Deputy City Manager

Institute of Public Administration of Canada; Yellowknife; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Yellowknife seeks a Deputy City Manager to provide executive leadership for internal performance, service delivery, and enterprise execution across about 225 staff. You will translate Council direction into a coordinated action plan and build capacity for the City Manager.

Reporting to the City Manager, you will lead transformation efforts in 311, ERP renewal, asset management, and performance reporting, ensuring clear accountability and measurable outcomes.

Qualifications

• Ten or more years of progressive senior leadership experience in municipal government or a complex public-sector organization.
• Experience delivering enterprise-wide planning, financial stewardship, and performance reporting.

Responsibilities

• Establish clear decision rights, escalation practices, and accountability across departments.
• Translate Council priorities into a realistic corporate business plan and financial strategy.
• Lead workforce development, succession planning, and cross-functional leadership.
• Drive service-delivery improvements and enterprise-wide modernization initiatives.

Skills

Executive leadership

Public-sector governance

Strategic planning

Stakeholder management

Education

Master of Public Administration (MPA) or related graduate degree

Job description

The City of Yellowknife is strengthening its executive leadership at a defining moment for the organization and community.

The addition of a Deputy City Manager creates a powerful second-in-command mandate: sustained leadership for internal performance, service delivery, and enterprise execution across a northern capital where the impact of decisions is visible.

Reporting to the City Manager, you will exercise delegated authority for most service-delivery departments, lead six direct reports, and provide organisation-wide leadership across approximately 225 employees. You will turn Council direction into coordinated action while creating capacity for the City Manager to focus on strategy, intergovernmental and Indigenous government relations, community partnerships, and major initiatives.

The Mandate

This is an operating leadership role with enterprise reach. You will establish clear decision rights, escalation practices, and accountabilities; align plans and resources with Council priorities; and ensure approved direction is supported by realistic sequencing, measurable outcomes, and disciplined follow through.

The immediate agenda includes translating Council’s new mandate into a realistic corporate business plan and sustainable fiscal strategy; advancing 311 and customer-service transformation, ERP renewal, asset management, and performance reporting; and strengthening coordination across service and development functions.

Where You Will Make a Difference

• Executive clarity. Build an effective operating partnership with the City Manager and give directors clear authority, timely decisions, useful challenge, and appropriate support.
• Organizational focus. Turn a crowded agenda into an achievable corporate plan with clear ownership, resource assumptions, milestones, and visible reporting.
• Leadership cohesion. Integrate a changing senior team, strengthen candid communication and shared accountability, and advance talent and succession priorities.
• Service outcomes. Create clearer ownership and more coordinated, solution-focused responses for residents, proponents, Council, and community partners.

The Executive We Are Seeking

You are an accomplished municipal or public-sector executive who combines the discipline of a chief operating officer with the judgement of a trusted deputy. A builder and integrator, you create clarity without adding bureaucracy, challenge capable leaders without micromanaging them, and know when to consult, decide, elevate, or defer.

You bring ten years or more of progressive senior leadership experience, including substantial executive responsibility in municipal government, another complex public-sector organization, or a highly regulated, multi-service operating environment. You hold a related university degree, or an equivalent combination of education and executive experience; a Master of Public Administration (MPA) or equivalent graduate-level education is considered an asset. You have worked successfully with elected officials or governance bodies. Your breadth includes multi-department operations, corporate or business planning, financial stewardship, risk management, organizational performance, resident or customer service, enterprise modernization, and complex project delivery.

The City of Yellowknife is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to inclusive, accessible recruitment. Accommodations are available at all stages of the process. The City is committed to hiring a diverse and skilled workforce that is representative of the community, strengthening our ability to provide high-quality services and excellent customer service to residents and business owners. In addition, the City of Yellowknife is committed to reconciliation and implementing actions intended to increase the number of Indigenous peoples who work for the City. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and encourage Indigenous persons to self-declare when submitting their applications.