The Fairfax County Electoral Board, serving Fairfax County (population 1.1 million), the largest locality in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a suburb of Washington, D.C., is recruiting qualified candidates with exceptional senior leadership and management experience for the position of General Registrar to serve a four-year term. This is an executive management position that reports to the 3-person Fairfax County Electoral Board.

The Board is seeking an innovative leader with demonstrated management experience and political acumen. It is crucial that the General Registrar have excellent interpersonal skills and a high level of multi-cultural sensitivity to work effectively with a diverse community and employee population and a complex hierarchy.

The General Registrar is an appointed state employee and sworn official with overall responsibility for administering the provisions of the Virginia election laws under guidelines established by the State Board of Elections and the Fairfax County Electoral Board including the duties and powers of the General Registrar as stated in Title 24.2 of the Code of Virginia and in compliance with other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies. With close to 800,000 registered voters, and yearly or more frequent elections, the General Registrar is responsible for the oversight of a large and complex non-partisan voter registration and election administration agency with approximately 30 full-time equivalent employees, 200 temporary/seasonal employees and, during election season, 3,700 Election Officer employees. The General Registrar consults with, advises, and reports to the Fairfax County Electoral Board on all issues relative to election administration and voter registration.

General Registrars serve at the pleasure of the Fairfax County Electoral Board. Pursuant to the Code of Virginia sec. 24.2-109, local electoral boards are granted the authority to appoint and remove from office, on notice, the General Registrar 

Illustrative Duties

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position description.)

• Plans, organizes and executes activities related to conducting local and special elections;
• Coordinates and oversees voter registration activities in a 400 square mile county;
• Ensures all voter registrations and other transactions are processed in a timely manner;
• Oversees the absentee ballot preparation, mailing and processing operations;
• Directs the analysis of proposed legislation and regulations affecting county election procedures;
• Interprets and directs the implementation of laws, rules, regulations, and codes related to voter registration and the conduct of elections;
• Oversees the preparation, monitoring and control of the Office of Election budget;
• Works with federal and state agencies, professional organizations and advocacy groups regarding voting programs and voting rights; and
• Responds to questions from the public and other agencies concerning election procedures.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of project management necessary to plan, organize, direct, manage and evaluate programs, administrative policies, organizational structures, and staff;
• Principles of governmental organization, administration, budgeting and contracting;
• The legislative process and the functions and operations of federal, state, and local government;
• Basic group dynamics and effective group or committee participation and leadership;
• Information technology and its uses to enhance election performance and efficiency; and
• Basic knowledge of cybersecurity fundamentals and how they relate to elections.

Skills: 

• Microsoft Office 365, including Excel pivot tables and data analysis;
• Database management fundamentals;
• Data analytics;
• Business process reengineering;
• Demand forecasting; 
• Change management; and
• Excellent interpersonal skills to recruit, manage and maintain a talented diverse staff.

Ability to:

• Plan, organize, and direct large, complex, logistical operations involving a large number of personnel, over 250 locations and multiple mailings of highly variable physical literature, including:
  • Risk management
  • Respond to immediate challenges by adjusting processes to address them
  • Process improvement & change management;

• Develop, advocate for and mange an annual multi-million dollar budget;
• Work under extreme pressure of heavy peak workloads for weeks at a time and meet statutory deadlines;
• Interpret, explain, and enforce the provisions of governing laws and regulations;
• Analyze new or proposed legislation and evaluate and report on the impact to the Office's operations;
• Manage and resolve personnel issues;
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with government officials, the media, political parties, and the general public.