In Turkey, a governor is an official responsible for the implementation of legislation, constitutional and government decisions in individual provinces. There are 81 governors in Turkey, one for each province, appointed ceremonially by the president on the recommendation of the Interior Ministry. Governors are legally required to be politically neutral and have power over public offices within their province, including the provincial police force. They also have a certain role in local government, though mayors and councillors are elected to these roles in local elections. The provincial head of security also concurrently serves as deputy governor.

The governor of İzmir is the bureaucratic state official responsible for both national government and state affairs in the province of İzmir. Similar to the governors of the 80 other provinces of Turkey, the governor of İzmir is appointed by the government of Turkey and is responsible for the implementation of government legislation within İzmir. The governor is also the most senior commander of both the İzmir provincial police force and the İzmir Gendarmerie.