Fire Chief – City of Fairfax, VA

ABOUT THE ROLE The Fire Chief serves as a key member of the City of Fairfax executive leadership team, providing strategic, administrative, operational, and cultural leadership for a high-performing combination career and volunteer fire and rescue organization. The role balances executive responsibilities with operational credibility, overseeing fire suppression, emergency medical services, technical rescue, code enforcement, emergency management, and community risk-reduction services. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Provide leadership for fire suppression, EMS, technical rescue, emergency management, fire prevention, code administration, training, and community risk-reduction programs. - Lead, develop, and support career and volunteer personnel while maintaining a culture of professionalism, accountability, safety, and service excellence. - Manage departmental budgets, staffing, capital planning, apparatus and equipment replacement, facilities, and long-range operational planning. - Ensure operational readiness through training, professional development, incident command capability, and performance evaluation. - Advance EMS quality, clinical readiness, and innovative service-delivery practices that improve community outcomes. - Serve as a collaborative member of the City Manager's leadership team, working closely with elected officials, city departments, regional public safety partners, George Mason University, employee groups, and community stakeholders. - Maintain a productive working relationship with the Fairfax Volunteer Fire Department while ensuring accountability for department-wide operations and safety. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - Bachelor's degree in fire service administration, public administration, emergency management, public safety, management, or a closely related field. - Significant progressively responsible fire and EMS leadership experience, including command-level experience in a public fire and rescue organization. - Experience managing fire suppression, EMS, training, fire prevention, emergency management, budgeting, personnel, and capital planning functions. - Demonstrated leadership in a combination career/volunteer environment or the ability to build strong collaborative relationships with volunteer organizations and community partners. - Exceptional communication, integrity, judgment, and leadership skills. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - A master's degree is preferred. - Completion of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program, Chief Fire Officer designation, or comparable executive-level credential is preferred. - Knowledge of accreditation, ISO standards, community risk reduction, deployment analysis, labor relations, FLSA, and public-sector budgeting is preferred. - There is no residency requirement for this position. SELECTION PROCESS - Applications will be reviewed following the closing date of September 7, 2026. - The City of Fairfax is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, or any other legally protected status. HOW TO APPLY - Apply online at www.GovHRjobs.com by September 7, 2026. - Submit a cover letter and resume along with the application. - Direct any questions to Jon Fehlman, MGT Senior Consultant, at (847) 380-3240 ext. 142. EMPLOYMENT DETAILS - Employer: MGT (on behalf of the City of Fairfax) - Location: Fairfax, VA - Job Type: Full-Time - Closing Date: 9/7/2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada) - Benefits: The City offers a comprehensive benefits package.