HomeMy WebLinkAboutGovHR USA-Director of Public Works recruitment 2015� c��HR u sa
Voorhees Associates Gov7empsUSA
June1,2015
Mr. Mark Rohloff
City Manager
City of Oshkosh
215 Church Avenue
Oshkosh, WI 54903
Dear Mr. Rohloff:
Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with a proposal for the City of Oshkosh's Director of Public
Works recruitment and selection process. GovHR USA prides itself on a tailored, personal approach to
executive recruitment and selection, able to adapt to your specific requirements for the position.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
GovHR USA is a public management consulting firm serving municipal clients and other public sector
entities on a national basis. We work exclusively in the public sector, offering customized executive
recruitment services, as well as providing other management studies and services for communities.
GovHR USA is certifed as an FBE (Female Business Enterprise) in the State of Illinois.
GovHR USA was established in 2009 as Voorhees Associates, LLC. In January, 2014 Voorhees
Associates combined with GovTempsUSA to form GovHR USA. This combination enables us to more
effectively serve our clients by utilizing our combined resources to provide not only executive recruiting
and management consulting, but also temporary staffing solutions, including shoR-term, long-term, and
interim placements. Our headquarters offices are in Northbrook, Illinois. GovHR USA is led by Heidi
Voorhees, President, and Joellen Earl, CEO. Ms. Voorhees previously spent 8 years with the nationally
recognized public sector consulting firm, The PAR Group and was President of The PAR Group from
2006 — 2009. Ms. Voorhees has conducted more than 220 recruitments in her management consulting
career, with many of her clients repeat clients, attesting to the high quality of work performed for them. In
addition to her 12 years of executive recruitment and management consulting experience, Ms. Voorhees
has 19 years of local government leadership and management service with the Villages of Wilmette and
Schaumburg, Illinois, as well as the City of Kansas City, Missouri. Ms. Earl is a seasoned manager, with
expertise in public sector human resources management. She has held positions from Human Resources
Director and Administrative Services Director to Assistant Town Manager and Assistant County Manager.
Ms. Earl has worked in forms of government ranging from Open Town Meeting to Council-Manager and
has supervised all municipal and county departments ranging from Public Safety and Public Works to
Mental Health and Social Services.
The frm has a total of twenty-two consultants, both generalists and specialists (public safety, finance,
parks, etc.), who are based in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as five reference
specialists and eight support staff.
650 Dundee Road, Suite 270, Northbrook, IllinOis 60062
Local: 847380.3240 Toll Free: 855.68GovHR (855.684.6847) Fax:866.401.3100 GovHRUSA.com
EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT • INTERIM STAFFING • MANAGEMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCE CONSULTING
City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Experience
page 2
GovHR USA has completed 214 recruitments since its establishment in 2009. We have 16 current
recruitments in various stages of completion. Our consultants are experienced executive recruiters who
have conducted over 450 recruitments, working with cities, counties, special districts and other
governmental entities of all sizes throughout the country. In addition, we've held leadership positions
within local government, giving us an understanding of the complexities and challenges facing today's
public sector leaders.
Consultant Assigned
GovHR USA Senior Vice President Lee Szymborski will be responsible for your recruitment and selection
process.
Lee Szymborski
Senior Vice President—GovHR USA
Lee Szymborski is a Senior Vice President with GovHR USA, working on both executive search and
general management consulting assignments. He has more than 33 years of experience in local
government administration.
Mr. Szymborski's experience spans both Wisconsin and Illinois communities. Mr. Szymborski served
more than 15 years as City Administrator in Mequon, Wisconsin. Mequon is a full service city with
$30 million in combined budgets, and more than 170 employees serving 23,000 residents. In
addition to his Wisconsin service in Mequon, he also worked for the City of Wauwatosa and
Milwaukee Counly. In Illinois, he served for 12 years as Assistant Village Manager in Buffalo Grove.
Mr. Szymborski's track record points to a results-oriented approach to municipal government
management. That is demonstrated by his work including the purchase of a$14 M private water
utility that has seen its customer base increase under city ownership (Mequon); reorganizing city
departments and reducing workforce costs in an organizationally sensitive manner (Mequon);
spearheading a 10- community oversight committee to secure the startup of commuter rail service
(Metra) on the WI Central railway (Buffalo Grove); and re-purposing TIF funds to provide incentives
that secured a$16 M mixed-use development in Mequon's Town Center. He is additionally skilled in
budgeting, personnel administration, community engagement efforts and strategic planning.
Mr. Szymborski's experience in recruiting key staff extends back to his management roles in both
Buffalo Grove and Mequon. In Buffalo Grove, he handled for the Village Manager all aspects of
recruiting department heads and other members of the management team. In Illinois, he was also
the chief recruiter for executive director positions for two intergovernmental agencies serving the
northwest Chicago suburbs. During his 15 years in Mequon, Mr. Szymborski recruited all members
of the City's management team.
Since joining GovHR USA in 2014, Mr. Szymborski has assisted or managed more than 15
executive searches for communities in Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and Massachusetts. His recent
searches include City and County Administrator and department head positions for the Wisconsin
communities of Lake Geneva, Waukesha, Franklin, Wausau and Eau Claire County; and he has also
assisted or managed local government and intergovernmental agency searches in Illinois, Missouri
and Massachusetts. He has done management studies for several Wisconsin communities and has
facilitated strategic planning retreats and written plans for the City of Eau Claire and the Wisconsin
City/County Management Association. He has also been part of GovHR USA's classification and
compensation studies in several Wisconsin and Illinois communities.
Mr. Szymborski has published articles in Public Management magazine, and is an adjunct instructor
at Upper lowa University — Milwaukee Center. He holds a B.A. in Political Science, and an M.S. in
Urban Affairs, both from the University of Wisconsin — Milwaukee. He is a past-president of the
City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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Mequon-Thiensville Sunrise Rotary Club, where he has been an active member since 1999. Mr.
Szymborski serves on the Board of Directors for the Mequon Nature Preserve. He was the 2014
recipient of the Mequon — Thiensville Chamber of Commerce's Distinguished Service Award.
SCOPE OF WORK
A typical recruitment and selection process can take �75 hours to conduct. At least 50 hours of this time
is "administrative" including ad placement, acknowledgment of resumes, reference interviews, and due
diligence on candidates. These tasks may take longer if someone is pertorming them for the first time. We
believe our experience and ability to professionally administer your recruitment will provide you with the
best possible outcome. GovHR USA clients are kept informed of the progress of a recruitment throughout
the recruitment process. Consultants are always available to provide information and answer questions,
and details of the process such as placement of advertising and applications received are discussed in
regular updates via either telephone or email.
GovHR USA suggests the following approach to your recruitment, subject to your requests for
mod if cation:
Phase I— Position Assessment, Position Announcement and Brochure Development
Phase I will include the following steps:
i Interviews with the City Manager, and the City's senior staff as well as any other individuals you
deem appropriate to best understand the responsibilities, challenges, and culture of the City.
At least eight (8) hours of one-on-one interviews will be conducted with elected officials, staff and
the public in order to develop our Recruitment Brochure. This important document outlines the
expectations that the City has for its next Director of Public Works, providing us with the
information we need to target our recruitment. During this process we will assist you with
establishing the salary for the Director of Public Works by conducting a salary survey of
comparable communities, if so desired.
� Development of a Position Announcement.
➢ Development of a detailed Recruitment Brochure for your review and approval.
> Agreement on a detailed Recruitment Timetable.
Phase II — Advertising, Candidate Recruitment and Outreach
Phase II will include the following steps:
Placement of the Position Announcement in appropriate professional online publications. In
addition to public sector publications and web sites, outreach will include Linkedln and other
private sector resources. We can provide the City with placement recommendations, if so
desired.
: The development of a database of potential candidates unique to the position and to the City of
Oshkosh, focusing on the leadership and management skills identified in Phase I as well as size
of organization, and experience in addressing challenges and opportunities also outlined in
Phase I.
Outreach will be done through e-mail and telephone contacts as appropriate. GovHR USA
consultants have extensive knowledge of the municipal government industry and will personally
City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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identify and contact potential candidates. With more than 600 collective years of municipal and
consulting experience among our consultants, we often have inside knowledge about candidates.
Phase III — Candidate Evaluation and Screening
Phase III will include the following steps:
➢ Review and evaluation of candidates' credentials considering the criteria outlined in the
Recruitment Brochure.
9 Candidates will be interviewed by skype or facetime to fully grasp their qualifcations and
experience as well as their interpersonal skills. This is an hour long interview, asking specific
questions about their experience and skill set. This allows us to ask follow up questions and
probe specific areas. It also provides us with an assessment of their verbal skills and their level of
energy for and interest in the position.
: Formal and informal references (two per candidate) and an internet search of each candidate will
be conducted to further verify candidates' abilities, work ethic, management and leadership skills,
analytical skills, interpersonal skills, ability to interact with the media, and any areas identified for
improvement.
i All resumes will be acknowledged and contacts and inquines from candidates will be personally
handled by GovHR USA, ensuring Oshkosh's process is professional and well regarded by all
who participate.
Phase IV — Presentation of Recommended Candidates
Phase IV will include the following steps:
GovHR USA will prepare a Recruitment Report that presents the credentials of those
candidates most qualified for the position. You will advise us of the number of reports you will
need for the individuals involved in this phase of the recruitment and selection process. We
provide a binder which contains the candidate's cover letter and resume. In addition, we prepare
a"mini" resume for each candidate, so that each candidate's credentials are presented in a
uniform way. As resumes come in all different formats, these "mini" resumes will give you a clear,
consistent look at each candidate "at a glance."
➢ GovHR USA will provide you with a log of all candidates who applied. You may also review all of
the resumes should you so desire.
➢ GovHR USA will meet with you to review the Recruitment Report and expand upon the
information provided. The report will arrive two to three days in advance of the meeting, giving
you the opportunity to fully review it. In addition to the written report, we will spend 2 to 3 hours
with you to bring the candidates to "life" by reviewing their telephone interview and providing
excerpts from two (2) references we will have done on the individual.
Phase V —Interviewing Process
Phase V will include the following steps:
➢ At the Recommendation meeting, the Interviewing Process will be finalized including the
discussion of any specific components you deem appropriate, such as a writing sample.
� GovHR USA will develop the first and second round interview questions for your review. GovHR
USA will provide you with interview books that include the credentials each candidate submits, a
summary of each candidate's credentials, a set of questions with room for interviewers to make
City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin page 5
notes, and an evaluation sheet to assist interviewers in assessing each candidate's skills and
abilities.
> GovHR USA will work with you to develop an interview schedule for the candidates, coordinating
travel and accommodations. The schedule will incorporate a tour of City of Oshkosh facilities and
interviews with Department Heads and elected offcials.
We offer a community "Meet and GreeY' option, at no charge, as a means for the community to
interact and get to know the candidates in an informal setting. At this "Meet and Greet,"
candidates would give a brief overview of themselves and answer questions from the audience.
➢ Once candidates for interview are selected, additional references will be contacted, along with
verification of educational credentials, criminal court, credit, and motor vehicle and records
checks. Using the candidate's name and work experience we review the top 200 search results
available from Google, as well as his/her activity (if publicly available) on Facebook, Twitter, and
other social media platforms. Employment verifcation can also be provided if so desired.
GovHR USA recommends a two-step interviewing process with
interviewed in the first round. Following this round, we strongly
candidates are selected for second round interviews. Again, we will
interview questions and a"score sheet."
(typically) five candidates
suggest that two or three
prepare a second round of
� GovHR USA consultants will be present for all of the interviews, serving as a resource and
facilitator.
Phase VI — Appointment of Candidate
: GovHR USA will assist you as much as you request with the salary and benefit negotiations and
drafting of employment agreement, if appropriate.
`r GovHR USA will notify all applicants of the final appointment, including professional background
information on the successful candidate.
Optional Assessment Center
If desired, GovHR USA will perform an Assessment Center for candidates selected for interview as
part of the selection process. An Assessment Center is a very useful tool for evaluating the strengths,
weaknesses and skills and abilities of Oshkosh's next Director of Public Works.
GovHR USA consultants will prepare all the related documents and scoring sheets for a Prewritten
Exercise (done prior to the Assessment Center and evaluated by the Assessors) and a choice of
three (3) of the following exercises to be completed on the Assessment Center day:
• In-Basket Exercise
• Oral Presentation Exercise
• Leaderless Group Exercise
• Structured Interview
• Budget Analysis Exercise
• Other exercise of the ClienYs choosing
If Oshkosh selects GovHR USA to conduct the Assessment Center outlined above, it will be
conducted by GovHR Vice President Sharon Morien. Ms. Morien has been performing Assessment
Centers for the past 15 years. She has conducted Assessment Centers for all levels of government
positions, including City Administrator, Fire Chief, Police Chief, Director of Public Works, Engineering
Services Manager, Village Engineer, Management Analyst, and the like. In addition, she has
City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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performed numerous "promotional" Assessment Centers for public safety departments. For Ms.
Morien's full bio, please see our web site at www.govhrusa.com.
Optional 360° Evaluation
As a service to the City of Oshkosh, we offer the option to provide you with a proposal for a 360°
performance evaluation for the appointed Director of Public Works at about six months into his or her
employment. This evaluation will include seeking feedback from both Elected Officials and Department
Directors, along with any other constituent the City feels would be relevant and beneficial. This input will
be obtained on a confdential basis with comments known only to the consultant. If you are interested in
this option, GovHR USA will prepare a proposal for this service.
Recruitment Schedule
A detailed recruitment schedule will be provided in Phase I. The recruitment and selection process
typically takes 90 days from the time the contract is signed until the candidate is appointed. We can work
with you on a shorter process, should you so desire.
Our typical recruitment process includes the following milestones and deliverables:
On-site interviews of Oshkosh offcials and staff,
development and approval of recruitment brochure
Deliverable: recruitment brochure
Placement of professional announcements; candidate
identification, screening, interview and evaluation by
consultant
Consultant recommendation to City Manager of qualified candidates
Deliverable: recruitment report
Selection of candidate f nalists by City Manager; additional
background and reference checks, report preparation
and presentation
Deliverable: interview reports including suggested questions
and evaluation sheets
Interviews of selected finalist candidates; City Manager selection
of final candidate; negotiation, offer, acceptance and
appointment
Summary of Costs
Recruitment Fee:
Recruitment Expenses: (not to exceed)
Expenses include consultant travel,
postage/shipping, telephone, support
services, copying etc. Also includes
candidate due diligence efforts.
Advertising costs
$10,000
3,500
2,000*
Total Fees: $15,500**
weeks 1-2
weeks 3-8
P.RS�:E:]
week 10
weeks 11-12
City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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'Advertising costs over $2,000 will be placed only with client approval. If less than $2,000, Client
is billed only for actual cost.
*`This fee does not include travel and accommodations for candidates interviewed. Recruitment
brochures are produced as electronic files. Printed brochures can be provided, if desired, for an
additional cost of $900.
Assessment Center Fee: $5,000`
*This fee includes all the preparation and cost of the Assessment Center materials, and the fees
for the consultants to attend as facilitators. We will also assist the City in selecting three (3)
professionals from outside the organization, who will act as observers in assessing each
candidate's strengths and weaknesses. The cost includes a written report outlining the fndings of
the Assessment Center as reported by the Assessors. The City would be responsible for paying a
�500 stipend to each Assessor (and possibly mileage for the assessors). This fee does not
include lodging, trevel and meal expenses for the GovHR USA Facilitator(s) to be on site
for the Assessment Center. Actual expenses will be billed in addition to the $5,000 fee.
Payment for Fees and Services
Professional fees and expenses will be invoiced as follows: Recruitment expenses and the costs for the
Recruitment Brochure printing will be itemized with suffcient detail and invoiced as incurred. In addition,
the Recruitment Fee will be invoiced in three (3) equal payments, billed during the course of the
recruitment. The first invoice for the Recruitment Fee will be sent upon acceptance of our proposal. The
second invoice will be sent following the recommendation of candidates and will include any expenses
incurred to date. The final invoice will be sent upon completion of the recruitment assignment and will
include all remaining expenses. Upon receipt of each invoice the City will approve payment in accordance
with its claims procedures within thirty (30) days of receipt.
GovHR USA Guarantee
It is the policy of GovHR USA to assist our clients until an acceptable candidate is appointed to the
position. Therefore, no additional professional fee would be incurred should the City Manager not make a
selection from the initial group of recommended candidates and request additional candidates be
developed for interview consideration. Additional reimbursable expenses may be incurred should the
situation require consultant travel to Oshkosh beyond the planned three visits.
Upon appointment of a candidate, GovHR USA provides the following guarantee: should the selected
and appointed candidate, at the request of the City of Oshkosh or the employee's own determination,
leave the employ of the City of Oshkosh within the first 24 months of appointment, we will, if desired,
conduct another search for the cost of expenses and announcements only.
In addition, in accordance with the policy of our frm as well as established ethics in the executive search
industry, we will not actively recruit the placed employees for a period of five years.
Why Choose GovHR USA?
The heart and soul of a professional recruitment firm is the expertise it brings to its clients. GovHR USA
consultants are all experienced local government executives who have demonstrated careers and
expertise that brings frst hand knowledge of the disciplines in which they now consult. This knowledge
can assist clients in designing the appropriate interview questions, the development of written and oral
exercises to best assess candidates' abilities, and facilitation of the clients' discussion of the candidates.
Our process reflects the client's goals and objectives—therefore, the time we spend developing the
Recruitment Brochure is critical in our understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and culture of the
City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin page 8
position under consideration. Our candidate assessment and interviewing skills are based on thousands
of interviews over the course of our Consultants' many years of experience in the recruitment and
selection field. This professional familiarity allows us to be sensitive to the nuances, not only the obvious.
In addition, as experienced local government professionals, our Consultants are able to ask probing,
thoughtful questions and effectively evaluate the candidates' answers. We provide the client with a
diverse list of potential candidates who have been fully vetted by our staff and who are truly interested in
and well-qualified for the position. We respect the confidentiality of candidates' applications and are
respectful of the candidates' current employment situation when we conduct reference calls. We are not a
gatekeeper—clients will be provided with a list of everyone who applied and may view the resumes
should they so desire.
Our firm's executive recruitment standards embrace a professional process of integrity, trust, and respect
toward all parties involved and a commitment toward meeting the expressed needs and desires of our
Client. Our ultimate goal is for the client to be completely satisfed with the selected candidate.
This proposal will remain in effect for a period of six months from the date of the proposal. We look
forward to working with you on this recruitment and selection process!
Sincerely,
����
Heidi J. Voorhees
President
GovHR USA
ACCEPTED BY THE CITY OF OSHKOSH, WISCONSIh
BY:
TITLE: `� � �a^'�g e�
DATE: 6�l �I a-d/ �