Chief City Clerk

Chief City Clerk at City of South Pasadena, CA summary :

The Chief City Clerk leads the City Clerk's Office by managing City Council support, elections, records management, and public transparency initiatives. This role requires strong leadership, political acumen, and the ability to ensure compliance with state and local laws while fostering community engagement. The position supervises staff, oversees budgets, and implements programs to enhance efficiency and accountability within the municipal government.

Salary : $118,080.00 - $158,244.00 Annually

Location : South Pasadena, CA

Job Type : Full Time

Job Number :

Department : City Manager's Office

Opening Date : 09 / 30 / 2025

Closing Date : Continuous

Position Overview

Chief City Clerk

South Pasadena, California

Salary Range : Up to $158,244 DOE / DOQ

This recruitment is open continuous until filled.

This recruitment may close or be extended at any time without notice.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early. Applications reviewed as received.

The City of South Pasadena is seeking a proactive, forward-thinking, and politically astute Chief City Clerk to lead the City Clerk's Office as a visible and trusted advisor to the organization and community. This is a unique opportunity for an experienced municipal professional to bring innovation, leadership, and strong service delivery to a highly engaged city. The Chief City Clerk is responsible for critical functions such as City Council support, agenda preparation, elections administration, records management, public transparency initiatives, and compliance with state and local laws. The ideal candidate is a confident and collaborative leader, adept at navigating complex organizational dynamics, building trust with elected officials and staff, and engaging diplomatically with the public. They will be a problem-solver, a mentor to one Deputy City Clerk, and a steadfast advocate for transparency, accountability, and operational excellence. With a balance of technical expertise, interpersonal skills, and political acumen, they will embody the values of responsiveness, integrity, and civic engagement in all aspects of their work.

Be the trusted voice that guides transparency and innovation; apply today!

Duties & Responsibilities

Examples of Duties

The duties listed below are examples of the work typically performed by employees in this class. An employee may not be assigned all duties listed and may be assigned duties that are not listed below :

• Oversees the daily operations of the City Clerk's Office, including assuming responsibilities for City Council meetings, official documents, claims, Municipal Code updates, personnel training and supervision, City Council support and electronic communications;
• Performs all of the duties required of the City Clerk's Office as stipulated in California Government Code Sections (with the exception of City-wide accounting, assessor, and financial duties). Performs duties required of the City Clerk's Office by the South Pasadena Municipal Code Section 2.11 (powers and duties of the office of the City Clerk);
• Prepares annual budgets and monitors expenditures;
• Serves as the manager of employees, interns, and others assigned to the City Clerk's office;
• Sets short and long-range goals. Proposes programs and technologies to enhance effectiveness and improve efficiencies;
• Serves as the Filing Officer for Fair Political Practices Commission filings;
• Oversees General Municipal Elections in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder / County Clerk, and conducts Special Elections as required;
• Oversees records management and coordinates City-wide records-management projects, including records retention and storage, and the development of processes and procedures;
• Oversees codification of the Municipal Code in hardbound and Internet versions;
• Oversees development and / or review of numerous public communications, internal and external directories, and web-related documents;
• Ensures provision of such audiovisual operations as broadcasting / web-streaming, in-house presentations, cable channel transmission and content, and teleconferencing;
• Oversees provision of City Council support, including scheduling, correspondence, special events, ceremonial appearances, filings, certificates, presentations, and travel;
• Ensures that Public Records Act requests are fulfilled in accordance with legal requirements;
• Oversees the conduct of research for City staff, elected officials, and other agencies;
• Oversees the processing of claims against the City and serves as a liaison with claims-related legal representatives;
• Collaborates with the City Attorney on lawsuits and other legal matters;
• Serves as the Recording Secretary for City Council meetings, and ensures that minutes are prepared in a timely manner and timely submitted for City Council approval;
• Oversees the coordination of commissions, committees, and boards.
• Oversees document imaging system and software and other internal resource databases and ensures their integrity;
• Performs record certifications, oaths, and related duties
• Delegates duties, responsibilities and tasks to subordinates, as appropriate.

Qualifications

Education / Experience :

Any combination of education and / or experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for acceptable job performance. Example combinations include : five years of progressively responsible experience performing varied and complex administrative support duties, three years of which must have been in a City Clerk's department or related organization that staffs a city council or city commission. Experience must also include at least two years in a lead / supervisory capacity. A degree in public or business administration or related field, or completion of substantial credit towards a Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) designation by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), or Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) is desirable.

Knowledge of :

Knowledge of the following legal requirements and customary practices integral to the City Clerk office : Brown Act, agenda packet preparation, Public Records Act requests, records management, elections, claims, City Council relations, community relations, disaster preparedness, and other related areas.

Knowledge of current methods for delivering information, e.g., social media, website, email, broadcasting.

Ability to :

Ability to manage personnel and operations of the City Clerk's Office, to include publishing City Council agenda packets, serving as the FPPC filing officer, overseeing audiovisual and web-streaming operations, overseeing the response to public records and internal research requests, communicating with the media, and overseeing office and city-wide records management issues.

Ability to read, write and understand English-language documents. Ability to communicate effectively with customers, department personnel, elected officials, management, and the general public verbally and in writing. Proficient in Microsoft Office and Laserfiche or other document imaging programs. Ability to compose documents independently, utilizing existing research or information gathered through surveys or other means. Ability to review and edit documents at an advanced level.

Ability to coordinate General Municipal Elections with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder / County Clerk, or to manage stand-alone elections.

Physical Demands :

Ability to exert light to moderate physical effort, and exert sufficient force to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects up to 25 pounds. Ability to remain in a sitting / standing position for extended periods of time. Ability to hear and speak to the general public and City staff on the telephone and in person. Hand and eye coordination are needed to operate office equipment. Strength, dexterity, coordination and vision to use keyboard and video / computer display terminal.

This position is primarily an office job. However, there is some standing, bending, walking, stooping, squatting and using a ladder for files. Driving to offsite locations is sometimes required.

Special Requirements :

Requires a valid Class "C" California Driver's License.

Additional Information

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Environment is generally clean with some limited exposure to such conditions such as dust, fumes, odors, or noise. Computer terminal, copier / scanner, and other office machines are used on a daily basis. Some work is involved in a records storage vault and at an offsite storage facility. There are occasions to travel to other sites outside of the City for meetings and events.

FLSA Status

Exempt

SELECTION PROCEDURE

This recruitment is open until filled. The City reserves the right to extend the closing date or close this recruitment without notice. Individuals determined to be qualified and best aligned to the position will be invited to participate in the selection process.

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered, please submit an online application, including a cover letter, resume, and proof of education (if qualifying with a degree) in PDF format. Applications that fail to include all necessary documents may be considered incomplete and will not be considered.

Applications will be reviewed for depth and breadth of experience and level and relatedness of education. The most qualified candidates will be invited to participate in further selection procedures. The selected candidate may be required to undergo a background check and a physical examination prior to appointment. Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements, including submission of all required attachments, will not be considered. For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact Human Resources at .

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The City of South Pasadena is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value and encourage diversity in our workforce. The City of South Pasadena is committed to creating a workplace where every employee is valued for who they are. Having our workforce reflect the diversity of our community at various levels of the organization is a continuous goal embraced by our departments, management staff, and policymakers. To support efforts of fairness and diversity, City Leadership is committed to incorporating equity and inclusion into our work by supporting staff and community partners.

FAIR CHANCE ACT

The City of South Pasadena is committed to providing fair opportunities to all applicants, including those with a criminal history. Pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act, we will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history. You are not required to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until you receive a conditional job offer. If the City of South Pasadena has concerns about a conviction that is directly related to the job after making a conditional job offer and conducting a background check, you will have the opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide evidence to mitigate concerns, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. For more information about the Fair Chance Act, please visit

ACCOMMODATIONS

The City of South Pasadena intends to provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If a special accommodation is desired, or if you would like to request this information in an alternative format, please call

For technical support with your governmentjobs.com application, please contact .

The City of South Pasadena provides an extensive benefits package to support its employees' well-being and financial security, including long term disability. These benefits include :

SCHEDULE : 4 / 10 work schedule

VACATION : Vacation accrues based on years of service and experience; service with other agencies counts. Employees may cash out vacation once per year.

PAID TIME OFF : (Per Year)

HEALTH & DENTAL INSURANCE : The City offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans through CalPERS for the employee and their family. The City pays a significant portion of the premiums.

457 DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN : Optional for employee contribution through Empower. 1% Base Salary Contribution from the City into your account per pay period.

RETIREMENT BENEFITS : Retirement benefits are offered through CalPERS, with Classic members receiving a benefit of 2.0 @ 55 and employees paying a 7% contribution. The City does not participate in Social Security.

01

Do you have five years of progressively responsible full-time experience performing varied and complex administrative support duties?

02

Are three of those full-time years in a City Clerk's department or related organization that staffs a city council or city commission?

03

Do you have at least two years of full-time experience as lead / supervisor?

04

Do you have a college degree in public or business administration or related field or Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) certification?

Required Question

Keywords :

municipal government, city clerk, records management, elections administration, public transparency, city council support, policy compliance, budget management, leadership, public administration