The public works director is responsible for planning, implementing, and managing public projects in the community. These projects can vary widely, from disaster preparedness to school lunch programs and from public sanitation to troubled youth intervention efforts.
Similar to the types of projects they handle, the duties of a public works director also vary. But in general, their job revolves around attending meetings with program leaders, facilitating program execution, evaluating the effectiveness of programs, managing departmental budgets, communicating with public officials, and addressing public work concerns.
The position of a public works director usually requires at least a four-year degree in public administration, civil engineering, business, or something similar. Furthermore, an aspiring public works director must have a substantial amount of work experience before they can qualify, which can range from at least five to ten years.
In terms of salary, a public works director takes home an average of $99,000 a year. Individuals working in healthcare, finance, and nonprofit companies can earn even higher than that.
How to Become a Public Works Director
What is a Public Works Director
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Public Works Director. For example, did you know that they make an average of $47.86 an hour? That's $99,559 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 150,600 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Public Works Director Do
There are certain skills that many Public Works Directors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Management skills, Problem-solving skills and Time-management skills.
How To Become a Public Works Director
If you're interested in becoming a Public Works Director, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 56.4% of Public Works Directors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 16.4% of Public Works Directors have master's degrees. Even though most Public Works Directors have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Public Works Director. When we researched the most common majors for a Public Works Director, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Master's Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Public Works Director resumes include Associate Degree degrees or High School Diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Public Works Director. In fact, many Public Works Director jobs require experience in a role such as Project Manager. Meanwhile, many Public Works Directors also have previous career experience in roles such as Civil Engineer or Project Engineer.
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Public Works Director Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a Public Works Director can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as Director, progress to a title such as Vice President and then eventually end up with the title Vice President.
Public Works Director Jobs You Might Like
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Average Salary for a Public Works Director
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Public Works Director Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Public Works Director Jobs - $159K and Up
- Entry Level Public Works Director Jobs
- Part Time Public Works Director Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Public Works Director Jobs
Create The Perfect Resume
Our resume builder tool will walk you through the process of creating a stand-out Public Works Director resume.
Check Jobs That Match To Your Education
Top Colleges for Public Works Directors
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
4. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
7. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
8. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
9. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Find the best Public Works Director job for you
Public Works Director Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Public Works Director Jobs - $159K and Up
- Entry Level Public Works Director Jobs
- Part Time Public Works Director Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Public Works Director Jobs
Online Courses For Public Works Director That You May Like
This course focuses on conventional technologies for drinking water treatment. Unit processes, involved in the treatment chain, are discussed as well as the physical, chemical and biological processes involved. The emphasis is on the effect of treatment on water quality and the dimensions of the unit processes in the treatment chain. After the course one should be able to recognise the process units, describe their function, and make basic calculations for a preliminary design of a drinking...
In this course, part of the Public Library Management Professional Certificate program, we’ll explore the ongoing infrastructure support that library leaders must facilitate, including: maintenance insurance contract services patron privacy technology budgets policies You’ll learn how these decisions are made to ensure long-term sustainability...
Solid waste management (SWM) is a crucial function of local governments around the world, and directly affects public health, the environment, and livelihoods. However, rapid urbanization and population growth place multiple pressures on solid waste management systems, particularly in cities in low- and middle-income countries. In particular, the urban poor are most affected by lack of access to basic SWM services, such as waste collection and disposal. Yet, the sector also provides numerous...
Top Skills For a Public Works Director
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 8.9% of Public Works Directors listed Public Works Projects on their resume, but soft skills such as Management skills and Problem-solving skills are important as well.
- Public Works Projects, 8.9%
- Infrastructure, 7.4%
- Building Maintenance, 5.6%
- Emergency, 5.4%
- Construction Projects, 4.8%
- Other Skills, 67.9% See All Public Works Director Skills
12 Public Works Director RESUME EXAMPLES
Build a professional public works director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your public works director resume.
Best States For a Public Works Director
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a Public Works Director. The best states for people in this position are Rhode Island, Washington, Ohio, and Massachusetts. Public Works Directors make the most in Rhode Island with an average salary of $151,249. Whereas in Washington and Ohio, they would average $132,075 and $130,952, respectively. While Public Works Directors would only make an average of $123,599 in Massachusetts, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Rhode Island
$151,249
Avg. Salary
2. Massachusetts
$123,599
Avg. Salary
3. Connecticut
$121,789
Avg. Salary
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