Town's first leadership role was at Wanganui Regional Community Polytechnic from 1994 to 1998, making him the country's youngest chief executive at that time. He was chief executive for Franklin District Council from July 1998 to July 2002. He was the chief executive for Tauranga City Council from July 2002 to October 2010. He was a regional director for the Auckland/Northland region of the NZ Transport Agency from October 2010 to December 2013.
