The City of Calgary posted more than 70 jobs on August 27.
They run from swim instructors and recreation leaders, which want certification rather than a degree, to a Manager of Engagement and Research at up to $199,512. One of them is the job that runs the city.
See all 72 City of Calgary roles on our job board →
The roles that don't need a degree
Start here, because this is the part of the list most people scroll past.
The City is hiring swim instructors, fitness instructors for older adults, aquatics fitness instructors, a gymnastics trampoline instructor on call, a dance instructor and a martial arts instructor. Recreation leaders are posted for Calgary AfterSchool, Indigenous Programs, and Sport and Outdoor Programs, all for fall.
There's also a Specialized Adult Instructor for a dementia program and a Recreation Programmer for fall.
Veterinary Assistant is posted at $36.85 to $40.81 an hour.
These want certification and the right temperament rather than a credential. If you already teach, coach or lifeguard, they're worth reading properly.
Browse the recreation and instructor roles →
The job that runs the city
Not the mayor. The Chief Administrative Officer is the organization's most senior public servant and chief executive, reporting directly to City Council. Edmonton calls the equivalent role City Manager.
It carries a $5-billion annual operating budget, $3.8 billion in capital, roughly 17,000 staff, and working relationships with Council, the city's 10 unions, Indigenous Nations, regional partners and other orders of government.
Calgary serves more than 1.7 million residents.
The City wants a distinguished record of C-suite leadership in a large, complex organization, ideally with experience in municipal government or comparable public sector work, though private sector exposure is described as beneficial.
The posting is unusually direct about the political dimension, calling for exceptional political acuity and someone equally comfortable giving non-partisan advice to elected officials as engaging employees and the public.
That's the tension in the job. The CAO serves Council without being political, and has to be credible with both a 15-member elected body and 17,000 employees.
Do not apply through the City's system. The competition is run by Boyden Executive Search, and applications must go directly to Boyden.
Job ID 315057. Exempt from union, one permanent position, based at 800 Macleod Trail S.E. No salary published, which is standard at that level.
Engineering, in volume
Five competitions are marked Multiple Opportunities, meaning the City is filling more than one position from each: Project Engineer (Linear), Project Engineer (Process), Maintenance Engineer, Operations Engineer and Planning Engineer, all with senior-level variants and all referral eligible.
Also open: Water Resources Engineer at $100,368 to $144,330 a year, plus Watershed Engineer, Traffic Engineer, Traffic Engineer for Traffic Control and Parking, Team Lead for Operations Engineering, Capital Infrastructure Project Manager, and an Engineer-In-Training in IT Wireless.
If you hold a P.Eng in Alberta, this is the largest single municipal push you'll see this year.
Trades and operations
Journeyperson 2 Auto Body Technician.
Light Rail Transit Mechanic Trainee, which is a route into transit maintenance without an existing ticket.
Track Person, working LRT track.
Junior Operator, Drinking Water Distribution.
Senior Works Inspector. Operation and Maintenance Planner.
Browse the trades and operations postings →
Calgary Police Service, eight civilian roles
These are CPS positions rather than sworn officers, posted through the City.
WCB Coordinator, Learning Management Application Analyst, Respect and Restoration Consultant, Administrative Assistant for Access and Privacy, Workforce Planning Analyst, Information Technology Management Systems Analyst, Automotive Service Technician, and Ability Advisor.
Civilian CPS work is a route into policing-adjacent careers most people don't know exists.
See the Calgary Police Service roles →
The published pay bands
Manager, Engagement and Research — $159,610 to $199,512 a year, the highest in this round.
Water Resources Engineer — $100,368 to $144,330 a year.
Business Strategist — $53.52 to $71.53 an hour.
Finance Coordinator — $48.54 to $64.88 an hour.
Workspace Designer — $41.49 to $55.51 an hour.
Wellness Program Specialist — Pay Grade 9, $41.49 to $55.51 an hour, CUPE Local 38, temporary up to 12 months, 35-hour week. Applications close September 9.
Veterinary Assistant — $36.85 to $40.81 an hour.
Filter for postings that list pay →
Everything else that's open
Technology: Application Administrator, Senior Data Management Strategist, Senior Programmer Analyst GIS, Systems Administrator 1, Team Lead for Development and Integration.
Planning: Senior Development Advisor, Project Development Planner, Transportation Education Planner Specialist, Planning and Development Analyst, Program Planner.
Leadership and strategy: Leader of Business Experience, Leader of Project Management, Leader Civil, Senior Leader of the Office of Traffic Safety, Capital Infrastructure Lead, Senior Consultant for Business Transformation, Facility Portfolio Strategist, Issue Strategist, Infrastructure Services Capital Portfolio Advisor, Project Management Specialist.
Administration and support: Communications and Marketing Advisor, Intergovernmental Affairs Consultant, Business Support Specialist, Tangible Capital Assets Finance Coordinator, Maintenance Administrator, Records and Information Administrator, Divisional Administrator, Community Social Worker.
Full descriptions for all 72 →
What to know before applying
Pay grades, not negotiations. Most City roles are unionized, which is why the bands are published. The Wellness Program Specialist and Workspace Designer both sit at $41.49 to $55.51 because both are Pay Grade 9. The number in the posting is the number.
Deadlines are hard. The Wellness Program Specialist closes September 9. City competitions have set closing dates rather than rolling review, so applying early doesn't help the way it does elsewhere. Addressing the qualifications properly does.
Reference the Job ID, because recruiters run several competitions simultaneously.
Answer every listed qualification in writing. City postings state essential qualifications and score applications against them. Failing to address one is the most common reason an application is cut before anyone reads the resume, and it has nothing to do with being unqualified.
Expect security checks. Several require enhanced clearance, particularly the CPS roles and anything in emergency management.
"AMENDMENT" means the posting changed after it first went up. Nine carry that tag. Read the current version rather than a saved one.
Check the closing dates on our board →
What whoever gets the CAO job inherits
Calgary is recruiting its top administrator during a period with a lot in motion.
Scotia Place opens in fall 2027 and the City is carrying it, having paid $853 million up front. Council has spent 2026 looking for answers on rising traffic deaths, with the city at 23 fatalities this year against 38 fatal collisions in all of 2025. Downtown business closures have been running high. Canada's counter-tariffs land September 8, and municipal construction procurement is already adjusting around them.
All of it lands on the same desk.
Read the CAO posting in full →
Where to find them
Every posting is on our job board with the full description, and applications go straight to the City's own careers site.
Create a free account to save roles and track applications in one place, which helps when you're applying to several City competitions and need the Job IDs straight.
The full board carries roles from more than 40 Alberta employers, filterable by city, category, job type, union status and how recently a posting went up. There's a filter for postings that list pay.
Free to browse. No sign-up wall.
All City of Calgary roles →
The full Alberta job board →
Our Edmonton equivalent: Edmonton's Universities and Colleges Are Hiring 170+ Roles: U of A, MacEwan, NAIT and NorQuest
Sources
City of Calgary, job postings, August 27, 2026
Boyden Executive Search
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