Organization:
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Location:
Riverdale, MD
Recruiter:
Anne Lewis
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The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (the M-NCPPC), a 100-year-old bi-county agency, is looking for a dynamic, strategic, and energetic leader to be our new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO, a.k.a. the Executive Director). The new CAO will help lead the M-NCPPC's Central Administrative Services into our next century of service to the people of Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. As an organization founded on planning, parks stewardship, and provision of recreation services, we need a leader who understands public service and organizational operations.
As one of three statutory officers of the M-NCPPC under Section 15-109 of the Land Use Article, the CAO serves as the senior administrative officer responsible for delivering efficient, coordinated, and policy-compliant services across finance, human resources, information technology, and enterprise systems. Reporting to the M-NCPPC Co-Chairs, the CAO works closely with the other two statutory officers—the General Counsel and Secretary-Treasurer—to align centralized administrative services with the needs of the M-NCPPC's four operating departments, its legal mandates, and its long-term goals. The position carries direct oversight of four functional leaders and a Deputy Director, each responsible for a distinct portfolio, and provides executive leadership to a team of 98 staff members across those functions:
As the M-NCPPC prepares to celebrate its Centennial in 2027, the agency looks to its next CAO to approach this work deliberately and with excitement to ensure our success for the next 100 years. Enthusiasm for finding innovative solutions and modernizing organizational procedures is critical. The CAO will continue to work closely and effectively with the Secretary-Treasurer on fiduciary alignment, with the General Counsel on compliance and legal policy, and with the Inspector General on internal controls and accountability.
Day-to-day, the CAO sets service standards for administrative functions that reach every corner of the M-NCPPC. The CAO also guides continuous improvement, modernization, and change management, working with department leaders to balance central policy with the operational autonomy each department needs to do its work.
The next CAO steps into an organization staffed by capable and dedicated professionals. The full position description is available at Chief Administrative Officer Position Description.
The CAO's early work will center on review and assessment of organizational operations to identify areas for sharpening service delivery and setting a durable foundation for the future. Some of the current priorities include the following:
Advance a service-oriented culture. Work with the administrative teams to achieve increased customer service to the departments.
Establish accountability across Central Administrative Services. Work collaboratively with the other officers to bring the finance, procurement, accounts payable, human resources, information technology, and administrative functions into a coherent reporting and accountability structure.
Standardize and consolidate service delivery across the M-NCPPC. Build consistent, well-documented processes that apply evenly throughout the organization, drawing on the strength of the diverse M-NCPPC departments.
Create a strategic planning framework for the future. Develop a shared plan that sets priorities, resource expectations, and performance standards for Central Administrative Services, giving the organization an objective baseline for accountability and continuous improvement.
The next Chief Administrative Officer is a confident, visionary, multi-talented and credible executive with excellent communication and team-building skills. This is a leader who can set a clear direction, document and standardize how work gets done, and hold functions accountable to shared expectations, while earning the trust of experienced professionals who have long institutional knowledge and experience. The ideal candidate reads organizational dynamics well, listens before acting, and knows how to work within a tradition-minded culture toward adaptive, innovative practices that move the organization forward.
Because Central Administrative Services supports independently governed departments across two counties, the successful candidate brings a strong service orientation and a talent for building coalitions. This leader recognizes that the operating departments are customers, and communicates changes clearly and in advance, and works to find consensus among varied interests. Political and organizational savvy, sound judgment, and steady, transparent communication are essential in an environment governed by merit system rules and union protections.
Professionally, the CAO offers depth across the functions the role oversees, including: corporate budgeting, human resources, information technology, and enterprise systems. The ideal candidate understands shared-services and centralized service delivery models, has led process improvement and modernization, and can establish performance metrics and service-level standards that translate into durable organizational improvement. Experience guiding technology and process innovation, along with a working grasp of internal controls, compliance, and public sector governance, will serve this leader well.
Minimum qualifications include a bachelor's degree in public administration, business administration, finance, human resources, or a closely related field, and at least 14 years senior leadership experience across administrative functions such as finance, procurement, human resources, or information technology, including substantial experience directing and coordinating the work of functional leaders.
Preferred qualifications include a master's degree in a related field, experience in a large, complex public sector or intergovernmental organization, and a demonstrated record of leading organizational change, shared-services consolidation, or change management in an environment governed by merit system and collective bargaining rules.
Selected individuals will be subject to extensive criminal background checks and will be required to be bonded.
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The M-NCPPC is a bi-county agency created in 1927 by the Maryland General Assembly and directed by the governing bodies of Prince George's County and Montgomery County. It is governed by a ten-member Board of Commissioners, composed of five-member Planning Boards for each county. Day-to-day work is carried out through the Montgomery Planning Board, Prince George’s Planning Board, Prince George's County Planning, Montgomery County Planning, Prince George's County Parks and Recreation, and Montgomery County Parks, alongside Central Administrative Services, which provides centralized administrative support across the organization.
Central Administrative Services is led by three statutory officers of the M-NCPPC and encompasses human resources, finance and accounting, procurement, information technology, risk management, legal counsel and several related administrative functions. The Chief Administrative Officer is appointed by the full Commission, reports directly to the M-NCPPC Co-Chairs and works closely alongside the Secretary-Treasurer and the General Counsel. The CAO directly oversees the Deputy Director and four functional leaders: the Director of Human Resources Management, the Director of Information Technology, the Corporate Budget Director, and the Director of Corporate Policy and Management Operations. Together these leaders and their teams serve every department across both counties.
The M-NCPPC serves over two million residents of Montgomery County and Prince George's County through a team of more than 2,500 career employees, along with thousands of volunteers and seasonal employees. The M-NCPPC is a six-time recipient of the National Recreation and Park Association's Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation Management and is one of 220 park and recreation agencies nationwide, and only seven in Maryland, accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). As an enterprise, the annual operating and capital budgets total $989 million and $178 million, respectively.
The agency improves the well-being of communities within this region by:
The M-NCPPC's reporting structure is detailed in the organizational chart.
Throughout almost 100 years of service, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (the M-NCPPC) has endeavored to improve the quality of life for all those living, working and playing in the bi-county area it serves. This mission is embodied in three major program areas which respond to the vision of our founders and are incorporated into our charter.
M-NCPPC’s mission is to:
• Manage physical growth and plan communities.
• Protect and steward natural, cultural and historic resources.
• Provide leisure and recreational experiences.
Created in 1927, the M-NCPPC embodies the vision of forward-looking community leaders who saw the need to plan for orderly development and protection of the natural resources in the two suburban counties bordering the District of Columbia. During the agency’s proud, nearly 100 years of existence, the population of the area it serves has increased to over 2 million residents in a bi-county area of great economic, racial, ethnic and geographic diversity.
The M-NCPPC’s facilities, programs and responsibilities have constantly evolved and expanded to keep pace with the needs of this vibrant community. From assuming responsibility for the entire public recreation program in Prince George’s County in the ’70s, to building and strengthening ongoing regional business partnerships, the M-NCPPC has continued to plan, fund and deliver quality, innovative programs, facilities and services for almost a century.
The M-NCPPC benefits Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties by “Turning Visions into Reality.”
The M-NCPPC serves two of Maryland's largest and most dynamic counties, Prince George's and Montgomery, in the heart of the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. For an executive weighing a move, few regions offer this combination of professional opportunity, cultural richness, and quality of life. The M-NCPPC's service area sits minutes from the nation's capital, with its museums, monuments, and federal institutions, while offering communities that range from vibrant urban districts to established suburban neighborhoods and protected green space.
The region is among the most diverse in the country. Prince George's and Montgomery Counties together are home to over two million residents who reflect a wide range of cultures, languages, and backgrounds, and that diversity is a defining strength of community life here. Residents and visitors enjoy an extraordinary breadth of arts, dining, festivals, and entertainment, from local performing arts venues and multicultural celebrations to the world-class cultural institutions of greater Washington.
Outdoor life is central to the area's appeal, and the M-NCPPC itself is a large part of the reason why. The parks systems of both counties offer thousands of acres of parkland, trails, athletic facilities, nature centers, and recreation programs that place high-quality outdoor experiences within reach of nearly every neighborhood. Whether the interest is hiking, cycling, youth sports, or quiet time in a nearby park, the region delivers.
Families are drawn to the area's schools, established neighborhoods, and strong sense of community, along with excellent access to higher education, including major universities within and near the region. The local economy is anchored by government, higher education, health care, technology, life sciences, and a growing base of small businesses and entrepreneurs, giving the region both stability and momentum.
Proximity matters here too. The service area is well connected by Metro rail and bus, major highways, and three area airports, making regional and national travel straightforward. Beyond the metro area, the Chesapeake Bay, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Atlantic beaches are all within a comfortable drive for weekend escapes.
The expected hiring range is $200,000-$250,000, depending on qualifications, with a comprehensive benefits package. Benefits offered to appointed officials include the following:
Applicants complete a brief online form and are prompted to provide a cover letter and resume. The position will be open until filled with a first review of applications beginning August 26, 2026.
Please direct questions to Anne Lewis at alewis@raftelis.com Kelsey Batt at kbatt@raftelis.com.