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HomeMy WebLinkAbout13.F.1. Fire Chief Selection/Recruitment Assistance r3. F. I . CITY OF SHAKOPEE Memorandum TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Mark McNeill, City Administrator SUBJECT: Fire Chief SelectionlRecruitment Assistance DATE: November 1, 2007 INTRODUCTION: The Council is asked to approve the hiring of Personnel Decisions, Inc. (PDI) to assist in the recruitment and selection process of the budgeted full-time Shakopee Fire Chief position. BACKGROUND: The 2008 budget provides for a full-time Fire Chief to begin January 1, 2008. Much discussion has taken place regarding this position, and how it will be filled. At the October 16th meeting of the City Council, the Council approved ajob description for the Fire Chief position. As this is a department head position, there are extra steps involved in the selection process; because this is a first time-ever position in a full time status, assistance from a professional recruiting firm is desirable. PDI is a national firm with a location in the Twin Cities, and has a great deal of experience in recruiting and screening fire command staff. PDI has previously been used to assist in the selection of Shakopee Police command staff (the same proposed process described below was used for our Police Chief selection process in 1998, and portions of it has been used to select and hire the Shakopee Police Captains). In addition, PDI performs psychological exams on other department head candidates. It should be noted that the individual who would be in charge of the Shakopee Fire Chief process himself has been an assistant chiefof a volunteer fire department in another state, and has family members in fire careers in a Twin Cities-area fire department. PROCESS: PDI proposes that it would first establish the expectations of what is desired for a Fire Chief, and discuss whether it is to be a promotional-only, or a process to include external candidates as well. PDI would interview members ofthe City Council, Department Heads, the current Fire Chief, the fire command staff, and members of the Fire Department. Once the desirable position requirements are established and approved by the City Council, advertising would commence. PDI would then screen the applicant pool, and recommend those to interview. First round candidates would be interviewed by a "Blue Ribbon" panel (which would include public safety professionals from other communities), and a panel made up of representative Shakopee fire fighters and current officers. From that, five to seven candidates recommended would then be interviewed by the City Administrator and a panel of department heads. (Note that PDI provides for some flexibility in the above process. ) After finalists are recommended, PDI or the Shakopee Police Department would do background checks and have finalists tested for job knowledge and predictive behavior in a management assessment process. The City would then select from the top finalists. PDI would also be involved with hiring negotiations. After the individual is on the job, They would also perform a six month job performance review. It is estimated that the project would take approximately 12 weeks to complete. This would be after current terms of the fire officers would expire on December 31st. A new selection process for the part-time fire officers (to replace the current election process) is underway. The Council will be asked to name the Assistant Fire Chief selected through that process as the Interim or Acting Chief from January 1, 2008 until the first day of work for the full-time Chief. COST: The proposed cost on this (outlined on page six of the attached proposal) would be $18,000, plus $500 per internal candidate. (The Shakopee Police Department can do external candidate background checks. Because of the potential for conflicts of interest, PDI should do any internal candidate backgrounds.) Funding for this is available in the General Fund contingency. Normally, the process to begin the filling of positions that are budgeted for an upcoming fiscal year waits until the budget is adopted. In this case, that would not be until the second meeting of December. However, knowing the interest in filling this position, the recommendation is to begin the process now. RECOMMENDATION: It is important to get the right hire for this newly-created full time position. As such, I recommend that the PDI proposal as described be approved. RELATIONSHIP TO VISIONING: This supports Goal D, "Vibrant, Resilient and Stable." ACTION REQUIRED: I recommend that the City Council approve the hiring of Personnel Decisions, Inc. to facilitate the recruitment and selection process for the full-time Shakopee Fire Chief position. < ~~~ Mark McNeill City Administrator City of Shakopee Recruitment, and Selection of Fire Chief November 7,2007 Harry Brun, Senior Vice President Public Sector Services STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY This proposal is an unpublished copyrighted work containing trade secret and other proprietary information of Personnel Decisions International Corporation. This copy has been provided on the basis of srrict confidentiality and the express understanding that it may not be reproduced except by City of Shakopee for use in evaluating the proposed project, and may not be revealed to any person, organization, consultant, or vendor without express written permission from Personnel Decisions International. Personnel Decisions International 2000 Plaza VI! Tower 45 South Seventh Srreet Minneapolis, MN 55402-1608 612.339.0927 TABLE OF RECRUITIvlENT/SELECTION PROCESS 1 CONTENTS Understanding Position Requirements 1 Recruitment 1 Screening 2 Interviews 2 Finalist Assessment 3 Hiring Negotiations 3 Six-Month Performance Review 3 DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILlTI AND ASSISTANCE REQUIRED 4 TIME FRAMEs 5 PRICING 6 REFERENCES 7 APPENDIX A: TEAM LEADER BIOGRAPHY 8 Copyrij!ht @ 2007 Personnel Decisions International 10/31/2007 All Rij!hts Reserved I RECRUITMENT/SELECTION Following are the key steps in conducting a successful selection for a . PROCESS position such as Fire Chief: . Understanding position requirements . Recruitment . Screening . On-site interviewing . Finalist assessment . Hiring negotiations Each of these will be explained in more detail below. Understanding Position Requirements The first step is to gain a complete understanding of the position requirements. This involves finding answers to the following: . What are the most important qualities the new leader must have? . What are the challenges facing the department and organization? . What should the key priorities be for the individual who assumes this position? This information is distilled from reviewing any available documentatiQn and interviews with elected and appointed city leaders, department members, current incumbent, and any other key stakeholders. Results from this process are captured in a position profile which can then be used as a template for future decisions, as well as a document to be shared with candidates, etc. Recruitment The first key decision will be the scope of the recruitment process. The City must choose between two options: . Open/competitive process . Promotional process I would suggest making this decision following the interviews with city leadership and other individuals. This should help guide the City in making this critical first decision. Should the City decide to recruit externally, I would suggest using the following methodologies: Copyright @ 2007 Personnel Decisions International 10/31/2007 Al! Rights Reserved " ~ Advertising can be an effective recruitment tool, but it tends to be expensive and rather shotgun in its approach. PDI has had much more success using more targeted recruiting methods such as: . Personalized letters to individuals in other communities holding comparable positions . Obtaining membership lists from professional organizations which might yield prospective candidates . Asking seasoned professionals to nominate individuals who would be a good fit for the position Such an approach yields a larger group of more highly qualified candidates than merely relying on advertising. Screening Once an adequate candidate pool has been generated, the next step is reducing the pool to a manageable number. In addition to merely relying on resumes, PDI has developed powerful screening tools that provide additional information upon which to make this critical decision. The decision regarding which candidates to interview can be made by City leaders, PDI, or some combination of the two. The goal is to continue those candidates that have the highest probability of receiving a job offer at the end of the process_ Interviews The following procedures would apply whether the process is promotional or open/competitive: PDI is a world leader in the design and training of employment interviews. As part of this process, PDI would design an interview protocol and train interview panelists to obtain further information about invited candidates_ Based on past experience, we strongly recommend the following interview processes: . "Blue Ribbon" panel - Highly qualified individuals from other communities who understand the position requirements and have the background and expertise to evaluate candidates at this level. These may come from some mix of fire/emergency services and management backgrounds_ . Departmental panel - This would be a panel of representative firefighters and officers. PDr would solicit questions and design an interview protocol based on their input. Again, PDI would provide training to the panel prior to any interviews. . City Administrator interview - This could occur at this step (approximately 5-7 candidates) or be reserved for candidates achieving finalist status from the other procedures. C()pyr~ght @ 2007 Personnel Decisions International 10/31/2007 All Rights Reserved 3 Finalist Assessment After the finalists have been selected, PDI utilizes a variety of methods to gain additional information regarding the candidates' capabilities. This combination provides decision makers with a higher degree of security and confidence regarding their choice. The goal of selection is " . " no surpnses. The most powerful of these is PDI's management assessment process. Individuals come to one ofPDI's 13 U.S. offices and participate in a full day of interviews, tests, inventories, and simulations designed to reveal information regarding their managerial capabilities, interper$onal style, problem-solving ability, etc. For internal candidates only, PDI is prepared to conduct additional inquiries to obtain external information regarding the candidate. These include; . Press searches . Primary and secondary reference checking . Background investigation All of this information is then forwarded to the decision makers, enabling them to make more confident, informed choices. The City of Shakopee will conduct these activities for external candidates. Hiring Negotiations PDI is prepared to negotiate with the chosen candidate regarding conditions of employment, contract, ete. Through communication with the hiring authority and the candidate, PDT can help facilitate a working relationship that meets the needs of all parties. Six-Month Performance Review As part of PDI's responsibility, we would engineer a six-month performance review of the new Fire Chief, which includes the following components: . Input from leadership . Input from key staff . Summary and collation of results . Presentation of results to the City and Fire Chief This process allows for early "course corrections" if needed, helping to ensure success for the individual and the Department/City. Cop~Tight @ 2007 Personnel Decisions international 10/31/2007 All Rights Reserved 4 DIVISION OF As consultant to the City on this project, PDI is prepared to assume the RESPONSIBILITY following responsibilities: AND ASSISTANCE Design of all job analysis and candidate evaluation procedures REQUIRED . . Provision to the City of valid information regarding the knowledge, skills, and abilities of each applicant . Assistance in response to interested parties such as staff, the media, etc. . Assistance in contract negotiations with chosen candidate We seek the City's assistance in the following areas: . Approval of all documents and procedures . Decision making or, at a minimum, approval of decisions regarding the status of any and all individual applicants . Securing of physical locations for job analysis sessions, interviews, assessment center activities, etc. Copyright <<) 2007 Personnel Decisions International ] 0/31/2007 All Right, Reserved 5 TIME FRAMEs Assuming a regional recruitment effort, the following represents a reasonable time estimate for this process: Weeks from Activity Project Start Activities 1-2: 1-4 Job Analysis and Recruitment Activity 3: 5.7 Screening Activity 4: 7-9 Evaluation Activity 5: 9-12 Finalist Assessment New Chief Start Date 12+ Copyright @ 2007 Personnel Deci&ions lnremational 10/31/2007 All Rights Reserved 6 PRICING The following represents labor cost estimates for this process. Additional expenses such as travel, postage, advertising, etc. will be billed at cost Activity One: Job Analysis/Position Requirements $3,000 Activity Two: Recruitment . Consultation $1,500 . Implementation (design and mail ads, broadcast letters, ete.). Activity Three: Screening . Design $2,000 . Evaluation of candidates Activity Four: Interviews . Design and training of interviews $3,000 Activity Five: Finalist .Assessment (up to 3 candidates) . Managerial assessment $7,000 . Primary and secondary reference checking . Computer press search . Background investigation Activity Six: Six-month Review Cost waived Project management $3,000 Labor subtotal (assuming no more than .3 finalists) $18,000 + $500 per each internal candidate Copyri~ht @ 2007 Personnel Decisions International 10/3l/2007 .1\11 Rights Reserved 7 REFERENCES The following individuals can attest to the quality of PDT's services for executive selection: . City of Northfield, Minnesota Mayor Lee Lansing Elizabeth Wheeler, Risk Mgr. (507) 645-8832 City Administrator . City of Carlsbad, California Cheri Abbott, Human Resources Mgr. City of Carlsbad 1635 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008-7314 (760) 602-2440 Assistant City Manager Senior Management Analyst Park & Recreation Director Communications Director Planning Director Finance Manager Library Director . City of Shoreview, Minnesota Terry Schwerm, City Manager (651) 4904610 . City of South St. Paul Doug Reeder, City Administra:tor (former) (763) 424-8001 (City of/Brooklyn Park) . City of Bloomington, Minnesota Mark Bernhardson, City Manager (952) 948-8780 . City of Burnsville, Minnesota Tom Hansen, City Manager (952) 8954468 . City of Blaine, Minnesota Tom Ryan, Mayor (763) 784-6700 Copyright @ 2007 Personnel Decisions International 10/31/2007 All Rights Reserved 8 APPENDIX A: TEAM LEADER BIOGRAPHY Harold P. Brull, M.S., L.P. Harry Brull is Senior Vice President, Public Sector Services for Personnel Decisions International, an international consulting finn headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In his position, he is responsible for assessment and development of personnel in federal, state, and local governmental agencies. Since joining PDI in 1978, he has designed and implemented selection and promotional processes for over 3,000 governmental, non-profit, and private sector organizations. He has helped local, state, and federal agencies recruit and select individuals for key leadership positions. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as Vice President of Training and Development and Vice President and General Manager ofPDI's first remote office. He has been responsible for the design, marketing, and delivery of training and development activities for both public and private sector client organizations. He also has particular expertise in the interface of law with personnel practices. He is a charter member of the Minnesota Employment Law Council and has written articles and made presentations at legal conferences. He has served as an eJ..1>ert witness in both state and federal courts. Mr. Brull is former president of the International Personnel Management Association Assessment Council, an organization of assessment professionals from around the world. He is the 2002 recipient of the Stephen E. Bemis Memorial Award, annually awarded on the basis of contributions to the practice of assessment and fellow practitioners. Mr. Brull is afrequently invited speaker at regional and national conferences. Prior to joining PDI, Mr. Brull served as a probation officer, educator, general contractor, and as a firefighter and assistant chief of the Danby, New York V ounteer Fire Department. He received his B.A. in biology from Cornell University, his Masters in Educational/Organizational Development from the State University of New York at Cortland. and is a perpetual Ph.D. candidate at the University of Minnesota. He is a licensed psychologist in the state of Minnesota. He currently teaches at Macalester and St. Olaf Colleges. COpy Tight @ 2007 Personnel Decisions International 10/31/2007 All Rights Reserved