Deputy Fire Chief

Competition Number: 27232

Primary Work Location: Waterloo Fire Station 2

Posting Status: Internal & External Job Posting

Salary Range: $144,697.00 - $180,886.00 (Band B)
Number of Positions: 1 (Current Vacancy)

Employment Group: Management
Job Status: Regular Full Time

Posting Release Date: September 17, 2026

Hours of Work: 35 hours per week

Posting Closing Date: October 2, 2026

What you will do:

Your proven track record demonstrates that you are community oriented, an effective collaborator and a strategic thinker with a broad range of leadership skills. Possessing a strong legislative and regulatory background, you have the capability to work with within public and private settings, and legislative environments (e.g., Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act, Fire Protection and Prevention Act, the Ontario Fire Code, NFPA related standards, as well as corporate and departmental policies and procedures). The successful candidate will also be required to work collaboratively and effectively so to provide leadership and support beyond the chain of command to community groups, fellow emergency service agencies, including the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management, the firefighters' association, internally and among corporate teams.

Reporting to the Fire Chief, you will provide leadership, direction and coordination to your assigned division(s). It will be your responsibility to ensure that policies and procedures are adhered to and indicative of a high standard of service to our community. As a member of Fire Rescue Services senior management team you will lead, participate in and provide input into strategic planning and effective resource allocation with a focus on creating public value through fiscally responsible planning and day-to-day decision making. You will be expected to keep current with legislated changes and developments that impact areas of oversight in order to effectively anticipate and respond to professional and operational outcomes that may impact, by example, citizens and visitors to the City of Waterloo, the Corporation, the senior leadership team, and labour relations.

In achieving the aforementioned duties and job leadership functions, you are a trustworthy and effective communicator, able to work formally and informally with a broad spectrum of stakeholder groups and partners. You are further able to build strong and meaningful relationships in addition to developing and delivering influential presentations to inform, educate and achieve consensus among stakeholders.

What you will do:

• Provides strategic and operational leadership in support of the Fire Department's mission, priorities, and service delivery objectives.
• Assists the Fire Chief in developing and implementing departmental strategic plans, policies, procedures, guidelines, programs, and performance measures.
• Builds effective relationships with departmental staff, including the Waterloo Professional Firefighters Association, municipal departments, senior administration, elected officials, community partners, neighbouring fire services, and external agencies.
• Act in the interest of the Corporation indicative of demonstrating management responsibilities and rights while promoting and maintaining open and collaborative labour relations including collective bargaining and the application of the collective agreement in a fair, consistent and reasonable manner.
• Leads and supports organizational change and modernization initiatives.
• Supports departmental compliance with applicable legislation, regulations, standards, municipal bylaws, collective agreements, and corporate policies.
• Review and analyze existing processes, programs, and models to identify opportunities for increased efficiency, cost effectiveness, and enhanced customer service.
• Participate in the development of operating and capital budgets for the department and division(s) while managing and controlling divisional expenditures; lead to ensure the completion of strategic initiatives are on time and on budget.
• Ensure lifecycle management of capital assets, including forecasting, procurement, replacement schedules, and preventive maintenance.
• Act as an alternate CEMC for the City and ensure that legislated responsibilities are maintained, assume the role of on-call duty officer on a rotational basis and acting fire chief when required.
• Supports constructive labour-management relationships and participates in grievance, collective bargaining, and labour relations processes as assigned.Make presentations to Council, citizen and management groups, respond to citizen and customer based inquiries and complaints.
• Supports compliance with applicable provincial firefighter certification requirements and departmental training standards.
• Implements key performance indicators (KPIs) for emergency response, fire prevention, training, and public education.
• Use data analytics to inform resource allocation, staffing models, and apparatus deployment strategies.
• Demonstrates visible leadership and accountability for occupational health and safety.
• Coordinates fire services support for community events, festivals, and large gatherings in partnership with municipal departments and external agencies.
• Assesses risk and resource requirements for events such as parades, concerts, sports, cultural festivals, and civic celebrations.
• Provides leadership, coaching, mentoring, and performance management to assigned personnel.
• Participates in recruitment, promotion, succession planning, employee development, attendance management, and disciplinary processes as required.
• Responsible for statutory duties as required by applicable Acts and Legislation.

What you will bring:

• A post-secondary degree in a field such as Business and/or Emergency Services Administration, Public Safety, Emergency Management, related field or equivalency.
• A minimum of seven (7) years' experience at an officer level in the fire service or other emergency services. An equivalent combination of education and administrative experience will be considered.
• The following additional training and experience is considered an asset: NFPA 1021 Fire Officer IV or Fire Service Executive Management Designation, comprehensive knowledge of the Ontario Incident Management System, extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of fire suppression/fire prevention/public education, or emergency services/management.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with an ability to provide effective leadership and coaching.
• Well-developed conflict resolution skills with strong performance management experience.
• Ability to analyze, interpret and report research findings and recommendations.
• Strong knowledge of applicable legislation, codes, standards and software systems, including Record Management Systems
• Experience with data collection, analysis, and reporting systems to support Community Risk Assessments (CRA), operational response and the Fire Master Plan.
• Experience with procurement of equipment, vehicles, technology, and contracted services, ensuring specifications meet operational needs and comply with NFPA standards, OHSA standards and the Corporate Procurement Policy.
• Experience in preparing capital/operating budget and strategic oversight.
• Demonstrated ability to present confidently to a variety of stakeholders, while fostering relationships at all levels.
• Valid MTO Class G driver's licence.

What we will require:

• Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check satisfactory to the City.
• Proof of your current and valid certificate(s), licenses and/or educational qualifications.