Occupation
City manager
City managers are the senior non-elected official in a local government. They carry out the decisions council makes, run the departments that deliver municipal services, and put the annual budget and major proposals in front of council. The role is accountable to elected members but operationally responsible for the whole organization.
Also known as: Chief administrative officer · Town manager · Council chief executive
Occupation content
Part of Government, policy and administration
What the work involves
- Advise council on the operational and financial implications of proposed decisions.
- Direct department heads responsible for services, infrastructure, and corporate functions.
- Prepare the draft municipal budget and present it for council consideration.
- Oversee implementation of council resolutions and report back on progress.
- Represent the municipality with other levels of government and regional partners.
- Handle escalated service failures, emergencies, and matters of public controversy.
How people commonly enter
- A graduate degree in public administration, business administration, or planning.
- Progression through senior municipal management, often from finance, planning, or engineering.
- Movement from a chief administrative role in a smaller municipality to a larger one.
- Appointment from a senior post in a provincial, state, or regional government body.
Typical training: Postgraduate or professional degree
Licensing: Not typically licensed
Pathways: Common in public service
Typical work context
High responsibility · Public facing · Desk based · Team based · Fast paced
Related interests
Enterprising (leading) · Conventional (organizing) · Social (helping)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
- Management and supervisory judgment
- Critical thinking
- Numerical reasoning
- Situational judgment
- In-tray and e-tray exercises
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Government, policy and administration.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- O*NET OnLine — occupation search: city manager · United States
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- Canada Job Bank — Search job profiles (search: chief administrative officer) · Canada
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- UK National Careers Service — Explore careers · United Kingdom
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Government, policy and administration in Canada, not a figure for City manager. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Government, policy and administration family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Government, policy and administration: education pathways
Some roles in Government, policy and administration may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Government, policy and administration: licensing
Find jobs
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- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
- Search Indeed · International (choose location on Indeed)