Description
Known as the “town of friendly people,” Zebulon is the easternmost town in Wake County, North Carolina. It is the second-fastest growing municipality in Wake County. The Town’s population increased by nearly 50 percent from 2019 to 2022 to 8,665. Today, approximately 13,500 people reside in Zebulon, and the population is expected to reach 25,000 by 2030. It is a desirable community to live, play, work and learn.

Wake County Public School System is home to 198 schools (elementary, middle, and high), including the award-winning Zebulon Gifted & Talented Magnet Elementary. Supplier and distributor US Foods, pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline, and Truist Bank (formerly BB&T) are among the Town’s largest employers.

Nearly two dozen colleges and universities are within a 60-mile radius of Zebulon, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Shaw University, North Carolina Central University, Duke University, and North Carolina State University. The urban center of Raleigh is only a 20- minute drive to the west, and the beach town of Nags Head is less than three hours to east.

On July 1, 2023, the North Carolina Department of Commerce Main Street & Rural Planning Center designated Downtown Zebulon as a North Carolina Main Street community. The North Carolina Main Street Program promotes economic sustainability through a 4-point approach: Organization, Economic Vitality, Design, and Promotion.

The Zebulon Downtown Organization is charged with administering the program at the local level and building public-private partnerships to spur economic development that achieves measurable results such as investment, business growth, and job creation.

The Town of Zebulon operates under the council-manager form of government. The Board of Commissioners is made up of the Mayor, who oversees the Board meetings, and five voting members (the Mayor Pro Tem and four Commissioners). The Board sets policies, ordinances, and directives. The Board also appoints the Town Manager, Town Clerk, and Town Attorney. The Town Manager and Town staff handle the day-to-day operations as well as provide advice and recommendations to the Board for consideration. There are six appointed boards and committees for the Town. Their membership makes decisions and recommendations that are used to provide better services to the Town and its residents.

SUSTAINABILITY BOARD serves as an advisory committee to the Board of Commissioners regarding environmental sustainability issues such as environmental protection and urban forestry, recycling, and energy use.

THE PARKS & RECREATION BOARD/TREE BOARD makes recommendations on how to expand and/or improve the parks and programs offered by the Town.

THE PLANNING BOARD makes recommendations on land use, text amendments, zoning and subdivision review.

THE TECHNICAL REVIEW COMMITTEE is comprised of staff from each department and provides an opportunity for staff and developers to formally discuss a proposed project to ensure that the plan meets all Town, City of Raleigh, and Wake County requirements.

THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT makes decisions on appeals made by citizens, developers or business owners concerning decisions made by the Land Use Administrator, who serves as the Planning Director for the Town of Zebulon. This board also hears requests for variances from the Unified Development Ordinance and interpretations of the zoning map.

THE APPEAL HEARING BOARD reviews all appeals of civil citations issued by the Town.

The Town of Zebulon adopted a strategic plan as part of the 2018-2019 budget process. The plan has three focus areas that emerged from a community survey, focus groups, Town staff, and the Board of Commissioners: Vibrant Downtown, Small Town Life, and Growing Smart.

Each year the projects in the strategic plan will be updated to align with the goals set by the Board of Commissioners during the budget process.

Detailed Work Activities
Reporting to the 6-member Board of Commissioners, the Town Manager serves as the chief executive officer for the Town, managing a full array of services and a proposed FY 25-26 budget of $29.2 million. The Town Manager is also an effective communicator, keeping Town Staff and the Board of Commissioners current on all relevant matters. The Town Manager, Town Attorney, Town Clerk, Assistant Town Manager, and Directors comprise the Town of Zebulon’s Management Team. As part of FY 26 adopted budget the BOC approved funding for strategic plan. This will be one of the top priorities of the new Town Manager.

The Town Manager has authority over personnel administration, including selection, evaluation, and retention of key senior executive staff. As the Town’s executive, the Town Manager ensures that the entire community is served effectively and efficiently by providing oversight of the Administration, Finance, Fire, Parks and Recreation, Planning, Police, Public Works, Communications, and Economic Development Departments.

The Town Manager will be a forward-thinking, proven and trustworthy leader with both a commitment to equitably serving all residents of a growing and diverse community and an openness to supporting the current vision of the Board of Commissioners. The Town Manager will also be a communicator and a visionary leader with the foresight to keep the long-term health of the Town in mind and plan accordingly.

Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have a master’s degree in public administration, public policy, or related field and 10 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in municipal management with at least 6 years at the level of Department head or higher. Experience as a Deputy or Assistant City or Town Manager is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Though not required, the selected candidate will ideally reside within the Town of Zebulon. The ideal candidate will possess the following skills, knowledge, experience, and traits:

Ability to build consensus across Town staff, the Board of Commissioners, and town residents
Ability to communicate effectively with the Board of Commissioners, staff, and residents
Ability to build rapport with residents and understand their needs.
Transparent and responsive to the needs of the Board of Commissioners and other stakeholders
Experience with budgeting at the municipal government level
Familiarity with North Carolina Department of Transportation projects
Experience in a fast-growing community with infrastructural needs
Experience with human resources processes
Ability to make and defend their decisions/positions, engendering confidence across groups
Experience with economic development

Compensation will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience, education, and qualifications.