Registrar of Voters

County of Alameda•Oakland, CA

24d•$226,116 - $274,788

About The Position

The County of Alameda (County) is conducting a national search for a dedicated, visionary, and highly skilled Registrar of Voters (ROV) to lead one of California’s most dynamic and diverse election jurisdictions. This executive position plays a central role in ensuring that every eligible voter can participate in free, fair, and transparent elections. The next ROV's sole scope will be to lead the Registrar of Voters department, focusing exclusively on election administration, strategic planning, legal compliance, public trust-building, and modern operational excellence. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of elections in a major California county and to lead an organization committed to innovation, transparency, and civic equity. The salary range for this position is $226,116-$274,788 annually.

Requirements

The ideal candidate brings either two years of full-time experience as an Assistant Registrar of Voters in the County or four years of full-time, responsible managerial or administrative experience in a public agency, preferably with recent election management responsibilities.
A bachelor’s degree in a related field from an accredited institution may substitute two (2) years of managerial or administrative experience.
The successful candidate exercises sound executive judgment in election administration and demonstrates the organizational and political acumen necessary to guide ROV programs and services.
Strategic leadership and change management
Deep knowledge of California and federal election law
Operational excellence in large-scale logistics
Public transparency and effective communication skills
Financial stewardship and HR acumen
Resilience, integrity, and commitment to nonpartisan professionalism
Experience with complex voting systems
Understanding of cybersecurity and technology oversight
Proficiency with asset-tracking and chain-of-custody systems
Commitment to inclusive elections
Experience serving multilingual, multicultural communities
Ability to design targeted turnout and education strategies

Responsibilities

Provide vision, strategic direction, and operational excellence in all election functions.
Lead a year-round team of 50 permanent staff and up to 1,500+ temporary workers during major elections.
Collaborate effectively with the Board, Elections Commission, cities, school districts, and community partners.
Oversee Vote-by-Mail processing, Central Count operations, and secure tabulation workflows.
Maintain chain-of-custody and asset-tracking systems using modern, technology-supported methods.
Implement ranked-choice voting and youth voting effectively where authorized.
Ensure all voting systems are secure, accurate, tested, and fully compliant.
Serve as the County expert in California Election Code, federal requirements, signature verification, and voter-roll maintenance.
Implement new legislative mandates, including expanded electronic signature-cure processes and updated privacy/security protocols.
Lead efforts to build trust through livestreams, public observation, multilingual outreach, and rapid response to misinformation.
Expand civic education, particularly around Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV), Youth Voting and ballot processes.
Manage a budget of over $32 million, forecast variable election costs, and pursue reimbursement.
Oversee large-scale workforce recruitment and multilingual staffing to meet community needs.