Economic Vitality and Municipal Services Director

About the Position

The Economic Vitality and Municipal Services Director is a newly established executive management position within the Office of the County Executive. Reporting to a Deputy County Executive, the Director provides strategic leadership for the County's Economic Vitality and Municipal Services Division and serves as a trusted advisor to the County Executive and Board of Supervisors on initiatives that strengthen Marin's economy, support thriving communities, and improve quality of life throughout the county – so people of all ages and backgrounds can live, work, create, and thrive in Marin.

The Economic Vitality and Municipal Services Director will oversee three program areas supported by a three staff:

• The County's Economic Vitality Program
• Municipal Services in unincorporated West Marin
• Municipal Services in unincorporated Marin City

The Director will join the County at a critical time. In 2025, the Board of Supervisors established Community and Economic Vitality as a countywide priority and directed development of a comprehensive, regional Economic Vitality Strategic Roadmap. The Director will provide executive leadership for this initiative – setting strategic direction, overseeing consultant work, advising the Board of Supervisors, and guiding implementation of a long-term strategy that aligns County departments, Marin's 11 cities and towns, regional partners, educational institutions, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community stakeholders around shared priorities. The contract for the Strategic Roadmap – a one-year process – was approved by the Board in June 2026.

Marin has extraordinary natural assets, a strong community identity and significant local talent and innovative assets, yet faces real challenges including an aging population, workforce housing shortages, barriers to retaining young people and essential workers, underutilized commercial districts, and lack of a shared narrative connecting economic vitality to community benefit. The Director will help define the County's long-term role as a convener, partner, and strategic leader in addressing these opportunities throughout the County through coordinated economic vitality initiatives.

The County's Economic Vitality priorities were informed by Marin's recent learning exchange with San Luis Obispo, which demonstrated the power of cross-sector collaboration, place-based investment, and shared, coordinated goals. Building upon those lessons, the Director will establish a Marin-specific framework that advances vibrant downtowns and corridors, housing and workforce development, small business growth, sustainable tourism, innovation, arts and culture, agriculture and working lands, and long-term economic resilience.

In addition to directing countywide economic vitality initiatives, the Director provides executive oversight of municipal services for the County's unincorporated communities of West Marin and Marin City. The Director will leverage the Division's municipal services in West Marin and Marin City to ensures that municipal services are coordinated with Economic Vitality efforts: identifying local economic opportunities, strengthening partnerships with residents and community organizations, informing County policy, and helping ensure that economic vitality initiatives reflect the distinct needs, assets, and priorities of the unincorporated communities.

As one of the Office of the County Executive's Division Directors, this position regularly works with Board Members, Department Heads, city and town managers, business leaders, community-based organizations, and regional partners on complex policy issues requiring strategic thinking, political acumen, and collaborative leadership.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to build and shape a new County function. The Economic Vitality and Municipal Services Division is in its early stages of development, and two of its three positions are currently vacant. The Director will play a central role in recruiting key staff, establishing the Division's organizational culture, defining operational priorities, and building the long-term partnerships, systems, and organizational capacity necessary to sustain this work for years to come.

This position works full time on-site in the historic Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Marin County Civic Center, with flexibility for remote work one day per week.

About Our Ideal Candidate

Our ideal candidate is an experienced executive leader who enjoys building partnerships, developing organizations, and leading complex initiatives that improve communities. You are comfortable building out a new, high-profile program, working across jurisdictional boundaries, consulting elected officials, and bringing diverse stakeholders together around shared goals. Our Highly Qualified Candidate is excited to grow with Marin and invest in the County's future.

You are someone who:

• Builds trust and credibility with elected officials, executive leadership, community partners, and residents.
• Navigates complex policy and political environments with sound judgment and professionalism.
• Thinks strategically while maintaining a strong focus on implementation and measurable results.
• Understands how to leverage underutilized assets, and activate stakeholders.
• Brings people together to solve challenging problems through collaboration.
• Values public service and understands the role local government plays in strengthening communities.
• Develops high-performing teams and enjoys mentoring and supporting staff

You bring:

• Experience in economic development, community development, or cross sector collaboration.
• Strong research, communication, and facilitation skills.
• Data informed decision making balanced with community engagement.
• Passion for building vibrant, inclusive, and future-ready communities.
• Experience with business development, workforce issues, housing, placemaking, or local government is highly desirable.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required knowledge and abilities. A typical way to qualify is a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Public Administration, Business Administration, Management, Urban Planning, Public Policy, or a closely-related field; and five years of progressively responsible experience with economic development and/or community services-related initiatives or programs. At least two of those years need to be in a management, supervisory or program administration capacity. Experience in a public agency is strongly preferred.