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Council hires CPS HR to run national search for next city manager
Summary
The City Council voted to retain CPS HR Consulting to recruit a new Sacramento city manager, starting a multi‑phase process of outreach, candidate profiling, and a salary study, with council interviews and community engagement planned.
The Sacramento City Council approved hiring CPS HR Consulting to conduct a national recruitment for the city manager position, following a recommendation from the Personnel and Public Employees (P & PE) committee and a presentation by the firm.
Councilmember Jennings, chairing the P & PE committee, told the council the recruitment will include individual interviews with the mayor and council, public outreach and stakeholder engagement, and a return to the full council with an ideal candidate profile before the search is publicly launched. "Ultimately the final decision on the next city manager will be made by the mayor and the city council," Jennings said, and emphasized the need for a transparent process that includes public participation.
Pam Derby, executive recruitment manager with CPS HR Consulting, presented a three‑phase plan the firm proposes: (1) define the ideal candidate through stakeholder meetings and a March candidate‑profile presentation; (2) an aggressive recruitment and screening phase using CPS HR’s national database and outreach channels; and (3) a selection phase of finalist interviews, reference checks, and background checks. Derby said the typical timeline is about 120 days but could be longer for Sacramento because of the level of outreach and complexity. Derby also described the firm’s approach to diversity and retention: "Over the last 3 years 57 percent of our placements have been people of color, females, or both," she told the council, and cited retention metrics for executive placements.
Councilmembers asked CPS HR about steps to reduce bias in recruiting, how the firm measures placement retention, and how it would assist the council with a competitive compensation package. Derby said CPS HR has an internal DEI unit that conducts training, uses diverse advertising and a diversity filter in its sourcing tools, provides weekly EEO reporting to clients, and conducts salary studies that follow parameters required by the city charter.
Vice Mayor Talamantes moved to retain CPS HR; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Councilmembers expressed support for individual interviews and community engagement as part of the process and asked staff and the firm to return with a recruitment plan and candidate profile in late March.
