Description

Director of Sanitation – City of University City, MO

Director of Sanitation – University City, MO (pop. 35,172). A beautiful and historic inner-ring suburb of St. Louis adjacent to the renowned Washington University in St. Louis, University City is a unique urban community with a strong mix of cultural, ethnic, social, and economic diversity. Incorporated in 1906, University City was established with a vision of being a city of culture and fine homes. In University City, citizens boast availability to urban-style services and easy accessibility to the Greater St. Louis’s recreational and cultural activities. 

The City seeks a proactive and strategic professional to elevate and direct the city’s sanitation division. The position provides leadership and management over the city’s waste control and disposal methods such as source reduction, recycling, reuse, and landfilling to create an effective impact on the environment and to protect human health. 

University City provides residential solid waste, recycling collection and disposal services to residents and non-residential properties. The Division collects, recycles, and disposes of trash, recyclables, and yard waste from approximately 11,000 residential and commercial accounts, including city facilities each week. Bulk items such as furniture and appliances are collected twice annually. 

University City is one of the few St. Louis-area communities committed to offering sanitation as a city-sourced service. The city is interested in marketing these services to adjacent municipalities. 

University City is a full-service city providing a range of services including police, fire/EMS, public works, engineering, community development, and parks, recreation & forestry. Water and sanitary sewer utilities are provided by other agencies. 

The ideal candidate is an innovative, collaborative thinker and ready to be an integral member of the management team. The Director is responsible for leading a department of about 16 full-time employees, more than 10 contracted, seasonal employees, as well as managing a $2.8 million budget. The Director reports to the Deputy City Manager – Development Services. 

The successful candidate will:

• Be an energetic, ethical, and experienced leader with strong technical and interpersonal skills 
• Have a record of problem solving, decisiveness and approachability
• Possess a confident, fair, and open approach to managing a workforce consisting of seasoned staff and early-career employees
• Be a clear, concise, and open communicator and a good listener 
• Have well-developed skills in effective service delivery and creative problem solving

Minimum qualifications: 

• A bachelor’s degree in environmental management, engineering, public or business administration, or a related field. 
• Five to seven years of experience with equipment operation and progressive managerial experience supervising labor crews or a comparable combination of education and experience.
• Candidates with both municipal and/or relevant private sector experience in waste management or environmental services are encouraged to apply.

The expected starting salary is $95,319 +/- DOQ, plus excellent benefits. Apply online with a resume and cover letter by the application deadline of September 11, 2026. Confidential inquiries may be directed to Ashley Eccles at 847-380-3240 x134. 

The City is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

Application Deadline: September 11, 2026