CHIEF OF FIRE FIGHTER STAND & TRAINING - 43000674

Florida; Ocala (FL); On-site; USD 53,000 - 137,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Dental

Vision

Retirement package

Vacation and sick leave

Nine paid holidays a year

Personal Holiday

Tuition waiver

Training opportunities

EAP

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Job summary

State of Florida seeks a Chief of Fire Fighter Standards and Training to lead statewide firefighter standards, training, testing, certification, and curriculum oversight for the Florida State Fire College. The role manages campus facilities, budgets, and policies while ensuring safety and compliance across divisions.

You will advise senior leadership, oversee program portfolios, and collaborate with stakeholders to advance statewide fire education and public safety initiatives.

Qualifications

• Executive leadership and personnel management responsibilities.
• Experience in fire-service operations, curriculum, and certification.
• Ability to manage budgets, contracts, and capital projects.
• Knowledge of statutes, rules, and professional standards.
• Strong communication and stakeholder relations.

Responsibilities

• Direct statewide firefighter standards, training, testing, and certification.
• Oversee campus operations at the Florida State Fire College.
• Budget development, policy, and information systems oversight.
• Represent the division before government bodies and partners.
• Emergency response planning and special assignments.

Skills

Executive leadership

Public administration

Budget and contract administration

Strategic planning

Data-informed decisions

Communication

Education

Post-secondary degree in fire science or related field

Advanced degree in business or public administration

Job description

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CHIEF OF FIRE FIGHTER STAND & TRAINING - 43000674

Date: Oct 28, 2026

The State Personnel System is an E-Verify employer. For more information click on our E-Verify Website .

Requisition No:886556

Working Title: CHIEF OF FIRE FIGHTER STAND & TRAINING - 43000674

*****OPEN COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY*****

CLASS TITLE: CHIEF OF FIRE-FIGHTER STANDARDS AND TRAINING

DIVISION: STATE FIRE MARSHAL

BUREAU: FIRE STANDARDS AND TRAINING

CITY: OCALA

COUNTY: MARION

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• Health insurance (over 90% employer paid)
• $25,000 life insurance policy (100% employer paid)
• Dental, vision and supplemental insurances
• State of Florida retirement package
• Generous vacation and sick leave
• Nine (9) paid holidays a year
• One (1) Personal Holiday each year
• Tuition waiver for public college courses
• Training opportunities
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (if eligible)
• Six (6) years of supervisory experience in fire based or academia-based fields is required. A post-secondary degree in fire science, education or business may be used as an alternative for years of required experience on a year-for-year basis

Preferences:

• Florida Certified Firefighter II – FS 633 or equivalent.
• Florida Certified Fire Instructor III– FS 633 or equivalent.
• Fire Officer III or IV certification or equivalents.

Minimum Qualificationsfor this position include the following REQUIRED ENTRY LEVEL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Executive leadership, personnel management, strategic planning, public administration, budget and contract administration, organizational change, and sound judgment in sensitive matters.
• Fire-service operations, firefighter health and safety, curriculum, adult learning, examinations, certification, accreditation, instructor and academy oversight, and applicable statutes, rules, and professional standards.
• Campus and facilities operations, capital planning, procurement, risk management, live-fire training safety, emergency management, and incident command.
• Clear written and oral communication, public presentation, relationship building, conflict resolution, data-informed decisions, and effective stewardship of public resources.

OTHER KSAs (Incumbent may learn on job):

• Demonstrated experience managing personnel, programs, budgets, and organizational resources in a fire-service, public-safety, governmental, educational, or comparably complex organization, including supervision of managers or multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated experience with firefighter training, certification, curriculum, testing, fire academy operations, or related programs; interpreting statutes, rules, policies, and standards; and developing plans, budgets, contracts, or executive initiatives.
• Ability to travel and respond to emergency assignments as required; possession of, or ability to obtain, emergency-management and incident-command training required by Department policy.

SPECIAL NOTES:

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

This position requires a security background check, including fingerprint as a condition of employment.

This position will be filled based on experience and between the range of $52,513.15 - $136, 586.91 annually.

Employees of the Department of Financial Services are paid on a monthly pay cycle.

Responses to qualifying questions must be clearly supported by the state application and any omission, falsification, or misrepresentation in the answering of the qualifying questions will be cause for immediate elimination from the selection process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

The Bureau Chief provides executive leadership for the Bureau of Fire Standards and Training and the Florida State Fire College. The position directs statewide firefighter standards, training, testing, certification, curriculum, instructor and training-provider oversight, and operates a residential fire-service education campus with dormitories, classrooms, training grounds, specialized props, apparatus, equipment, and infrastructure.

The Chief advises Division and Department leadership on policy, legislation, budgets, and complex or sensitive matters; exercises independent judgment under applicable law and policy; and is accountable for safe, consistent, effective services to Florida’s fire service.

Executive Leadership and Personnel Management

• Plan, organize, direct, and evaluate Bureau programs, organizational priorities, performance measures, staffing, and service delivery. Serve on the Division leadership team and advise executive leadership on strategic, operational, regulatory, fiscal, and sensitive matters.
• Spend the majority of working time communicating with, motivating, training, and evaluating employees and planning and directing their work. Supervise managers and professional, instructional, field, administrative, facilities, maintenance, and OPS staff.
• Exercise authority, consistent with Department policy, to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline subordinate employees, or effectively recommend those actions. Recruit, develop, retain, and plan succession for qualified staff.
• Promote ethical conduct, accountability, workplace safety, responsive customer service, consistent interpretation of rules, and continuous improvement.

Florida State Fire College Executive and Campus Management

• Direct the College’s residential, instructional, administrative, and campus operations, including dormitories, classrooms, student services, scheduling, training grounds, live-fire and specialized props, apparatus, equipment, utilities, grounds, and support facilities.
• Develop campus master plans, capital improvement priorities, maintenance and equipment replacement plans, and funding requests. Oversee construction, renovation, repairs, procurement, contracts, vendors, and coordination with facilities and technical professionals.
• Ensure safe operation of high-risk training facilities and establish campus safety, security, environmental, emergency, risk-management, and continuity plans for employees, students, instructors, visitors, and state assets.
• Evaluate campus utilization and develop partnerships that advance statewide education, professional development, research, conferences, and exercises.

Statewide Training Testing Certification and Provider Oversight

• Direct curricula for minimum standards, advanced and specialized training, fire officer and instructor development, and other fire-service disciplines; integrate emerging hazards, research, operational lessons, health and safety, and relevant professional standards.
• Oversee written and practical examinations, certification, credentialing, instructor approval, and continuing education; ensure examination validity, security, fairness, quality assurance, appeals, and consistent statewide administration.
• Direct approval, inspection, monitoring, and compliance oversight of training providers and facilities. Establish clear approval criteria and direct corrective or administrative actions when authorized by law.

Budget, Policy and Information Systems

• Develop and administer operating and capital budgets; monitor revenues, expenditures, procurement, contracts, grants, internal controls, and cost effectiveness. Prepare legislative budget requests and funding proposals.
• Develop or recommend rules, policies, procedures, forms, and standards; analyze proposed legislation, regulatory changes, and national standards; prepare bill analyses, fiscal impacts, technical correspondence, and executive briefings.
• Oversee information systems and records for training, examinations, certifications, instructors, providers, and students; use data to improve quality, efficiency, and decisions. Administer the Florida Firefighters Supplemental Compensation Program and assigned programs.

Stakeholder Relations and Executive Representation

• Represent the Division and Department before governmental bodies, advisory councils, fire-service organizations, educational institutions, and the public; provide technical support to the Firefighters Employment, Standards, and Training Council.
• Maintain relationships with fire chiefs, training officers, labor and professional organizations, local governments, NFPA, the National Fire Academy, accreditation bodies, and other partners. Present complex information and solicit input on statewide needs.

Emergency Response and Special Assignments

• Serve on the Department Disaster Response Team and respond to the State Emergency Operations Center, disasters, or major incidents as directed. Serve in command, coordination, liaison, planning, safety, logistics, or other roles consistent with qualifications and assignment.
• Maintain appropriate incident-management knowledge and qualifications.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended, or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.