ACAO - Public Safety and Emergency Management (Assistant Chief Administrative Officer)

ASSISTANT CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER- PUBLIC SAFETY & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

ABOUT THE JAWANDO ADMINISTRATION:

In June 2026, Democratic primary voters in Montgomery County chose their next County Executive: Will Jawando, a civil rights lawyer, Obama White House alum, and two-term County Council member who won by the widest margin of victory in an open primary in nearly two decades. He won on a promise to fully fund public schools, build affordable housing, and grow the economy from the bottom up.

Jawando is building his incoming team now, with a mandate to expand housing options and renter protections, invest in early childhood education alongside K-12 schools, treat equity as a standard for every decision, protect immigrant families and federal workers who call the county home, and craft a budget centered on working people.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

This is high level staff work directly supporting the Chief Administrative Officer and County Executive by carrying out a variety of assignments and functions in the executive branch of the County Government. As the incumbent of a non-merit position within Montgomery County Government, the employee will be appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Council. Contacts include the County Executive, Chief Administrative Officer, elected County Councilmembers and their senior staff, department and agency directors, division chiefs, officials from other government jurisdictions, corporate officers representing private sector companies, and representatives of public and private groups for the purpose of presenting, justifying, or defending policies and issues affecting the County Government.

An employee in this class provides staff support and advice to the County Executive or Chief Administrative Officer in designated functional or policy areas. Employees in this class also serve as project managers and task force leaders to study issues and implement actions in a variety of programmatic and management policy areas. The work involves developing major County policy option or issue papers, coordinating urban redevelopment projects, analyzing and making recommendations on proposed County legislation, assisting in preparation and development of new County legislation, and performing a variety of ad hoc special assignments for the Executive Branch. Assignments are stated in terms of broadly defined functions and areas of responsibility. The employee plans, designs, and carries out major projects, studies, or other work independently with little or no technical guidance. The work project or service is generally considered technically authoritative. The employee uses considerable judgment to interpret stated and written guidelines and to develop new criteria to evaluate programmatic issues or propose new management policies. The complexity of the work is characterized by a variety of duties that must be applied to new and unprecedented assignments and activities requiring extensive analysis. The work involves isolating and defining unknown or unprecedented conditions and developing new criteria to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of County Government programs and processes. The work also involves developing policy recommendations impacting major programmatic and management functions in the County government.

The work takes place in a normal office environment and involves no significant hazards or physical demands. Most employees in this class supervise staff by assigning and reviewing work, setting work standards, and acting on a variety of personnel matters affecting these employees.

Beyond internal management, the Assistant Chief Administrative Officer directs the County's public safety and emergency management portfolio, overseeing the Department of Police, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, and the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, and directing the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security to ensure the County's preparedness for and response to emergencies. This includes serving as the County Executive's primary liaison to the independently elected Sheriff and State's Attorney, directing the Department of Animal Services, and overseeing the Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission. The Assistant Chief Administrative Officer provides staff support to the Police Accountability Board, and coordinates the County's response to and advocacy on immigration enforcement issues affecting County residents, in partnership with community organizations and other County departments.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES:  (Illustrative Only)

• Directs the Department of Police, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, and the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation.
• Directs the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, overseeing the County's emergency preparedness, response, and recovery functions.
• Serves as the County Executive's primary liaison to the independently elected Sheriff and State's Attorney on matters affecting County public safety operations.
• Directs the Department of Animal Services and oversees the Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission.
• Provides staff support to the Police Accountability Board
• Coordinates the County's response to and advocacy on immigration enforcement issues affecting County residents, working closely with community organizations and County departments.
• Coordinates, reviews, and prepares administrative procedures, executive regulations, and official testimony to ensure the appropriateness of the content prior to official issuance, and has signature authority for various administrative and legal documents.
• Directs the preparation of responses to selected correspondence, including inter-department coordination, on multiple issues for the County Executive's or Chief Administrative Officer's signature.
• Assists in the development, preparation, and review of all County legislation for the Executive Branch and provides liaison to departments and agencies.
• Provides advice and recommendations to the County Executive, Chief Administrative Officer, or other senior County officials regarding methods to implement public policy decisions affecting broad County Government operations or programs.
• Resolves or mediates issues involving controversy between citizens and proposed or current government activity.
• Organizes and works with interagency committees to develop policy documents and recommendations in a variety of functional areas and provides advice on budget, program proposals, and other matters affecting these areas to the County Executive or Chief Administrative Officer.
• Serves as legislative liaison for the Executive Branch and is responsible for communicating, researching, monitoring, analyzing, and advising on legislative issues and County Council activities.
• Coordinates special projects such as urban redevelopment activities or programs and serves as project manager to oversee project implementation.
• Performs citizen or community outreach services and coordinates the County Government's responses to public inquiries. Coordinates office staff activities, office automation services, and information retrieval and referral services for the Offices of the County Executive and Chief Administrative Officer.
• Performs special, ad hoc assignments such as researching issues, conducting studies, performing analyses, and developing recommendations on a variety of management and policy issues.
• Serves as project manager, committee chair, or task force leader to implement projects or study issues, as requested. Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Extensive knowledge of public safety, emergency management, and criminal justice systems, including the roles and authorities of independently elected public safety officials.
• Skill in coordinating emergency preparedness, response, and recovery efforts across multiple departments, agencies, and jurisdictions.
• Extensive knowledge of the principles, practices, and techniques of planning, formulating, analyzing, and implementing management and program policies and strategies.
• Extensive knowledge of multiple major County Government program areas.
• Skill in negotiating agreements with government and private sector organizations.
• Skill in oral and written communication sufficient to develop defenses of, and justification for, recommended courses of action. Skill in conducting or directing program evaluation and organizational management studies, and analyzing complex policy issues, organizational structures, and management problems.
• Skill in managing medium to large scale projects involving coordination of multiple departments or agencies. Ability to deal with people tactfully, effectively, and equitably.
• Ability to attend meetings and perform assignments at locations outside the office.

RECOMMENDED QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience: Extensive (6 years) professional administrative and/or high level staff experience involving program evaluation, management analysis, program management, or similar activities.

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's degree in Public or Business Administration or related fields.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of experience or education may be substituted.

LICENSE: None.

SALARY: $160,000 - $240,000; commensurate with qualifications and experience.