Town Manager Recruitment Options

Town of Wickenburg — Regular Meeting (2025-01-21)

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Recruitment of Town Manager 
Conducting Recruitment1 (Association, 2012) 
It is important to realize that this process is time-consuming and complex, it is 
expected to take around 5-8 months. The governing body has choice for 
conducting recruitment. It can be:  
• Use a hybrid approach and conduct the recruitment in conjunction with 
an outside party 
• Retain an outside party to conduct recruitment 
Hybrid Method: 
The governing body will supplement the process, where necessary, with 
assistance from an executive search firm or another outside source.  
Decide whether to conduct the process as: 
• Body 
• Delegate the responsibility to a chairperson 
• Assign the task to a committee of members  
Be sure to choose those that can provide the necessary time and 
leadership.  
Process:  
Work with human resource and municipal attorney.  
Governing Body Responsibilities: 
• Identify executive search firm or another outside source 
• Develop the administrator profile 
• Identify tasks that will be outsourced vs. internal 
• Design an effective and legal recruitment and selection process 
• Approve selection of candidates, conduct interviews and make 
final decision 
Outside Expertise Method: 
Governing Body will contract with a firm that specializes in providing 
executive search assistance. Governing body will play an active role. It 
develops the administrator profile, approves the selection of the 
applicants, interviews the candidates, and, of course, makes the final 
 
1 
https://icma.org/sites/default/files/303514_Recruitment%20Guidelines%20for%20Selecting%20a%20Local%20Go
vernment%20Administrator.pdf

Recruitment of Town Manager 
selection. The benefit of using an executive search firm is the expertise 
that the firm brings to the process and its ability to coordinate the 
recruitment. 
Process: 
• Governing Body meets with firm to develop profile. Discussion will be 
led by firm to help reach a consensus 
• Firm coordinates overall process and assumes responsibility for all 
tasks until it is time to select and interview candidates 
Recruitment Framework 
Regardless of the method chosen for conducting the recruitment, the governing 
body must develop a framework for the recruitment process. It must agree at 
the outset on a number of key issues critical to the success of the recruitment, 
including criteria for: 
• Administrator profile, including community engagement 
• Administrator compensation range and components 
• Schedule and timing  
• Geographic scope of the search  
• Advertising and outreach strategies