THE OPPORTUNITY

The City of Bloomington offers a rare and rewarding leadership opportunity for a visionary executive to shape the future of one of Minnesota’s most dynamic, economically vital, and community-oriented cities. With its strong foundation of financial stability, thriving business community, expansive parklands, and commitment to equity and innovation, Bloomington stands poised for its next chapter.

The City Council seeks a collaborative and forward-thinking City Manager to lead transformational initiatives, guide a talented workforce, and work closely with a highly engaged Council and community to advance Bloomington’s mission of being an enduring and remarkable community where people want to be. For an accomplished leader ready to leave a legacy, this is truly a career-defining role.

THE CITY OF BLOOMINGTON

Located just south of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Bloomington is a thriving community of 91,000 residents and the fourth largest city in the state. Home to Mall of America and adjacent to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Bloomington is an employment and hospitability hub and an economic driver for the region. Bloomington has great freeway access and is served by light rail transit and the region’s most connected transit station.

There are almost 9,000 acres of parkland and open space in Bloomington, of which approximately 3,500 acres are City owned. More than 36 percent of the city’s 38 square miles are parkland or open space. The extensive park system in Bloomington supports a comprehensive array of parks, arts, recreation, leisure and cultural programs to a diverse population with differing recreational needs.

CITY GOVERNMENT

The City of Bloomington delivers the full scope of municipal services with a full-time staff of more than 650 employees. City Hall is located in Bloomington Civic Plaza, a unique combination of municipal facilities and arts center. The Bloomington Center for the Arts contains a 366-seat performing arts theater, a black box theater, dance studio, two art galleries and clay, glass and additional arts education studios. The City provides its services with an FY 25 all funds budget of $242 million and a general fund budget of $110 million.

Bloomington is a home rule charter city, governed by a seven-member City Council and operates under a city manager form of government. There are two assistant city managers - one who oversees internal services and one who oversees external services.

The City has a robust community engagement philosophy that strives to include the voice of people impacted by decisions when those policies and actions are being considered. Additionally, the City Council values its advisory boards and commissions appointed to assist the Council in developing policies, programs, and services that meet the needs of the community.

THE POSITION

The City Manager is appointed by the City Council to implement and administer the City Council’s decisions and policy directives. The City Manager has significant responsibility for the operation of the City including providing leadership and direction in the operational and strategic business of the City; providing direct supervision to assistant city managers, senior leaders, and administrative support personnel; overseeing the implementation of all financial matters; regularly evaluating operations and services for continuous improvement; and keeping the City Council informed and updated on actions and activities of the City.

The City Manager must be a highly experienced municipal executive with experience in relationship-building and community engagement, visionary leadership with strategic execution, strong fiscal and operational management, a commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging, a leader of people and culture, and a strategic partner and advisor to the City Council.

QUALIFICATIONS

Any combination of training and experience, which would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying.  A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

• Education: Equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in public administration, business administration, economics, urban planning, engineering, government or a related field.  A Master’s degree is highly desirable.

• Experience: Ten years of increasingly responsible experience in city management, including a minimum of four years of management, administrative, and supervisory responsibility.

SALARY & BENEFITS

The Bloomington City Council will negotiate a highly competitive salary and executive benefits package with the selected candidate that is considerate of the candidate’s experience and qualifications. The salary range for the City Manager position is $240,000 to $290,000, depending on qualifications. The City participates in the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA), which offers a defined benefit retirement plan. The plan features three-year vesting, and a formula of 1.7% per year of service based on the highest five years, with a retirement age of 65. The employee contribution is 6.5%. The City also offers deferred compensation as an additional retirement vehicle and participates in Social Security.

For additional benefit information, interested candidates should review the detailed recruitment brochure by clicking on the .pdf link on this page.

APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply no later than Monday, June 16, 2025. Submit a comprehensive résumé and compelling cover letter below.

Confidential inquiries are welcomed to:

Greg Nelson | greg@mosaicpublic.com | (916) 550-4100

Bryan Noblett | bryan@mosaicpublic.com | (916) 550-4100