General Manager

Reports To: Board of Mayor and Aldermen

Job Summary

The General Manager oversees the strategic and operational leadership of municipal utility services, including electric, water, gas, and wastewater systems. This position ensures safe, reliable, and cost-effective service delivery to customers while maintaining regulatory compliance and fostering a culture of safety, integrity, financial responsibility, education, inclusion, customer service excellence, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Safety

• Demonstrate visible, proactive leadership in establishing, modeling, and sustaining a culture where safety is a core organizational value. Ensure that employee, contractor, and public safety are embedded in operational decisions, resource allocation, and performance expectations.

Leadership & Strategy

• Develop and implement strategic plans aligned with the utility’s mission, goals, and community priorities.
• Promote inclusion within the workforce and service delivery.
• Lead organizational change to adapt to evolving technologies, regulations, and customer expectations.
• Establish clear, measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) across safety, reliability, financial performance, regulatory compliance, workforce effectiveness, and customer satisfaction, and present them to the Board at regular intervals.
• Achieve and maintain APPA RP3 designation.

Operations Oversight

• Direct and oversee electric, water, gas, and wastewater operations to ensure efficiency, reliability, and safety.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations.
• Manage emergency response for service interruptions and system failures.
• Ensure long term maintenance programs are funded, executed on appropriate cycles, and measured with industry standard KPIs. Utilize benchmarking against peer utilities when possible.

Financial Management

• Prepare, recommend, and manage the utility’s annual budget.
• Monitor financial performance and ensure responsible fiscal management.
• Identify opportunities for operational cost savings without compromising service quality.

Human Resources

• Provide leadership to department heads and staff, fostering teamwork and professional growth.
• Oversee recruitment, training, and performance management.
• Promote a safe and respectful workplace.

Customer & Community Relations

• Serve as the public face of the utility in community meetings, media interactions, and stakeholder engagements.
• Maintain transparent communication with customers about rates, projects, and service updates.
• Implement a quarterly customer satisfaction survey.

Board Relations

• Ensure the Board has clear visibility into organizational performance, enabling effective oversight while maintaining appropriate distinction between governance and day-to-day management responsibilities.
• Report regularly to the Board on operational, financial, and strategic matters and provide recommendations for high-level policy and program development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business administration, public administration, or a related field is required.
• 7+ years of leadership experience in utility operations, preferably with multi-service municipal systems.
• Strong knowledge of electric utility management, with familiarity in water, gas, and wastewater systems. 
• Experience working with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a plus.
• Experience in change management and inclusive leadership.

Skills & Competencies

• Ability to quickly diagnose operational, financial, and organizational challenges; stabilize performance; implement employee development plans; and lead sustainable improvement in results, culture, and accountability.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to lead teams through change with empathy, strength, and effectiveness.
• Commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels respected, valued, and empowered to participate fully, regardless of their background or individual differences.
• Financial management skills, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost control.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to adapt to emerging technologies and market changes.

Apply

Applicants should send their resume to bmartin@tvppa.com by April 9, 2026.