Located in the gorgeous Western UP, The City of Bessemer is looking for a new City Manager.

Bessemer is located in the middle of Big Snow Country and has some of the best downhill skiing, cross country skiing, and snowmobiling in the Midwest. Bessemer is located 15 miles from the pristine Lake Superior shoreline. Black River Harbor has 5 different hikes with waterfalls going toward Lake Superior and Little Girl’s Point is an agate lover's dream, both only 20 minutes away. In the summer, there are miles of trails to hike, mountain bike, and ride with UTV’s. Going through the city is the Iron Belle Trail, a paved, non-motorized trail, that connects Ironwood to Belle Isle Detroit.

The City of Bessemer is the seat of Gogebic County in-between Ironwood and Wakefield. Since the county consists of smaller cities, these cities combined make up much of the community. Ironwood (5 miles away) has shopping, two local theatres, an art center, brewery, and more. In Wakefield (6 miles away) there’s Sunday Lake with a nice walking trail and campground. There are consistent events and festivals for the community as well as different groups and clubs for biking, gardening, classic cars, and more.

The City of Bessemer has a taxable value of $40,504,380 and is growing. The annual budget is $4.2 million. The City is currently proceeding into Phase III of updating their drinking water system. Two Phases of water upgrades have already been completed by attaining State of Michigan and USDA funding. The sewer system has also seen upgrades within the last couple of years and have also been completed with assistance from the State of Michigan and the USDA. The City of Bessemer is Redevelopment Ready Community Certified. Bessemer also has a Downtown Development Authority TIF with an annual income around $70,000 and growing. The City currently has 11 full-time staff split between the office and department of public works.

The City of Bessemer is striving to find these characteristics in our next City Manager:
• Trustworthiness, respectability, and ethical behavior
• Strong listening skills and the ability to effectively communicate with the mayor, the city council, community members, and staff
• Leadership skills and experience managing a team
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to multi-task and good time management skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Ability to listen to all sides of an issue and negotiate resolutions
• Public speaking
• Ability to build a professional network with local City Managers, local officials, and business owners
• Planning ability and novel decision making to promote the City of Bessemer
• Grant writing experience, financial acumen, and budgeting experience
• Extensive knowledge of community development programs and processes
• Ability to use computers in accomplishing the work of community development and daily tasks
• Flexible schedule to attend all necessary meetings including City Council, Parks and Recreation, Downtown Development Authority, Planning Commission, and Zoning meetings
• Assist all commissions and boards with strategic planning and economic development projects
• Knowledge and experience writing and searching for municipal grants. Please document specific experiences in your resume
• Experience with zoning administration and enforcement
• Proactive approach to development and strategic planning
• Ability to work independently and within a team as necessary
• Engineering, law, finance, or municipal experience would be beneficial
• Bachelor's degree or 5 years municipal experience
Salary range is $70,000 – $90,000 but negotiable depending on qualifications and experience. This position includes a 2% defined benefit pension, 2% HCSP, health insurance (medical, dental, vision), and paid time off (vacation, sick, personal, holidays). Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.