The City of Sumner is seeking a qualified and motivated Operations Superintendent to join our team. This leadership role is key to overseeing essential public operations that keep our community running smoothly.
This position is open until midnight June 7, 2026. Applications received prior to the cutoff will be reviewed.
______________________________
2026 Hiring Range: $4,480.77 - $5,295.81 biweekly, DOQ.
This position is a full-time, Fair Labor Standards Act overtime exempt position. This position is designated as a Safety Sensitive Position. Attendance at evening meetings or other off-duty events is anticipated. Hybrid and alternative work schedules may be available. This position requires additional availability and extended workdays outside of regular business hours to respond to urgent/emergent situations, including but not limited to floods, fires, natural disasters, and snow events. The incumbent in this position is not a Civil Service employee and the position is not eligible for representation by a union.
General Purpose
The Operations Superintendent oversees the daily operations, maintenance, staffing, and administration of public infrastructure and municipal services. This position ensures that roads, traffic signals, the city fleet, facilities, parks, cemetery, and equipment are maintained efficiently and in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
Key responsibilities include supervising personnel, managing budgets, coordinating projects, overseeing the use of and operating asset management and workorder tracking software, and working closely with other government agencies, contractors, and the public to ensure the smooth operation of essential services. This role requires strong leadership, analytical skills, technical knowledge, and problem-solving skills to effectively manage resources and address infrastructure needs.
This position works with considerable independence under the direction of the Assistant Public Operations Director and is responsible for coordinating the efforts of the division personnel. Strong leadership, analytical skills, and the ability to troubleshoot complex operational issues are essential for success in this role.
The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate for the Operations Superintendent role is an experienced and forward-thinking public operations leader who excels in supervising diverse teams and driving high-quality municipal operations. They bring a proven track record of supervising staff in a public operations environment, demonstrating confidence in leading employees of varying skill levels, resolving complex operational challenges, and fostering a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement. This candidate embraces innovation and recognizes the value of modern tools, technologies, and asset management systems in improving service delivery. They are comfortable learning, implementing, and championing new technologies—particularly in work-order tracking, data-driven decision-making, and maintenance planning—to ensure the City’s infrastructure is maintained efficiently and transparently. Their progressive mindset helps them anticipate emerging industry trends, adapt to regulatory changes, and guide staff through evolving expectations and best practices. They communicate clearly and respectfully, collaborate effectively across departments and agencies, and confidently represent the City in public settings. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker who can balance long-term planning with day-to-day operational demands, while maintaining poise during emergencies and high-pressure situations. Above all, they are committed to exceptional service, professional integrity, and supporting the City of Sumner’s mission through proactive leadership and modern operational excellence.
About Sumner:
The City of Sumner’s vision is to set the standard of excellence for a progressive small city. In working to achieve that vision, Sumner prioritizes and celebrates diverse perspectives, life experiences and differences. The City actively seeks and encourages people with diverse backgrounds and characteristics to apply and all come together with a goal of continuing to learn and improve to better serve the residents, businesses and visitors of our community. Sumner remains a traditional city of just over 11,000 residents with agricultural roots, known for decades as the Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World. At the same time, its compact, walkable layout aligns perfectly with progressive planning trends, as its classic Main Street becomes repurposed for boutiques, independent restaurants and daily services such as legal offices, financial advisors and doctors. While Sumner retains historic neighborhoods of Craftsman houses and an active high school right on Main Street, it also offers over 16,000 manufacturing and distribution jobs for companies such as REI, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Amazon.com, and Dillanos Coffee Roasters. With a downtown Sound Transit station with buses and trains, it is well connected to the Puget Sound region while striving to be a full-service city with the largest YMCA facility in the state of Washington as well as a link trail system that will connect the Foothills and Interurban trails. Like the community, the city government is large enough to be professional but small enough to be creative. The City has won a variety of awards from the Governor's Smart Planning Award to recognition at the International Association of Chiefs of Police for its groundbreaking police work on victims' assistance. With a strong mayor format, the City has just over 130 employees who operate a cemetery, wastewater treatment facility, accredited police department, animal shelter, parks, senior center, full service public operations and administration.
Formal application, rating of education and experience, oral interviews and reference checks; job related testing may be required.
Background checks may include:
Prior Employment Verification: confirms applicant's employment with the listed companies, including dates of employment, position held and additional information available pertaining to performance ratings, reason for departure and eligibility for rehire.
Personal and Professional References: calls will be placed to individuals listed as references by the applicant.
Employment Eligibility Verification: Form I-9 is used for verifying the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States.
Educational Verification: confirms the applicant's claimed educational institution, including the years attended and the degree/diploma received.
Criminal History: includes review of criminal convictions and probation. The following factors will be considered for applicants with a criminal history:
The nature of the crime and its relationship to the position.
The time since the conviction.
The number (if more than one) of convictions.
The following additional background searches will be required if applicable to the position:
Motor Vehicle Records: provides a report on an individual's driving history in the state requested. This search will be run when driving is an essential requirement of the position.
Credit History: confirms candidate's credit history. This search will be run for positions that involve management of City of Sumner funds and/or handling of cash or credit cards.
The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The City is an equal employment opportunity employer. The City employs, retains, promotes, terminates and otherwise treats all employees and job applicants on the basis of job-related qualifications and competence. These policies shall be applied without regard to any individual's sex, race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, age, marital status, sensory, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation including gender expression and identity, genetic information, domestic violence victim or other basis prohibited by law.
Persons needing assistance in the application process may contact the Human Resources Office If you are invited to participate in the selection process and need ADA accommodations, please notify HR before you are scheduled for an interview or testing.
Drug Free Workplace
The City of Sumner is a drug free workplace. The City is committed to ensuring a safe and healthy work environment, free from employees whose job performance may be impaired by the use of prescription, nonprescription, over-the-counter drugs, illegal controlled substances, marijuana and alcohol.
General Hiring Process Information
-
Candidates must submit required documents as outlined in the job announcement in order to be considered.
-
Submitting a cover letter and resume is not required but is recommended.
-
Applicants must provide professional references with accurate phone numbers and email addresses. References will only be contacted for applicants who progress past the interview process.
-
If multiple applications are received for the same candidate, only the most recently submitted, complete application will be considered.
-
Applications received by the review date will be screened for minimum qualifications and then submitted to a Subject Matter Expert to select which candidates will be invited to interview. Personally identifiable information is removed from the applications during the screening process.
-
Applicants who are invited to interview will receive notification by email and are typically provided at least one weeks' notice prior to the scheduled interview date.
-
Applicants who are not invited to interview will be notified by email.
-
Remote interviews may be available for candidates unable to participate in person, remote interviews are held through an online meeting platform such as Microsoft Teams.
-
Applicants who pass the interview process may be invited back for a second interview with the department leads or for a walking interview through the department.
-
Applicants who did not pass the interview process will be notified by email.
