Fox Canyon GMA approves executive officer job description, begins executive search

The Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency board on Jan. 22 approved a draft job description and compensation range for a full‑time agency executive officer and authorized staff to move forward with recruiting steps, including issuing a request for qualifications and contracting with an executive recruiter.

Board members said the hire is urgent because the agency is transitioning from an interim executive officer and handling a growing workload that includes watermaster duties, grant administration and new monitoring‑well programs.

The draft job description, developed with assistance from the county human resources office, lists five years of executive‑level management experience as a requirement and sets a salary range of about $200,000 to $260,000 annually. Interim Executive Officer Arne, who has led staffing and program expansions since March 2024, said the agency filled eight positions in 2024 and that recruiting an executive officer is necessary to sustain the agency’s expanded workload.

"We filled 8 positions with 6 new staff ... and 2 promotions," Arne said in his executive officer report. "We still have 2 key vacancies with the groundwater manager and the executive officer." Board members praised staff recruiting efforts and said a permanent executive officer is needed to maintain continuity.

The board discussed the recruitment process and stakeholder input. County human resources staff presented the classification and comparable pay analysis used to set the proposed salary range. Mattis Cabedo of the County Executive Office Human Resources Division told the board that a contract for the incoming executive officer is an option the board should consider, noting similarly situated county roles typically have contracts.

Several board members and public commenters urged transparency on the total cost of hiring and the county overhead rates used when county staff provide services. One director asked staff to bring back a breakdown of how the county’s blended rate is calculated; Arne said the GMA budget uses actual fully encumbered costs while some watermaster budgets use blended rates.

Board members discussed how stakeholder participation will be included in the interview process. Staff said the executive committee proposes a two‑stage process: a first round of interviews by a stakeholder panel with HR and staff participation, followed by final interviews by the board. The board invited stakeholder nominations for the selection panel by email to fcgmaventura.org.

The motion to approve the draft description of duties, qualifications and compensation for the agency executive officer carried by voice vote.

The board also discussed delegating authority to the interim executive officer to expedite selection of an executive recruiting firm; staff indicated a contract with a recruiter would return to the board for approval if required under existing contracting rules.

Board members repeatedly emphasized that hiring an executive officer should not be the only step taken to address concerns about the agency’s governance and the county’s role; the board said separate work remains underway to study options for the agency’s staffing and administrative relationship with the county.

What happens next: staff will release the RFQ, solicit and (subject to procurement rules) retain a recruiting firm, convene a stakeholder selection panel and present finalists to the board for final interviews and selection.