National War College Alumni Association

Michiganders are rightfully boastful of all its grand 
peninsulas have to offer, and nowhere do all the 
state’s attributes merge more acutely than in the City 
of Ironwood. For the dynamic leader who has 
dreamed of living and working in an outdoor four season paradise, the perfect opportunity is now  available. The city’s slogan “Find Your North” is most 
appropriate.

Ironwood seeks a new city manager for only the 
second time in 25 years. An approachable and 
accessible leader will flourish in this small-town 
environment that offers significant amenities. The City 
of Ironwood is a full-service, progressive community 
located in the beautiful and picturesque west end of 
the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

The city operates as a council/manager form of 
government. The city is financially stable with a 
diversified economic base. The city has an overall 
budget exceeding $15 million, which includes a 
general fund exceeding $3.8 million. The city has a 
taxable value of $99.4 million. The city has a 
population of 5,045 residents, and the city employs 43 
full-time employees and 13 part-time employees 
delivering quality services.

The new city manager will develop and maintain 
relationships with elected officials, department heads, 
and all levels of city employees, and will respect and 
value city residents. Proven communication, 
interpersonal and human relations skills along with 
the ability to interact with a wide variety of people 
with varied attitudes and positions are important and 
desirable qualities. The city has an engaged citizenry 
that expects a transparent city government and open 
communication between the city manager, mayor, 
council members and citizens.

During the past two decades, the city has successfully 
implemented a significant revitalization plan, 
investing more than $50 million in water, sewer and 
road infrastructure, as well as heavily investing in 
parks and recreation trail development. Today, 
thousands of visitors flock year-round to the 
Ironwood area to access its significant outdoor 
attributes.

The current city manager retired in June after 17 years 
of dedicated and professional service to the city. The 
public safety director has assumed the interim city 
manager position.

DEADLINE: July 22nd 2022

To apply: 

Please submit resume, cover letter, consent form, and five professional references to:
Email: 
execsearch@mml.org
Subject Line: Ironwood Search

Candidates desiring confidentiality of their interest, as allowed for and provided by Michigan law, must indicate such in a separate subject line above the body of the cover letter. 
This search is conducted by an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The City of Ironwood is seeking a dynamic municipal 
executive with proven local government leadership 
skills, small town values, a history of delivering high quality customer service. An innate drive to involve 
residents, elected officials, city staff, business 
owners, major employers and other government 
officials in fashioning the next steps to maintain and 
continue the city’s impressive growth in year-round 
world-class recreational opportunities, vibrant 
downtown and cultural activities, support current 
businesses and recruit additional business 
opportunities while maintaining a welcoming, safe 
and collaborative atmosphere.
To be considered as a qualified applicant, 
respondents should have :
• A bachelor’s degree in public administration, 
business, finance or other relevant field of 
study; a MPA or MBA is preferred
• A minimum of 2 years’ experience as a 
municipal manager with proven success, or 
equivalent professional management 
experience in business or non-profit
• Professional engineer a plus 
• Residency in the City of Ironwood is preferred