Fire Chief at City of Grand Junction

FIRE CHIEF

Hiring Range: $210,000 – $223,000 annually

Click here to view the Recruitment Brochure for the Fire Chief of the City of Grand Junction.

About the Position:
The City of Grand Junction is seeking a dynamic and experienced leader to provide strategic direction and oversight as the Fire Chief for the Fire Department and as a member of the City’s Executive Leadership Team. The City invites a visionary and collaborative leader with a demonstrated career path of progressive responsibility in Fire and EMS to apply. The ideal candidate will have risen through the ranks and brings credibility that resonates with both frontline personnel and senior leadership. This experience should reflect a balance of operational knowledge and executive-level leadership.

The Fire Chief will have the opportunity to build on the department’s outstanding reputation by guiding strategic staffing to support growing service demands, strengthening leadership through clear direction, planning, and professional development, and enhancing EMS delivery by refining models to ensure continued excellence in both emergency response and interfacility transport.

What You'll Do:

• Assume full management responsibility for all department services and activities including fire suppression, hazardous materials management, fire code compliance, emergency medical services, training and administrative support services.
• Articulate a clear vision for the department’s future while engaging meaningfully with employees, community members, and elected officials.
• Manage the development and implementation of departmental goals, objectives, policies and priorities for each assigned service area.
• Foster a workplace culture where trust, accountability, and innovation thrive.
• Serve as a visible community ambassador, representing the department with integrity and purpose.
• Perform other duties of a similar nature or level.

To view the full job description, click here.

This position is a safety sensitive position, which means you will be subject to random drug screens due to the nature of the work performed.

What We're Looking For:
Minimum Qualifications

• At least ten years of progressively responsible fire service experience, with two years in a Chief Officer Position (e.g. Battalion, Division, Assistant, Deputy Fire Chief, or Fire Chief). 
• Associates degree in Fire Science, Fire Service Administration, Public Administration, or a related field. 
• A valid Colorado State driver’s license, or ability to obtain, is required by the time of hire. 
• Able to pass city-required background, drug screen, and medical examinations.

Leadership Competencies
The City of Grand Junction has identified a set of leadership competencies as essential for the next Fire Chief. These qualities represent the foundation of how the City expects its leaders to inspire, guide, and deliver results. The successful candidate will embody these attributes and bring them to life through their leadership:

• Instills Trust – Demonstrates honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Collaborates – Builds partnerships and works effectively across divisions and with community partners.
• Drives Vision and Purpose – Paints a compelling vision that motivates others.
• Communicates Effectively – Tailors messages for diverse audiences and connects meaningfully across all levels.
• Builds Effective Teams – Fosters cohesion and develops future leaders from within.
• Strategic Mindset – Anticipates challenges and positions the department to succeed.
• Ensures Accountability – Holds self and others responsible for commitments.
• Courage – Addresses difficult issues directly and constructively.
• Decision Quality – Makes sound and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward.
• Being Resilient – Adapts to setbacks and leads effectively through change.

Residency requirement

• The Fire Chief is expected to reside within 25 minutes of the City.

Other combinations of experience and education that meet the minimum requirements may be substituted. 

Notice to Applicants:
In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, we kindly request that you do not include the dates of your education to include years of attendance or graduation on your application, resume or attachments.

Important Notice:
During the course of the application and hiring process, you will be asked to disclose information about your past activities. The below list of critical admissions, which may be cause for disqualification from employment with the Grand Junction Fire Department, is provided to applicants, Computerized Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA) Technicians, and others involved in the recruitment process. It is important that you be completely honest and forthright about this history. While a critical admission may or may not disqualify an applicant from a job, the discovery of misleading or deceitful information provided by the applicant is an immediate cause for disqualification.

• Any felony investigation or conviction.
• Any conviction for a crime of violence, specifically assaults, domestic violence, etc.
• Any conviction for a "hate crime" such as ethnic intimidation.
• Perjury conviction.
• Any theft conviction regardless of value of item.
• Theft from current employer or a previous employer.
• Drug use (including marijuana) and/or current alcohol abuse.
• An alcohol or drug conviction including but not limited to DUI/DWAI, depending on recency.
• Hit and run accident conviction.
• Being under or having been under driving restraint, cancelation, suspension or revocation of driving privileges in Colorado or any other state.

Please note: The listed critical admissions are not the exclusive basis for disqualification. The City reserves the right to disqualify any applicant who may or may not have any one or all of the foregoing admissions. 

Assessment Process:
The assessment process will include the components below:

• Various Interviews
• Suitability/Psychological Evaluation
• Computerized Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA)
• Fingerprints/Background Investigation
• Pre-employment drug, medical, and psychological evaluation screening

City of Grand Junction Employee Childcare Facility: 
We know finding a quality childcare provider can be challenging, that's why the City of Grand Junction is proud to offer its employees affordable childcare through the City of Grand Junction Childcare Facility (GJCCF). GJCCF offers childcare for children ages 6 weeks (infants) to 6 years of age (preschool). With flexible scheduling and highly trained Early Childhood Education professionals, know that your little one will be in good hands while you support your community.

Explore the Area:
Grand Junction, Colorado is the gateway to the mountains and canyonlands of western Colorado and eastern Utah. Centrally located between Denver, CO (250 miles east) and Salt Lake City, UT (270 miles west), Grand Junction is surrounded by 1.2 million acres of public land. Residents enjoy world-class whitewater rafting on the Colorado and Green Rivers, golfing, fishing, skiing, and snowboarding, and exploring mountain bike and hiking trails through the Colorado National Monument and the Grand Mesa National Forest. Grand Junction has a robust downtown and hosts multiple arts, music, food, and market events annually. With a population of over 150,000 in Mesa County (65,000 within the City limits), we have many of the big town amenities without the big town stresses such as traffic and trail congestion. With an average of 245 days of sunshine, Grand Junction is the perfect place to work and play.  

Learn more about our area on Visit Grand Junction's website and Instagram!

At the City of Grand Junction, we proudly operate as an Equal Opportunity Employer, purposely building an inclusive workforce representative of various cultures, perspectives, and experiences. We believe in respect for all and do not discriminate based on hair, race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

If you have any questions or need assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please contact our Human Resources office at 970.244.1512.

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