-departmental coordination, and a strong focus on execution to work already underway and emerging priorities, including:
Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT Must physically reside in the Sacramento region or the ability to regularly report to a City of Sacramento physical worksite with little notice.
SALARY AND BENEFITS An annual salary of $242,215.51* - $340,812.60 DOE/DOQ, plus a generous benefits package which can be viewed here:
*The bottom of the salary range is expected to increase to $264,339.25, pending City Council Approval at the 10/13/26 City Council Meeting.
**Recruitment benefits include participation in CalPERS and Social Security. Contributions are made by both the City and the employee.
HOW TO APPLY For first consideration, apply by October 30, 2026, by submitting your cover letter and resume at: https://www.tristargovsolutions.com/careers or https://tristargov.applicantpool.com/jobs/1333209-334416.html
SAVE THE DATES Interviews have been tentatively* scheduled to take place virtually the week of November 16th and in-person the week of November 30th. All candidates invited to interview will first interview virtually and then a finalist group will be moved forward to the final in-person interviews.
*Please note that all recruitment dates are tentative and subject to change based on panel member availability and scheduling needs; candidates are encouraged to remain flexible throughout the interview process.
QUESTIONS? Please contact your recruiter, Sam Sackman, with any questions:
Founded in 1849, the City of Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in California. In 1920, Sacramento city voters adopted a City Charter (municipal constitution) and a City Council Manager form of government, which is still being used today.
The City Council consists of a Mayor, elected by all City voters, and eight Council members, elected to represent separate districts in the City. Each Council member is required to live in the district they represent. The Mayor and Council members serve four-year terms. Elections are staggered.
The Council establishes city policies, ordinances and land uses; approves the City’s annual budget, contracts, and agreements; hears appeals of decisions made by city staff or citizen advisory groups, and appoints four Council Officers: a City Manager, City Attorney, City Treasurer, and City Clerk. Council members serve on several working committees, which include Transportation and Community Development, Law and Legislation, and Personnel and Public Employees. The Mayor and Council members receive an annual salary and benefits.
The City Council holds public meetings most Tuesday afternoons and evenings, at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. respectively, in the City Council Chamber on the first floor of City Hall, located at 915 I Street. The Council also holds special meetings and committee meetings, which are open to the public. Agendas for City Council and Council Committee meetings are available in the City Clerk’s Office, 1st Floor, in the Historic City Hall building. The Mayor and City Council Offices are located in City Hall on the fifth Floor.
