Welcome to La Vista. The Omaha Region

Transcription

1 La Vista Nebraska The City of La Vista, Nebraska is seeking a proactive and highly skilled professional to serve as it s first HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

2 Welcome to La Vista Located on the northern edge of Sarpy County, in the Greater Omaha Combined Statistical Area (CSA), La Vista is the youngest city in the State of Nebraska, incorporated in From modest beginnings as a subdivision of 335 homes platted on 80 acres of land and a population of 1,360, La Vista has grown to become a dynamic and progressive community of over 18,000 and one of the fastest growing cities in Nebraska. La Vista is bordered by the cities of Omaha and Ralston on the north, Papillion on the south, Bellevue on the east and by Interstate 80 on the west. La Vista is a friendly community, offering both the advantages of a small town and the opportunities of a large city. Its inviting neighborhoods feature well-kept homes abutting tree-lined streets, and its commercial and industrial districts are undergoing impressive development and redevelopment. City leaders and citizens have a progressive vision for La Vista that started with its incorporation over 57 years ago. La Vista offers an exceptional quality of life in a great suburban environment. The people who live and work in La Vista are truly proud of their community. The community embraces a forward-thinking plan for future growth and is able to attract and retain diverse businesses and highly skilled residents as a result of the City s solid infrastructure and convenient location. It has become home to a number of market leading businesses because of its location and the committment of its elected officals to envision the City s future in partnership with its corporate citizens. La Vista s corporate community includes Yahoo!, PayPal, Streck Laboratories, Oriental Trading Co., Cabela s, Inc., Costco, Rotella s and Securities America, among many others. Southport, La Vista s newest commercial development located near an Interstate 80 Interchange on the western edge of the City, features the John Q. Hammons Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, a Courtyard by Marriott, a Hampton Inn & Suites, and a Comfort Suites, in addition to a growing compliment of retail and office users. The City of La Vista and the La Vista Community Development Agency are currently working together on a major redevelopment effort along the 84th Street corridor in the heart of the City. Phase I of the project, being constructed by a private developer and known as City Centre, will create a vibrant mixed-use district that will become the new central downtown core for La Vista. Other anticipated improvements along the corridor include the transformation of a former golf course into a regional recreation area that encompasses a large lake, an amphitheater, and trails, as well as streetscape, bicycle and pedestrian improvements. La Vista s diverse and high quality housing stock provides a wide range of residential options. With 17 parks, a premier 62-acre sports complex, swimming pool, community center, youth and senior recreational programs, and an outstanding public library, leisure time opportunities abound. Elementary and secondary education is provided through the Papillion/La Vista School District, the fourth largest in the State, and the Omaha Catholic Archdiocese, which operates schools in adjoining Ralston and Papillion. Pre-kindergarten education is available through the private Primrose Academy and through the La Vista Montessori School. La Vista residents enjoy exceptional higher education opportunities as well. The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), Creighton University and Bellevue University are easily accessible. The University of Nebraska at Lincoln is only 45 minutes away. Metro Community College s Sarpy Center is located in La Vista. The overall quality of life in the City of La Vista was rated as excellent or good by 91 percent of respondents to the 2016 National Citizen Survey. Eighty percent of respondents reported that they plan to remain in La Vista for the next five years. The Omaha Region Greater Omaha is a vibrant metropolitan area, focused on the future but firmly rooted in a heritage of hard work and hospitality. Anchored by the City of Omaha and its more than 419,000 residents, the nine-county CSA has a combined population of over 925,000. 1

3 2 The region enjoys a stable and healthy economy, an excellent quality of life that includes affordable and varied housing options, award-winning and inventive school districts and universities, innovative hospitals and medical centers, a vibrant visual and performing arts scene, short commutes and a four-season climate. With an unemployment rate of just 3.2%, opportunities for fulfilling, well-paying careers abound in Greater Omaha. Fortune 500 companies making Greater Omaha their home include Berkshire Hathaway, Union Pacific Railroad, Kiewit and Mutual of Omaha. Fortune 1000 companies headquarted here include Green Plains Renewable Energy, TD Ameritrade, Valmont Industries, West and Werner Enterprises. Nationally recognized and innovative healthcare facilities employ tens of thousands, and the region s burgeoning silicon prairie is populated by firms such as Yahoo! and PayPal (located in La Vista), Verizon, Google, and Facebook (under construction). Population Land Area County La Vista at a Glance 18,336 (2014 Estimate) 4.28 Square Miles Sarpy Median Household Income $57,032 Households 6,968 Persons Per Household 2.42 Average Family Size 3.06 Median Age 33.5 years Average Home Price $140,000 Cost of Living Percentile 91.2 (Additional demographic information is available on City s website.) La Vista City Government The City of La Vista operates under the Mayor-Council form of government. The Mayor is elected at large to a four-year term and eight City Council members are elected from four dual-member wards to staggered four-year terms. The Mayor, with confirmation from the City Council, appoints a professional City Administrator and certain other officials as provided in the La Vista Municipal Code. The City Administrator manages the day-to-day operations of the City. A reorganization completed in 2014 streamlined the City organization, grouping departments under four senior directors, who have responsibility for Public Safety, Public Works, Community Services, and Administrative Services. The total size of the City staff, as authorized in the FY 2017 Budget, is approximately 142 FTE, which includes 109 full time positions. The elected and a p p o i n t e d leadership is longtenured and experienced. The current Mayor has served since 2006 and has previous experience as a member of the City Council and on appointed advisory boards. The average tenure of the current members of the City Council, many of whom also have previous board and commission experience, is 15 years, with three members having served in excess of 20 years. The City Administrator was appointed in 2006 and joined the City as Assistant City Administrator in The senior directors also are all long-term members of the La Vista City staff. The City engages actively in strategic planning processes and has been working on updating the Comprehensive Plan. The City s current strategic plan document can be viewed on the website at www. cityoflavista.org/documentcenter/view/6961. Awards and Recognition La Vista has been recognized for its excellence across a range of measures and by a variety of entities. Recent recognition and awards received include: #2 on Nerwallet.com ranking of Nebraska Cities on the Rise #3 on Movoto.com ranking of Safest Cities in Nebraska 3CMA Award of Excellence (3rd Place) Best Campaign Use of Social Media ICMA Voice of the People Award for Transformation in Foundations of Community Livability Google ecity of Nebraska 2014

4 Human Resources Department The Human Resources Department administers, coordinates, evaluates, and delivers personnel management services in the following areas: Recruitment, Compensation and Benefits, Employee Relations, Compliance, Training and Development, Performance Management, Job Analysis and Design, Workers Compensation, Employee Records Management/ HRIS, and Employee Safety. Human Resources has two full time staff members; the Director and one other position. Challenges and Opportunities The Human Resources function at the City of La Vista is transitioning from a functional area to an independent department under the supervision of the Administrative Services Director. The City is dedicated to establishing a successful Human Resources Department aligned with its core values of Accountability, Integrity, and Public Service. With support from the Executive Management team, the incumbent will have a unique opportunity to define the Human Resources policy and mission of the City. Challenges will include: Developing a department vision and implementation strategy that aligns with the organizational mission, vision and values and will have a significant impact on the culture of the City s workforce. Shaping a department that will build credibility and establish the trust and confidence of the executive team and employees. Refining the newly implemented and popular performance management system, with the goal of maximizing system functionality. Ensuring proper employee selection, counseling, development, mentoring and evaluation of staff to achieve a cohesive work unit consistent with the City s mission, vision and values. Creating a superior work culture through an emphasis on training and mentoring to develop leadership, management and technical skills in all employees. Developing and implementing a staffing plan for the Human Resources Department. (The existing HR Generalist position is vacant, and the new Human Resources Director will have input into the title, job description and selection of the new occupant of the position.) The Human Resources Director is a key member of the City s management team. The City has managed its staffing levels carefully and the municipal organization is commendably lean. Accordingly, staff members throughout the organization, and management staff in particular are called upon to be flexible and do whatever is necessary to accomplish the objective at hand. This spirit of teamwork is one of the hallmarks of municipal service with the City of La Vista. The Ideal Candidate La Vista is seeking a bright, proactive, dynamic, thoughtful and seasoned human resources professional a strong leader, motivator and manager. It is important that the individual have extensive Human Resources skills, but also possess experience building a team that works well together. This position is for someone with excellent people skills who can anticipate the future, understand how the City fits into its environment, capitalize on trends and bring the team together to help take the City to the next level. This position is highly visible and communication skills, both oral and written, are essential. The Human Resources Director will be someone who will be recognized as understanding, fair and even handed. He/ she will set reasonable goals and objectives and hold staff accountable for their actions and results. The ideal candidate will be a mentor, believe in life-long learning and work hard to assist the staff in becoming all that they can be. 3

5 Qualifications The ideal candidate will have: A Bachelor s degree in Human Resources, Business Management, Public Administration, Psychology, Political Science, or other related field from an accredited institution, including education or training in specific Human Resources topics and law (e.g. ADA, FLMA, FLSA, etc.) Five years of experience in Human Resources, two (2) of which must be in a Human Resources Management position with supervisory responsibilities; or an equivalent combination of related education and experience. How to Apply Visit the City of La Vista website at org/jobs. A resume, cover letter and contact information for five professional references must be included with your application.questions should be directed to Kevin Pokorny, Director of Administrative Services, at or kpokorny@cityoflavista. org. The Process Applications will be reviewed beginning August 28. Position will remain open until filled. La Vista is an Equal Opportunity Employer. A Master s degree in Human Resources Management is strongly preferred. Previous HR Supervisor As indicated earlier, the Human Resources Director position is new for the City of La Vista. Previously, the Human Resources function was administrated by a Human Resources Manager, who recently accepted another position. Compensation The City of La Vista offers a competitive compensation program. The salary range for the Human Resources Director is $80,330 to $114,234 depending on qualifications and experience. Our excellent benefits package includes a defined contribution retirement program. Reasonable relocation benefits will be available to the selected candidate. Residency Residency within the city limits of the City of La Vista is not required. Confidentiality Under Nebraska law, the identity of interview finalists may be subject to public disclosure. 4