While many think of Scarborough as a great place to live, go to the beach, or enjoy nature, our municipality is also the workplace for nearly 200 full-time employees. The Town of Scarborough relies on the strengths, skill sets, and passions of individuals who choose a career in public service. The Town of Scarborough is regularly seeking to fill vacancies in our police department, fire department, and public works departments. Community Services also expands its seasonal
positions in the summer months, and we have a robust employee base of administrative, technical, and finance professionals at Town Hall.
Many of our current employees, including in public safety, came to the Town of Scarborough by way of a career change. Some did not have municipal experience and came from the private or nonprofit sectors. John Lotfey was hired as a Code Enforcement Officer in Scarborough five years ago after owning his own electrical business for many years.
“Switching from the private sector as a self-employed electrician to a municipal inspector was easier than I thought it would be,” he said. “It’s all about trust, relationships and good (customer) service and ethics.”
Working for a municipality offers rewarding work with some of the most visible and local impact to the community.
“I feel lucky to work for the town I live in,” said Allison Carrier, Marketing & Communications manager. “I have a greater sense of commitment to the work I do and feel proud of the impact I can have.”
Engineering Technician Carrie Prescott also feels fulfilled by the difference she can have in her role. She was drawn to work for the Town because of the work she would be doing to support Scarborough’s MS4 stormwater program. “With all of the development going on in Scarborough I wanted to help protect its natural resources,” she said.
Employment with the Town of Scarborough also has its other benefits: relative job security, comprehensive medical insurance and retirement benefits, ample time off for a work life balance, and the opportunity for flexible work schedules including a four-day work week.
With nearly 200 full-time employees in public safety, public works, community services, professional and paraprofessional administrative and technical departments, employment can attract a wide variety of skill sets, backgrounds, education and experience. We have worked hard to attract and retain the best municipal staff we can. We enjoy exceptionally low rates of turnover with the vast majority of our vacancies as the result of retirements of staff or newly funded positions. Once here, our staff more often than not stay for the remainder of their career
or plan to.
Many of our staff have come to Scarborough from other municipalities. Kristen Barth was hired as deputy town clerk in 2023 after working for two other southern Maine municipalities, predominantly in General Assistance, and has noted the cultural differences in Scarborough. “The first thing I noticed was how Scarborough has a small town feel even though it has a fairly large population. All departments including upper management are approachable and welcoming.”
Fire Chief Rich Kindelan was hired by the Town in 2018 as a deputy fire chief of EMS before being promoted to fire chief in January 2022. He previously worked for three other communities as he rose through the ranks. In addition to being afforded opportunities he has not found in other communities, what Chief Kindelan enjoys most is “working in a community that proactively supports public safety and offers pathways for individual growth”. His sentiment is reflected in our 2023 townwide survey, where residents rated public safety as the town service with the highest level of satisfaction at 93%.
Beyond the tangible benefits of employment, the most significant reason for the retention of our excellent staff is the support we receive from the community. In the most recent community survey nearly ninety percent (88.6%) of community respondents were satisfied with the customer service received from town employees, a measure nearly 50% higher than the national average (39.4%).
Scarborough is proud to have an experienced, dedicated and community service focused staff. Learn more about employment with the Town of Scarborough by visiting www.scarboroughmaine.org/jobs
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