A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What We Offer:

Impact - The work you do here matters to millions.

Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it?

Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs

Benefits - We care about your well being

The Office of Innovation & Technology (OIT) oversees all major information and communication technology initiatives for City government. OIT strives to make these technology services accessible, innovative, and meaningful for our departmental business partners. The Office also manages an innovation portfolio including capacity-building and public-facing technology including digital equity programs and digital service production.  

This position will support the Office of Innovation & Technology and be responsible for leading the City’s continued implementation and evolution of Philadelphia’s smart city roadmap. The Smart City Director will work closely with the Chief Information Officer, the Innovation team, and the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability to execute the SmartCityPHL roadmap, manage governance for the initiative, evolve the smart city strategy, and promote smart city work.  

As the Smart City Director, you will lead the City’s effort to implement, refine, and progress the SmartCityPHL roadmap and ensure that its four guiding principles – locally-inspired, innovative, equitable, and collaborative – inform the work moving forward. As part of the City’s Office of Innovation & Technology, you will collaborate and partner with representatives internal and external to municipal government to execute on cross-sector and cross-departmental pilots – these pilots have the goal of creating efficiencies within government while allowing the City to more effectively deliver quality services to our constituents. Your work will continue to position Philadelphia as a leader in the smart city landscape and contribute innovative practices that serve as a model for other cities.  This position requires a systems-thinking mindset and explores smart cities beyond the standard definition of sensors and IoT to create sustainable and scalable impact.

Essential Functions
As the Smart City Director, your responsibilities will include:
-    Managing a governance structure for SmartCityPHL that encourages collaboration and coordination across multiple institutional entities, including steering committees, internal working groups, and a data privacy and artificial intelligence task force 
-    Initiating a series of smart city pilot projects and subsequently tracking budget, key performance measures, and outcomes for each
-    Managing a small team focused on leading and implementing smart city initiatives
-    Finding creative ways to connect Philadelphia’s smart city work with the four guiding principles set forth in the roadmap
-    Collaborating with other OIT colleagues on the execution and continuous improvement of the Pitch & Pilot program – an institutional process for soliciting, testing, and evaluating creative approaches to municipal government challenges
-    Promoting and presenting Philadelphia’s smart city approach at venues external to municipal government
-    Developing partnerships with private sector and anchor institutions to support innovation with municipal government
-    Connecting and integrating SmartCityPHL programs and strategy with other innovation and digital equity programs
-    Partnering with stakeholder departments to ensure successful project implementation and budget support for sustainability

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
-    Self-direction – you can prioritize your work and allocate time and resources effectively when given broad responsibility
-    Collaboration – you interact well with others, can work with the team to make decisions, and believe that multiple perspectives strengthen a program
-    Systems thinking – you understand how connecting programs can create a strategic and sustainable portfolio, and you can see beyond individual projects to focus on a broader ecosystem 
-    Orientation to process – your attention to detail and process allows you to turn a concept into a working model 
-    Resilience – you have a sense of humor, can adapt quickly to setbacks, and understand that innovation does not always proceed as expected
-    Public speaking – you are comfortable talking about your work in formal settings and can make others enthusiastic about it
-    Sociable – you enjoy meeting with other people to talk about your work and consider it a critical part of the role
-    Risk tolerance – you are comfortable with an element of uncertainty in your work and understand that innovation doesn’t always produce successful outcomes 

    Bachelor’s degree required with master’s degree and/or equivalent experience preferred
    Experience with the broad landscape of smart city work in municipal government
    Experience with stakeholder engagement and coalition building
    Experience managing programs and projects
    Knowledge of institutional procurement, contracting, and budgeting

Salary Range: $90,000 - $100,000

Please submit a resume and cover letter with your application.

Did you know?

• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program qualified employer
• 25% tuition discount program for City employees (and sometimes spouses and dependents as well) in partnership with area colleges and universities
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Please note that effective September 1, 2021 the City of Philadelphia is requiring all new employees to present proof of vaccination against COVID-19. 

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to [email protected]. For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx