Applications have closed
The City of Richmond is looking for a Chief Innovation Officer!
First review of applications will be on October 9, 2025.
Are you a forward-thinking leader with a passion for driving innovation in local government? Do you thrive on finding creative solutions, building collaborative partnerships, and turning bold ideas into practical results for the community? The City of Richmond is seeking a Chief Innovation Officer to guide strategic initiatives, improve service delivery, and strengthen community impact. This is an exciting opportunity for a thoughtful and results-driven professional to partner with City leadership, employees, and the community to shape a more efficient, responsive, and forward-looking government.
The Chief Innovation Officer will lead Citywide efforts for innovation, continuous improvement, and data-informed decision making. The incumbent will be responsible for identifying and implementing strategies that enhance operational efficiency, internal processes, and service delivery through collection and analysis of data. The Chief Innovation Officer will collaborate with departments to develop and manage initiatives that apply data and innovation to improve City operations.
Annual salary for this classification is as high as $180,151 at the top of the range. Additionally, City-paid benefits include medical, dental, vision, paid vacation, holidays, administrative leave days, sick time, CalPERS retirement contribution, life insurance, disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, annual professional development reimbursement, four weeks of paid parental leave, and more!
Position Description and Duties
The Chief Innovation Officer is responsible for the overall planning, administration, and oversight of the City’s innovation initiatives and data collection efforts. The incumbent has responsibility for integrating data analytics and innovative practices to inform policy and operational decisions. The position fosters a culture of innovation, promotes transparency and accountability, and requires significant collaboration with City departments and various stakeholders. The incumbent reports directly to the City Manager and will use considerable judgment and independence in managing their work. The Chief Innovation Officer is exempt from the classified service, and the incumbent is an at-will employee who serves at the pleasure of the appointing authority.
The ideal candidate is a:
- Strategic Thinker – able to connect big-picture vision with practical implementation.
- Collaborative Leader – builds partnerships across departments, agencies, and community stakeholders.
- Creative Problem-Solver – uses data, technology, and new approaches to tackle challenges.
- Change Champion – comfortable leading organizational transformation.
- Equity-Focused – ensures innovation efforts promote fairness and inclusion.
The City of Richmond is the City of Pride and Purpose and we value these traits in our employees!
The following list is intended to be illustrative in nature and does not necessarily represent the entire range of work duties expected of employees within the job classification.
- Plans, organizes and conducts complex and detailed analytical work to support innovation, strategic planning, informed decision-making, and data reporting across the organization.
- Develops, implements, and manages citywide data programs that support effective, ethical, and equitable use of data to assess and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of City programs and services.
- Collaborates closely with the Information Technology Department to evaluate, select, and implement technology products and services—including software platforms, digital tools, and infrastructure solutions—that support innovation goals. Ensures that innovation initiatives are aligned with IT capabilities and security standards, and co-leads technology projects that enhance operational efficiency, data integration, and service delivery across departments.
- Engages residents, community organizations, and other stakeholders to identify and understand civic challenges, then applies a design-based innovation approach to collaboratively develop and implement effective, data-informed solutions.
- Leads the City’s open data initiatives, including creating and publishing data sets, creating dashboards to communicate impact, and supporting City staff to collect and report data.
- Coordinates cross-departmental data management processes and systems to improve reporting and communication, facilitate data sharing, and evaluate and improve programs and services.
- Collaborates with department heads to identify opportunities for innovation and data integration in service delivery.
- Oversees the strategic development and implementation of comprehensive performance measurement systems, including required collection, analysis, and reporting of data to evaluate program effectiveness.
- Provides regular updates and progress reports to the City Manager, executive leadership, and elected officials on key innovation initiatives and outcomes.
- Prepares and/or oversees the preparation of clear, comprehensive reports and presentations; presents reports, findings, and recommendations to internal and external stakeholders.
- Builds and maintains collaborative relationships with community-based organizations, residents, and private and nonprofit stakeholders.
- Facilitates training and workshops to build data literacy and promote innovative practices among city staff.
- Stays abreast of emerging technologies and methodologies to recommend and implement modern solutions.
- Performs related work as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Required Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Data Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
- Five (5) to seven (7) years of experience in data analysis, program management, project engineering, or innovation initiatives, preferably within a governmental or similar setting.
- Any equivalent combination of training, education, and experience that provides the required skills, knowledge and abilities
Desired Qualifications
- Experience developing and managing an organization-wide strategic/innovation plan.
- Experience leading cross-departmental or organization-wide innovation initiatives.
- Knowledge of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Innovation Team (i-team) Program.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
- It is the City’s policy that all persons hired on or after October 18, 2021, must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, including the booster. New employees will be required to provide proof of full vaccination or have an approved medical or religious accommodation before employment may commence. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact Human Resources.
REQUIRED KSA FOR SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE OF JOB DUTIES
Knowledge of:
- Principles and practices of data management and analysis, program evaluation techniques, analytic and quantitative methods, data lifecycle, and statistical information gathering, evaluating, and reporting
- Innovative methodologies and tools applicable to public sector services
- Ethical considerations and regulations related to data usage
- Performance measurement and management techniques
- Cloud based data and analytics tools
- Trends and emerging technologies in business innovation and technology
Skill in:
- Analyzing complex data sets to inform decision-making
- Facilitating cross-departmental collaboration and communication
- Implementing innovative solutions to improve service delivery
- Utilizing data visualization tools to present findings effectively
Ability to:
- Lead and manage projects with multiple departments
- Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with all levels in the organization, other agencies, and the public
- Communicate complex information verbally and in writing to diverse audiences
- Prepare charts, graphs, reports, modeling and structured analysis
- Adapt to changing technologies and methodologies
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement and innovation
Additional Information
Application and Selection Process
To Apply: Interested individuals must apply online by fully completing the City of Richmond Employment Application. Candidates must attach a resume and cover letter to their application and provide answers to supplemental questions for the application to be considered complete. In your cover letter, please tell us:
- What innovation means to you in the context of local government;
- How your experience and skill set have prepared you to lead organizational change and drive innovative solutions; and
- One example of how you have successfully turned a new idea into measurable results.
Incomplete applications or those lacking in sufficiently detailed information will be rejected. Resumes or prior applications will not be accepted in lieu of a thoroughly completed application. All communication regarding this recruitment will be via email. Each applicant must apply with a monitored email address.
Qualifying Phase: All submitted resumes and cover letters will be evaluated based on job-related qualification criteria, including desirable qualifications and the hiring department’s specific needs. Only the candidates who best align with these qualifications and departmental requirements will be invited to proceed in the selection process.
The first review of applications will be on October 9, 2025.
About the City of Richmond
The City of Richmond lies on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, five miles north of Berkeley and seven miles northeast across the Bay from downtown San Francisco. A hub of multimodal transportation, many of our residents and businesses are located in Richmond because of its central location and easy access to the Amtrak/Capitol Corridor, BART, AC Transit, the ferry, and two freeways (I-80 & I-580). Residents, visitors, and employees enjoy Richmond’s numerous recreational opportunities, which include 32 miles of shoreline and over 3,000 acres of shoreline parks, more segments of the Bay Trail completed than any other city, several recreational boat harbors and yacht clubs, and thousands of acres of contiguous inland regional parks and open space. The City has substantial economic resources but is still affordable compared to other Bay Area cities. Our community is welcoming, diverse, and actively engaged.
Richmond is truly the City of Pride and Purpose!
Immigration Reform Control Act
In compliance with the Immigration Reform Control Act of 1986, individuals offered employment by the City of Richmond will be required to show documentation of eligibility to work in the United States as a condition of employment.
Non-Discrimination Policy
The City of Richmond is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and prohibits discrimination against any applicant on the basis of race, religion, citizenship, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability or medical condition, genetic information, marital status, reproductive health decision-making, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 and over), sexual orientation, or military or veteran status or any other basis protected by law.
Disaster Service Workers
California Government Code Title I, Sections 3100 – 3109, declare all public employees to be Disaster Service Workers subject to such disaster service activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.
This position receives benefits as provided by the agreement with IFPTE Local 21 Executive Management Bargaining Unit.
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