Max Albert Gilles

Administrative Services Officer Ii (Strategic Initiatives Manager) @City of Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids, MI, US

I provide department-wide leadership in operations, engagement, process improvement, and change management for Mobile GR, the City of Grand Rapids’ transportation safety, mobility, and parking department. In this role, I lead a high-performing team and serve as a strategic advisor to department leadership, driving initiatives that enhance internal operations and public-facing services. My work spans staff engagement, organizational effectiveness, and community-focused mobility solutions that impact thousands of residents, visitors, and stakeholders. In this role, I oversee the Mobile GR Strategic Initiatives Team, a cross-functional group formed to advance key department and organization-wide priorities. I am privileged to have 6 wonderful staff members reporting to me on this team. Primary Responsibilities: Direct all communications and engagement efforts, including media relations, public outreach, digital content, marketing, safety education campaigns, and stakeholder coordination. Lead strategic change management and department-wide process improvement initiatives to improve performance, accountability, culture change, and staff alignment. Provide operational leadership support, including serving for extended periods as Acting Parking Operations Superintendent over multiple parking services teams and dozens of staff. Align staff talent, resources, and strategic capacity to advance department-wide priorities. Our team serves as an internal engine for innovation, performance improvement, and long-term transformation across all divisions of the department and the organization. Serve as senior project manager on major public-facing initiatives, collaborating across City departments and with external partners to deliver complex, high-impact projects. Support executive and department leadership in decision-making, strategic planning, and staff development, contributing to departmental resilience, culture change, and long-term transformation.

Western Michigan University

Bachelors, Behavioral Sciences