Sumter Local Government Consulting is pleased to be assisting Pine Lake, GA, in conducting a recruitment for their next City Manager.

The City of Pine Lake is seeking an experienced, steady, and genuinely personable executive to serve as its next City Manager. Reporting directly to the Mayor and City Council, the City Manager serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of a very small, distinctive city and is responsible for leading all day-to-day municipal operations while helping guide a newly seated governing body through its first years working together.

Per the City Charter, the City Manager directs and supervises the administration and operation of all City departments and agencies; appoints, supervises, disciplines, and removes City employees; serves as the City's Treasurer, Accountant, and Fiscal Officer, or delegates those functions as appropriate; prepares and presents the annual operating and capital budgets; oversees Municipal Court operations; and keeps the Mayor and Council fully informed on City operations, finances, emerging issues, and future needs. Given Pine Lake's small size, the City Manager operates as a true generalist, directly engaged in personnel, finance, public works, and public safety functions with a lean staff.

The position requires a leader who is as comfortable with hands-on, day-to-day administration as with building relationships across a highly engaged, volunteer-spirited community. The next City Manager must effectively support a newly configured Mayor and Council, establish clear operating norms and priorities, and maintain strong, transparent communication with residents who expect and value direct access to their local government.

The Ideal Candidate
Pine Lake is seeking an experienced, steady, and genuinely personable local government professional who can provide confident, hands-on leadership for a very small city with an outsized personality. The ideal candidate will be comfortable operating as a true generalist — equally capable of serving as the City's chief financial officer, personnel director, and operations lead — while also bringing the political awareness and patience needed to guide a newly seated Mayor and Council through their first years working together.

The successful candidate will genuinely appreciate what makes Pine Lake unusual: a highly engaged, volunteer-spirited community with deep commitments to the arts and the environment, and residents who expect — and deserve — direct access to their local government. Rather than finding this level of engagement burdensome, the ideal City Manager will welcome it, bringing strong facilitation and communication skills to turn resident energy into real progress on City priorities.

Given Pine Lake's history and its highly visible small-town setting, the next City Manager should also bring unquestioned integrity, sound judgment, and a demonstrated commitment to transparent, equitable governance. A sense of humor, humility, and comfort with the town's quirky, artistic character will go a long way — as will the patience and steadiness to help a new governing team build trust, set priorities, and lead the City forward together.
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Salary
$120,000 - $130,000

Application Process
For more information on this position, including supplementary documents and resources, visit the recruitment webpage at:

https://sumterlocalgovconsulting.com/recruitments/city-manager-pine-lak…

The first round of resume reviews will take place on September 16, 2026.

Please refrain from contacting the City of Pine Lake’s staff or elected officials.

Please contact the Executive Recruiter with any questions or concerns:
Warren Hutmacher
Email: warren@sumterconsulting.com
Phone: 404.535.0525
Website: sumterlocalgovconsulting.com