Fire Chief

Town of Whitby; Whitby; Hybrid; CAD 203,000 - 231,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

The Town of Whitby seeks a Fire Chief to provide senior leadership and strategic direction for Whitby Fire & Emergency Services. You will oversee training, emergency management, and service delivery to residents, balancing safety with responsible budgeting.

Ideal candidates possess a fire service or related degree, post‑secondary education, and leadership experience in a unionized environment, with mandatory Fire College and officer‑level credentials. This role is hybrid and requires flexibility.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education in Fire Service, Public/Business Administration or related discipline.
• Minimum 12 years of progressively responsible fire service experience.
• Minimum 5 years in senior leadership within a complex unionized environment.
• Completion of training: Ontario Fire College programs including Company Officer; ECFO/ NFPA 1021 assets considered.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Senior Leadership Team and coordinate all Whitby Fire & Emergency Services sections.
• Ensure operations deliver public education, prevention, suppression and rescue services.
• Balance emergency services delivery with taxpayers’ funding and resources.
• Ensure compliance with applicable statutes, by-laws and regulations; act as Assistant to the Fire Marshal and Fire Official as applicable.

Skills

Leadership

Emergency management

Strategic planning

Public safety administration

Education

Fire service degree

Public Admin/Business Admin degree

CEMC designation

ECFO designation

NFPA 1021 Fire Officer 4

Job description

Our team is highly skilled, passionate about our community, and we care. Let’s grow together.

Who We Are

In Whitby, we are dedicated to our work, our community, and each other. We work hard, we have fun, and we celebrate our successes.

The Town of Whitby is a community in transformation that is located in the heart of Durham Region in the eastern Greater Toronto Area. Whitby is the second-largest municipality in the region and one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada. Located on Lake Ontario and only an hour east of Toronto, the population of Whitby is expected to grow from 140,000 to more than 200,000 by 2031. Whitby’s Official Plan has been updated to establish new directions for Whitby’s planned growth and development; the protection of our natural and built environments; urban design intensification; sustainability; community improvement; and, new employment within this time frame.

The Town of Whitby combines a small town atmosphere with the sophistication and amenities of a larger urban centre. Whitby boasts two beautiful heritage downtowns, one of the finest recreational harbours with an award-winning marina, year round sports and recreation activities, parks, trails, and a robust arts and culture scene, all of which are part of the extraordinary amenities that Whitby residents enjoy every day.

Whitby has an exciting and aspiring future, with a community that is welcoming, growing and transforming. On our team, you can expect to make a difference through your work and have a direct impact on shaping our growing community. Creating an inclusive environment where employees experience job satisfaction and have rewarding careers is important to us. We live our values and foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, respect and engagement where people enjoy coming to work.

The Town of Whitby is a hybrid organization. This means staff are empowered to do their best work from various locations, as appropriate for the position.

We want to be the preferred employer for the most talented people who care about the Town of Whitby, and are excited and proud to serve our vibrant community.

Let’s grow together.

Position / Responsibilities

Reporting to the CAO, the Fire Chief is accountable for the overall senior leadership, strategic direction, and coordination of all sections within Whitby Fire & Emergency Services. The Fire Chief ensures the Fire Department operations continue to deliver exceptional customer service in the areas of public education, prevention, suppression and rescue services to the citizens of the Town of Whitby. The Fire Chief also oversees all staff training, and overall emergency management. The Fire Chief appropriately balances the delivery of emergency services with taxpayers’ funding of services across the municipality.

This position is a member of the Senior Leadership Team which is responsible for moving forward the objectives of the CAO and Mayor and Council. In addition, the Fire Chief is required to ensure compliance and enforcement of all applicable statutes, by-laws and regulations related to the municipality and the fire service.

Finally, the Fire Chief is responsible for acting as the “Assistant to the Fire Marshal” with respect to the Fire Protection and Prevention Act; “Chief Fire Official” with respect to the Ontario Fire Code; “Authority having jurisdiction” with respect to applicable portions of the Building Code.

Overall duties and responsibilities of the Fire Chief must remain in alignment with requirements under various legislative bodies, including but not limited to the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1990, Employment Standards Act, 2000, and applicable collective agreements.

The compensation range for the role is $203,386 - $231,121 per year and this advertisement is to fill a vacancy.

Candidate Requirements

The ideal candidate will hold a Post Secondary Education Diploma/Degree in Fire Service(s), Business Administration, Public Administration or related discipline, or equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible work experience. They will be a graduate from the Ontario Fire College, with completion of all legislatively required training, including but not limited to the Company Officer Program and hold a Community Emergency Management Coordinator (CEMC) professional designation. Completion of executive Chief Fire Officer (ECFO) professional designation and Completion of NFPA 1021 – Fire Officer 4 are considered assets.

The ideal candidate will bring a minimum of twelve (12) years of progressively responsible experience in the fire service industry; and a minimum of five (5) years of senior leadership experience in the fire service working within a complex unionized environment. A combination of equivalent experience and education may be considered. Extensive and progressive training as a Firefighter, Training Officer, Fire Prevention Officer and/or Senior Suppression Officer in the fire service is required.

Please be assured that any information shared with Legacy Partners will be treated with the strictest confidence and shared only with the client for the purposes of this search.

Thank you once again for your interest.

Legacy Partners and the Town of Whitby are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognizes that a diverse staff is essential to organizational excellence. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals and encourage women, members of racialized communities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity to confidentially self-identify at the time of application. In accordance with the provincial legislation, accommodation will be provided by Legacy Partners and the organization throughout the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process, upon request, to applicants with disabilities.

Hybrid information:

Frontline Hybrid

Hours:

May require flexible hours of work, including days, evenings and weekends. (35 hours per week, plus additional hours as required.)

Closing Date:

October 8, 2026

Vacancy Statement: Unless specifically stated, all job postings at the Town of Whitby are to fill existing vacancies within our organization.

Our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism
At the Town of Whitby, we view holistic inclusion as the pathway to achieving healthy relationships, inclusive excellence and fostering a culture where everyone can thrive. We acknowledge our history—the good and the bad, promote social justice and address discrimination and inequities. We strive to create a workplace that encourages you to always bring your authentic self to work.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The Town of Whitby is an Affirative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications from women and minority candidates are strongly encouraged. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Accommodation
The Town of Whitby is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs. Disability-related accommodation during the application process is available upon request.

We thank all applicants and advise that only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

The Town of Whitby confirms that artificial intelligence (AI) will not be used in the screening, assessment, or selection process for this position.

Personal information provided is collected under the authority of The Municipal Act, 2001 and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.