Chief Administrative Officer

The City of Dawson is seeking applications for a Chief Administrative Officer.

Who we are

Dawson City, Yukon, population 2300, is situated within the Traditional Territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and is the heart of the Klondike. We are proud of our mining heritage and First Nations roots that run millennia deep. We are a thriving cultural community—with a post-secondary arts school, several world-renowned festivals, and burgeoning TV and film industry—that borders an outdoor playground sprawling hundreds of kilometers in all directions. We are a living historic community, with many landscape features and buildings that support our national historic site designation.

Mining, tourism, culture, and our people are the foundation on which our town stands, and we respect personal freedoms and diversity. We are a welcoming town and a great place to make a life and raise a family. Our community has programming and activities that promote healthy lifestyles, as well as a new hospital. We have a recreation center, curling club, swimming pool, fitness center, nine-hole golf course, disc golf course, off-leash dog park, and a ski hill. We enjoy an abundance of green spaces, including hiking, biking, and cross-country-ski trails. We also have a K–12 school, healthy business community, Yukon University campus, the Yukon School of Visual Arts, and numerous groups and organizations sustained by a healthy spirit of volunteerism.

Through solid planning and focused effort, our town tackles municipal challenges, develops our municipal infrastructure, and cultivates our community. We are looking for the right person to lead us in the next steps of advancing our town.

Who you are

You are a strong leader with the background of experience and education that will help you manage the operation of the municipality, including financial and human resources, strategic planning, project management, and policy and bylaw development. You can establish clear goals for senior staff and help them work towards meeting their objectives. Your background is preferably in municipal administration.

As Mayor and Council’s only employee, you appreciate and understand governance practices and procedural rules. Under Council’s strategic direction, you will develop and implement policies, services and programs that meet the needs of residents, businesses and other organizations.

You are confident in leading a team of 45+ employees in a unionized environment to meet the goals of the municipality and expectations of municipal service. You possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and are comfortable communicating with the public in a high-profile position.

If this position interests you, please submit your resume and covering letter clearly demonstrating the qualifications outlined below, as selection for further consideration will be based solely on the information you provide.

• A post-secondary degree in Public or Business Administration, Planning, or related field. An equivalent combination of education, training, skills and abilities may be considered.


• Five years senior management experience, preferably in municipal government or a similar unionized environment.


• Demonstrated experience in managing, building, leading, and motivating a team.


• Demonstrated administrative and managerial abilities in directing and overseeing the activities of several departments with wide ranging and diverse public responsibilities.


• Demonstrated interpersonal and communications skills, negotiation, conflict management and problem-solving.


• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing comprehensive strategies, policies, services and programs.


• Experience with project management and business plan development.


• Experience managing financial resources, including development of operating and capital budgets.


• Experience working with levels of government, including First Nations, territorial or provincial and federal.


• Experience working with the public, boards, and elected officials.


• Ability to interpret and apply Federal, Provincial/Territorial and Municipal statutes, regulations, services and programs.


• Discretion, tact, empathy, good judgment, and intercultural awareness.


• Experience in a northern / rural community an asset

Applicants able to demonstrate an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

The City of Dawson offers a competitive salary and benefits package, including housing.

Closing Date:

This posting will remain open until a suitable candidate is found, however applications received before 5:00 pm on Thursday April 16, 2026 will be given first consideration.