South County Fire, WA – Human Resources Director

GovHRUSA; Everett (WA); On-site; USD 191,000 - 239,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation accrual

Sick leave accrual

12 paid holidays

Medical coverage

Vision coverage

Dental coverage

Retirement plan

Employee Assistance Program

Deferred compensation program

Job summary

South County Fire seeks an accomplished Human Resources Director to lead people systems, workforce strategy, and employee relations in a large public safety organization in Washington. You will partner with the Fire Chief and Executive Team to align HR strategy with organizational goals and regulatory requirements.

The role requires a senior HR leader with public agency experience, strong Labor relations skills, and SHRM credentials.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Public Administration, or a related field with a focus in Human Resources, and 10 years of progressive responsibility in HR; Master’s degree highly preferred.
• Significant professional HR experience in a public agency environment; fire service experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience with multiple unions; labor relations and negotiation desirable.
• Knowledge of the Public Records Act and its application within a public agency.
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, IPMA-CP designation highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Direct, coordinate, and maximize the strategic use of Human Resources across the organization.
• Work with the Assistant Chief of People & Performance to shape workforce strategy, labor relations, organizational culture, and employee engagement.
• Provide expertise to the Board of Commissioners on personnel matters, HR strategy, legal compliance, risk mitigation, and workforce trends.

Skills

Public sector HR

Labor relations

Union negotiation

SHRM certification

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR/Public Administration

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Human Resources Director – strategic opportunity to lead the people systems, workforce strategy, and employee relations functions that support a high-performing public safety organization.

South County Fire is a regional fire authority established in 2017 by voters in unincorporated southwest Snohomish County and the City of Lynnwood. Since then, Mill Creek, Brier, Mountlake Terrace, and Edmonds have approved annexation into the regional fire authority. Today, South County Fire servesnearly 300,000residents across57square miles of southwest Snohomish County and is the largest provider of fire and emergency medical services in Snohomish County and one of the largest in Washington State.

South County Fire is guided by the purpose statement, “Enhance the lives of our community,” and five core values: Integrity, Humility, Compassion, Family, and Trust. The organization emphasizes teamwork, respect, diversity, inclusion, and compassionate service to the community. Its Human Resources Division supports South County Fire’s greatest asset—its people—by helping attract and retain outstanding fire service professionals, supporting a respectful workplace, providing confidential assistance to employees and their families, ensuring compliance with employment laws and policies, and promoting employee safety and well-being.

South County Fire is governed by a board of seven elected commissioners: five commissioners elected from districts of roughly equal population and two commissioners elected at-large. The adopted 2026 budget is approximately $130,000,000 for the organization. South County Fire sworn employees are represented by IAFF Local 1828 and IAFF Local 1828S (Deputy Chief’s Union).

South County Fire is seeking an accomplished Human Resources leader to direct, coordinate, and maximize the strategic use of Human Resources across the organization. Working closely with the Assistant Chief of People & Performance, the Human Resources Director will help shape workforce strategy, labor relations, organizational culture, employee engagement, retention, regulatory compliance, and long‑term organizational planning. The Director serves as a strategic partner to the Fire Chief and Executive Leadership Team and provides expertise to the Board of Commissioners on personnel matters, human resource strategy, legal compliance, risk mitigation, and workforce trends.

Ideal Candidates should have:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Public Administration, or a related field with a focus in Human Resources, and 10 years of progressive responsibility in Human Resources; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.Master’s degree in a related field is highly preferred.
• Significant professional human resources experience in a public agency environment; fire service experience is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience working with multiple unions; labor relations and negotiation experience is desirable.
• Knowledge of the Public Records Act and its application within a public agency.
• Designated as a SHRM‑CP, SHRM‑SCP, IPMA‑CP, is highly preferred.

Compensation, Benefits

The hiring range is $190,879 – $238,998+depending on qualifications and experience.

• Vacation Accrual
• Sick Leave Accrual
• 12 Paid Holidays
• Medical
• Vision
• and Pharmacy Coverage
• Healthcare Reimbursement Account
• Dental Coverage
• WCIF Life Insurance policy
• Provident Life AD&D Life Insurance
• WA State Department of Retirement Systems
• Employee Assistance Plan
• Deferred Compensation Program – employer automatic contribution of 5.75%

South County Fireis an Equal Opportunity Employer. No applicant or employee will be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status.South County Fire is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will provide reasonable accommodation upon requestforpeoplewith disabilities

For more information or questions, please feel free to contact Sarah McKee, MGT Senior Consultant at 847-380-3240 ext. 120.

Application Deadline: October 16, 2026