Assistant to the City Manager

Are you a motivated and driven individual with a commitment to public service and a desire to work in a dynamic and progressive environment?
The City Manager is committed to preparing the next generation of local government leadership and providing mentoring and coaching to the successful candidate to assist in their career development. You'll run projects independently, coordinate between departments, refine your soft skills, learn a lot, and step into temporary leadership assignments in various departments. After about 2-3 years, you should be well-prepared and well-positioned to successfully compete for department director, Deputy City Manager, or Assistant City Manager positions with our full support and backing! This is an exceptional opportunity for a hard-working, proactive, skilled professional interested in significantly advancing their career in city management.

Is This You?
We want someone humble, hungry, and smart. The right Assistant to the City Manager for our team will have a strong desire to be immersed in all aspects of city operations and have a wide range of interests in city management. They will be passionate about providing an exceptional customer experience, be creative and innovative in approaching problems, and possess unwavering, high ethical standards. They'll need to be - or become - a generalist, or at least see their work in broad view. They'll review many staff reports, so writing/editing with a curious mind and a public perspective is a must.

How Do You Apply for this Amazing Opportunity? We believe in creating a diverse and inclusive workforce where anyone can thrive. While you typically achieve a role like this by being a stellar management analyst with strong experience, we don't want to screen out talented people who have taken a different path. If you have a bachelor's degree (graduate degree preferred) and a passion for public service and professional development, then we want to hear from you! Applications will be accepted until Monday, April 6, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. An application via governmentjobs.com is required. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Community
A City whose heritage spans more than a century, the City of Corona, located in Riverside County, California, encompasses around 40 square miles and has a vibrant, culturally diverse population of approximately 168,100 residents. Residents of Corona enjoy a variety of cultural, recreational, and educational opportunities that provide a first-rate quality of life for its residents and visitors. Within an hour's travel time, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy such winter activities as snowboarding and skiing, and such summer activities as surfing, boating, or simply relaxing on a beach. Corona's economy is strong and getting stronger; more than 84,000 people work here. Our retail, commercial, and housing areas are expanding, and office development continues to be strong.

The Organization
The City of Corona is a General Law city operating under a Council-Manager form of government. Policymaking and legislative authority are vested in the City Council, consisting of a Mayor and four Council Members. Members of the City Council are elected by District to a four-year term. The Mayor is selected by the Council and serves as the presiding officer for one year.

The City is organized into the following departments/organizational units: City Manager's Office, Community Services, Economic Development, Finance, Fire, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal and Risk Management, Planning & Development, Police, Public Works, and Utilities. Oversight of these departments is divided between the City Manager and two Assistant City Managers.

The City's total operating budget for Fiscal Year 2026 is $422.7 million with a General Fund operating budget of $231.3 million. Corona enjoys a workforce of more 1,000 dedicated employees who provide high-quality services to its residents and visitors each day.

This position offers the opportunity to assist the City Manager and Assistant City Managers in working directly with department heads and leading challenging and complex citywide programs and projects. Over the course of your few years with us, you'll have the opportunity to work on a variety of exciting and meaningful projects that contribute to the growth and development of our community. You will work closely with the City Manager, Assistant City Managers, and other city officials to develop programs that promote the well-being of our community. Your assignments will directly assist the successful candidate in expanding their leadership and management skills and in enhancing their expertise in local government administration. (Please note: the position is FLSA Exempt - ineligible for overtime compensation.)

To view this position's complete job description, click here.

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying, but the most typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be a bachelor's degree in a relevant field (MPA or MBA preferred) and five years of progressively responsible local government experience, including familiarity with elected officials and management-level staff.

In addition, the successful candidate will possess the following:

• Highly developed analytical skills and the ability to prepare staff reports, presentations, and other materials for Council consideration that are complete, clear, brief, and compelling;
• Familiarity with all fundamental principles and practices of public administration, specifically in the Council-Manager form of government;
• Knowledge of policymaking, statistical analysis, and excellent writing skills;
• Expertise with Excel, Word, and PowerPoint;
• Assessing programs and processes to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and performance;
• Taking ideas through the policymaking process from conception to formal adoption by Council, including research, policy formation, drafting reports, and presentations;
• Effectively managing/juggling a wide range of assigned projects and priorities from start to finish with little supervision while ensuring appropriate check-ins to report on progress;
• Resolving complex problems as assigned from time to time, and based on own initiative;
• Making sound decisions, exercising resourcefulness, and prioritizing tasks to meet a variety of demands;
• Gathering pertinent facts, making thorough analyses, and arriving at sound conclusions;
• Analyzing, interpreting, and reporting out on research findings and recommendations in concise, usable formats that are well-tailored to the intended audience;
• The ability to present ideas concisely and effectively, both verbally and in writing in a variety of settings, including Council, staff, and community meetings;
• Readily adjusting to a variety of work assignments, changing priorities, and procedural changes;
• Drafting well-researched written correspondence for the City Manager and Assistant City Managers; and
• Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with elected officials, City management, co-workers, other professionals, and the general public.

• An upbeat attitude, eager to participate and actively engage in all aspects of the organization.
• A passion for producing outstanding quality of work and delivering exceptional program outcomes.
• A self-starter with a can-do attitude who will take initiative to address issues and propose solutions.
• Detail-oriented and process-oriented individual who prides themselves on high-quality, error-free work.
• A high-performing, genuine, authentic individual with a good sense of humor.
• Unwavering integrity and principled decision-maker, regardless of outside pressures.
• A genuine interest in the city management profession, a demonstrated commitment to professional growth, and a desire to advance and take on increasing roles of responsibility in the public sector.