Assistant Fire Chief (Unclassified)

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The San José Fire Department (SJFD) is committed to serving the community by protecting life, property, and the environment through prevention and response. SJFD is a full-service, all-hazard metropolitan fire department that serves the City of San José and unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County. It operates in the 12th largest city in the United States and serves 1.2 million residents over 200 square miles.

SJFD deploys all-hazard, advanced life support response resources from 34 fire stations, responding to roughly 110,000 service calls annually. The protection area includes residential, commercial, industrial, wildland-urban interface areas, and the San Francisco Bayfront. It also protects high-traffic areas such as San José Mineta International Airport, the SAP Center, PayPal Park, San José State University, three super-regional malls, seven major hospitals, and 108 high-rise structures. Special Operations resources include Urban Search & Rescue, Aircraft Rescue Firefighting, and Hazardous Incident Team.

SJFD is organized into seven bureaus and divisions that report to the Fire Chief. The Assistant Fire Chief, four Deputy Fire Chiefs, a civilian Deputy Director, and a Division Manager report to the Fire Chief. The Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Fire Department Operating Budget is $331,081,332 and authorizes 872 full time positions including 735 sworn personnel and 137 civilian personnel. The seven bureaus/divisions include:

• Bureau of Administrative Services
• Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Training
• Bureau of Field Operations
• Bureau of Fire Prevention
• Bureau of Support Services
• Fire Communications
• Office of the Fire Chief

Currently, there are 34 stations in operation with the 35 station currently under construction. More information can be found at San Jose Fire Department.

The San Jose Fire Department is currently recruiting for an Assistant Fire Chief.

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the recruitment brochure via this link.

To be considered for this opportunity, please follow the instructions on the brochure to apply or you can apply directly using this link.

For further information please contact Sherill Uyeda at suyeda@alliancerc.com.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience
Current employment as a Fire Captain or a higher level fire sworn rank such as Battalion Chief, Division Chief, or Deputy Fire Chief.

A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in business administration, management sciences or related field is highly desirable. Advanced coursework or training in leadership, management and/or organizational development is highly desirable.

Required Licensing
Possession of a valid State of California driver's license.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 12/15/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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