Salary: $134,490.72 - $174,851.04 Annually
Location : San Jose
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number:
DEPART: Fire Department
Opening Date: 07/20/2026
Closing Date: 8/3/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

About the Department
The San José Fire Department's mission is to serve the community by protecting life, property, and the environment through prevention and response. It is a high-volume, high-performance, all-risk fire department that protects approximately 200 square miles including, residential, commercial, high-rise, wildland interface areas, and several high-hazard occupancies.

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Position Duties
The San José Fire Department is seeking to fill one (1) full-time Program Manager position in the Bureau of Administrative Services and reports to the Deputy Director.

The salary range for this classification is: $134,490.72 - $174,851.04.

This salary range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation. The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates' qualifications and experience.

This position leads the San José Fire Department's Human Resources/Employee Services Unit, which provides comprehensive human resources and employee services supporting a large public safety department, approximately 863.48 (723 sworn and 140.48 civilian) authorized budgeted positions and six bargaining units.

The Human Resources Unit is responsible for recruitment and outreach initiatives, hiring and separations of sworn and civilian classifications, return-to-work and workplace accommodations coordination.

The Employee Services Unit is responsible for employee and labor relations, performance management, discipline and internal affairs, citywide training and organizational development, leave management, and timekeeping administration.

Reporting to the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Administrative Services, the Program Manager oversees a team that includes one (1) Senior Analyst, three (3) Analysts, two (2) Staff Specialists, one (1) Senior Account Clerk and one (1) Senior Office Specialist, of which three are direct reports. This position serves as a key advisor to the San José Fire Department's Senior Leadership Team and plays a critical role in advancing the Fire Department's workforce strategies and organizational effectiveness.

The Program Manager also collaborates closely with several City of San José departments and offices, including the City Attorney's Office, Finance Department, Human Resources Department, and Office of Employee Relations, to ensure alignment with labor agreements and citywide, state and federal policies.

The Program Manager is challenged with leveraging a broad set of City administrative systems, policies, and procedures related to all Human Resources and Employee Services matters. This includes providing direction, education, and guidance to managers, supervisors, and line personnel about the best approaches for recruitment and on-boarding, as well as managing staff performance and development in alignment with the San José Fire Department's Core Values.

The San José Fire Department is seeking a leader who will adopt a collaborative and creative approach to managing heavy and dynamic workloads, navigating complex policy issues, pursuing service delivery improvements, and advancing key organizational initiatives. In particular, the successful candidate will be able to strike an effective balance between the constraints of a unionized Civil Service environment and the operational needs of a large department that seeks to advance a diverse workforce that is committed to serving the community by protecting life, property and the environment through prevention and response.

The key responsibilities of the Program Manager position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provide leadership, supervision, and professional development to Human Resources/Employee Services Unit staff.
• Direct and manage all human resources functions, including but not limited to:
  • Recruitment strategies for sworn and civilian classifications to attract, hire and retain a diverse workforce while maintaining low vacancy rates.
  • Workforce planning through classification and compensation analysis, organizational development, and succession planning.
• Direct and manage all employee services functions, including but not limited to:
  • City-wide training and organizational development initiatives to support leadership capacity and employee growth.
  • Employee relations activities, including interpretation and application of policies, labor agreements, and performance management and disciplinary processes.
  • Timekeeping activities, including payroll coordination and reconciliation, workforce management and scheduling administration (TeleStaff), leave administration, employee benefits coordination, special compensation coordination, and compliance with applicable local, state and federal laws and policies.
• Oversight of Fire Administration front desk operations, public records requests, subpoenas, and records retention.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to managers and supervisors, providing guidance on human resources and employee services best practices, policy interpretation, and complex personnel matters.
• Serve as an esteemed member of the Bureau of Administrative Services leadership team, cultivating a high-performing workplace culture in which employees feel empowered to innovate, remain engaged, understand their value, and pursue continuous growth and development.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Minimum Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in a closely related field.

Experience: Five (5) years of directly-related experience, including two (2) years of supervisory experience.

Form 700 Requirement: This position requires a disclosure of outside investments, real property interest, income, and business positions. You must complete and file an "Assuming Office Form 700" with the City Clerk's Office within the first 30 days of employment with the office.

Other Qualifications
The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history.

Job Expertise: Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies, and federal and state rules and regulations.

• Knowledge of Firefighter Bill of Rights
• Advanced knowledge of employee due process rights
• Advanced knowledge of and experience in recruitment, retirement and attrition metrics and analytics (For example, substantial knowledge and direct experience in forecasting vacancies, tracking employee and candidate demographics, identifying trends, generating reports and presenting findings and recommendations.)

Collaboration: Develops networks and builds alliances; engages in cross-functional activities.

Communication Skills: Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.

Decision Making: Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions.

Leadership: Leads by example; demonstrates high ethical standards; remains visible and approachable and interacts with others on a regular basis; promotes a cooperative work environment, allowing others to learn from mistakes; provides motivational supports and direction.

Planning: Acts to align own unit's goals with the strategic direction of the organization; defines tasks and milestones to achieve objectives, while ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet those objectives.

Problem Solving: Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.

Supervision: Sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources; provides motivational support; empowers others; assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.

Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Ginger Quijano at
Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.
The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's for detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City's Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an to explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.
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We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect the candidate's own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

• Yes, I acknowledge that I have read and understand the above statement regarding the use of AI in the application and interview process.

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What is the highest level of education you have completed?

• High School Diploma or the equivalent (GED)
• College (1 to 29 semester units/ 1 to 44 quarter units)
• College (30 to 59 semester units/ 45 to 89 quarter units)