What Does a City Manager Do?

Helping cities thrive requires management expertise. According to a 2023 study published in Political Science Research and Methods, when city managers implement organizational management best practices, the cities they oversee experience population growth, a rise in home values, and increases in property tax revenue.

Working as a city manager can be a rewarding career for anyone who is interested in public service. Responsible for a wide variety of functions across city government, city managers have the opportunity to use their knowledge and skills to improve the lives of the citizens in their communities. 

What does a city manager do? Anyone who may be considering earning a degree in public sector management can benefit from exploring the important part that city managers play in public service.
 

What Is a City Manager?

Elected members of a city council typically appoint a city manager to carry out the policies the city council establishes. City managers oversee the public functions and services that their city provides, such as:

• Economic development programs
• Fire and emergency response functions
• Law enforcement services
• Public utilities
• Recycling programs
• Sanitation services
• Street maintenance

City managers seek to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the city’s programs and services. They benefit from cultivating effective skills in areas such as:

• Leadership and interpersonal communication
• Management of public funds
• Implementation of programs and policies
• Service delivery 

While city managers work primarily in office environments, their duties also take them to various work sites related to the city’s functions and services, public meetings (for example, they attend city council meetings), and events where they speak on behalf of the city.
 

Job Responsibilities: What Does a City Manager Do?

Think of a city manager as a chief executive charged with overseeing all of their city’s operations. The duties that city managers perform can vary from day to day and from city to city. What city managers do each day can include tasks such as:

• Monitoring the city’s budget
• Communicating with the city’s department heads regarding their operations
• Generating reports regarding the city’s services
• Meeting with citizens, community groups, and businesses to hear their concerns and feedback
• Appointing high-level city employees

City managers also have long-term responsibilities, such as:

• Developing the city’s long-term fiscal plans
• Advising city council members on their policy options
• Planning for new programs and the city’s future needs
• Coordinating with other city managers and officials on issues that cross jurisdictions
• Conducting strategic planning for the city’s services
• Creating performance measurement tools for the city’s services

As leaders in city government, city managers also are responsible for setting the tone for city employees to follow. For example, city managers are responsible for:

• Reinforcing ethical standards for public service employees
• Promoting inclusion in public service
• Striving for consensus among different stakeholders
• Fostering transparency in the provision of services
• Promoting equity in the enforcement of the city’s laws and regulations
   

Steps to Become a City Manager

Becoming a city manager involves meeting certain educational and experience requirements.

1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree

Prospective city managers need to complete an undergraduate degree program in a discipline that relates to what city managers do. They should choose a program that aligns with their career goals to gain a solid foundation of knowledge that can help them climb the career ladder in city management. 

For example, earning a bachelor’s degree in public sector management enables individuals to acquire expertise in areas such as fiscal management, leadership, staff development, and problem-solving. Public sector management degree programs also feature internships, which give students real-world experience working at agencies in the public sector. 

Other relevant bachelor’s degree disciplines for aspiring city managers include public administration, business administration, and political science. 

2. Gain Experience in Positions of Increasing Responsibility

Individuals who become city managers typically start their public service careers in lower-level positions, such as budget analyst or management analyst roles. After gaining experience, they work their way up the career ladder to serve in middle management positions within city government. 

Acquiring a few years of management experience positions these individuals to begin pursuing roles as a city department director — for example, as a director of finance or a director of planning. After serving in those positions, individuals begin seeking assistant or deputy city manager positions. Working as a deputy or assistant city manager for around five years then qualifies them to start applying for city manager positions.

3. Consider Obtaining a Certification

As people progress up the career ladder, they also can earn a certification that reflects their dedication to their profession and enhances their credentials. Examples of beneficial certifications for aspiring city managers include:

• ICMA credentialed manager designation from the International City/County Management Association
• Certified public manager (CPM) designation from the National Certified Public Manager Consortium

4. Consider Earning a Master’s Degree

While earning a graduate degree is not always a requirement, many cities prefer their city managers to hold a master’s degree in a subject such as public policy, public administration, or business administration. Earning a master’s degree can provide aspiring city managers with the advanced expertise and skills needed to manage the complex issues that cities face.
 

City Manager Job Outlook

Cities value the work that city managers do, and that is reflected in city managers’ compensation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that top government executives, including city managers, had a median annual salary of $136,870 as of May 2023. Individual city managers’ salaries can vary based on factors such as their experience and the size of the city.

The BLS projects that jobs for top executives such as city managers will increase by 3% between 2022 and 2032, paralleling growth expectations for the labor market as a whole.
 

City Managers Help Cities Serve Their Citizens Effectively

The chief responsibility of a city manager is to ensure that their city meets the needs of its citizens. City managers have the opportunity to do meaningful work that changes the lives of others.

Individuals who are interested in working in public service should explore the online Bachelor of Arts in Public Sector Management degree program offered by the Tseng College at California State University, Northridge, to learn how it can help them realize their career ambitions. Geared toward working adults, the program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills in areas such as fiscal management and leadership that they’ll need to progress in their public service careers. 

Take the first step in your public sector management career today.