Photo courtesy of Flickr/Drew Allen
St. Louis will be hiring a Chief Resilience Officer — an executive-level position with a six-figure salary. The new staffer's goal will be to ready the city for upcoming challenges, from riots and unrest to crumbling infrastructure.
And no need to worry about your tax dollars on this one. The position is being funded by a private foundation as part of St. Louis being chosen as one of 100 "Resilient Cities" across the globe. Maggie Crane, spokeswoman for Mayor Francis Slay, says that the total package of benefits that comes with being chosen for the honor could top $100 million.
"This is a big get," she says.
The Resilient Cities initiative was "pioneered" by the Rockefeller Foundation, with its first round of funding starting just two years ago. St. Louis was chosen for its second round, along with heavy hitters such as London, Paris, Sydney, Boston and Singapore. The initiative kicks off with a workshop this morning — and should be a major project at City Hall for the next two years.
As for that Chief Resilience Officer, think of it as sort of a "Resilience Czar," in the parlance of the federal government. This is no entry-level position — but rather a top executive who will come in for a two-year stint and, presumably, swashbuckle his or her way through the bureaucracy and the naysayers to develop a real strategic plan, even while taking advantage of all that's on offer from the Resilient Cities program. "The idea is to get someone who can get stuff done," Crane says. "It's going to be really important to get the right person."
Think you've got what it takes? The city posted the job about a month ago and is still accepting applicants, Crane says. The salary range is listed as anywhere from $95,212 to $147,264, depending on your qualifications and experience.
Curious to know more about the program in general? We'd recommend checking out the website New Orleans put together for its initiative. 'Nawlins was chosen in the first round of funding, and its site shows both the lofty aspirations and a few more specifics about how this sort of grand plan can come together.
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