Job Title

Town of Cochrane - Fire Chief Cochrane is located in the breathtaking Bow Valley corridor in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta. With a population of over 37,000 people, and growing steadily every year, Cochrane is a thriving town, surrounded by world-famous ranch country. Our western heritage is reflected in the Towns architecture and our friendly people. The Town of Cochrane welcomes innovative and skilled individuals to join our team of over 250 employees. Who are we looking for? Cochrane is seeking a strategic, credible, and trusted Fire Chief to lead Cochrane Fire Services through a period of cultural rebuilding, leadership renewal, and continued operational excellence. Reporting to the Director, Community Safety, the Fire Chief provides strategic, operational, cultural, and executive leadership for Fire Services. This role is ideal for an experienced municipal fire service leader who brings proven success operating in IAFF environments, rebuilding trust and engagement, supporting leadership development, and communicating openly and honestly - especially during difficult or change-heavy periods. If you are a visible, calm, values-driven leader who believes in empowering supervisors, strengthening relationships, leading with integrity, and delivering safe, effective, modern fire service operations, this is an opportunity to shape the future of Cochrane Fire Services. Why build your career with Cochrane? Cochrane is at an important and exciting point in its organizational journey. As Fire Chief, you will: Lead a deliberate cultural reset that strengthens trust, morale, leadership credibility, and psychological safety Provide steady, accountable leadership in a complex IAFF environment Build and empower strong Lieutenant and Captain leadership, reinforcing the supervisory chain of command Communicate early, openly, and plainly including when decisions are difficult or unpopular Operate with political awareness while remaining non-political, professional, and governance-focused Support strategic growth, emergency readiness, and long-term service sustainability Work collaboratively with Council, ELT, union leadership, partner agencies, and the community Cochrane fosters a positive, high-performing culture built on transparency, curiosity, accountability, innovation, and teamwork. What are some of the duties of the Fire Chief Lead Fire Services operations, culture, people leadership, governance, and service excellence Lead a measurable cultural reset and rebuild confidence, trust, and engagement Provide seasoned leadership in an IAFF environment, including grievances, discipline, conflict management, and collective agreement interpretation Communicate early, openly, and plainly, ensuring the why behind decisions is understood Develop, empower, and hold Lieutenants and Captains accountable while avoiding bypassing supervisory leadership Navigate municipal political environments without becoming political, maintaining credibility and integrity Provide leadership in emergency response and emergency management Develop and manage long-term strategic plans, risk strategies, and budgets Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external partners Ensure compliance with legislation, NFPA standards, Town policies, and best practice service models Qualifications, Skills and Abilities Education and Experience: Minimum 10 years municipal firefighting experience with increasingly senior leadership responsibilities Extensive proven experience in an IAFF unionized fire service, including discipline, grievances, bargaining contexts, and collaborative labourmanagement leadership Experience working effectively within municipal governance settings Postsecondary education in Fire Service Leadership, Public/Business Administration, Emergency Management, or related field Proven, documented experience in leading cultural transformation or trustrepair initiatives that resulted in documented improvements in engagement, morale, leadership confidence, or organizational stability Demonstrated experience implementing structured leadership development programs for supervisory officers (Lieutenants/Captains), beyond daytoday supervision or informal mentorship Preferred: Proven leadership within politically sensitive or highprofile municipal environments, including navigating Council scrutiny, public accountability, and media engagement Demonstrated success working within complex labour environments such as multiissue grievance climates, postarbitration stabilization, or modernization impacts affecting union culture A track record of leading service modernization, innovation, or major organizational change initiatives (e.g., service model redesign, staffing models, deployment strategies, prevention/training transformation) Background managing multiyear strategic planning, capital planning, and fleet or infrastructure renewal within a fire service context History of building strong regional collaboration, including mutual aid leadership, joint emergency management participation, and multiagency command operations Ability to lead effectively in rapidly growing municipal environments, adapting service delivery to evolving community and operational demands Skills and Abilities: Required: Demonstrated ability to rebuild trust and culture through visible, consistent leadership Strong, honest, and timely communication skills; able to explain decisions clearly, including unpopular ones Skilled at building leadership bench strength, including formal officer development pathways, succession planning, and sustained leadership coaching cultures Political awareness while remaining nonpolitical and governancefocused Steady, realistic leadership approach grounded in current organizational realities Ability to demonstrate valuesaligned behaviour under pressure Strong fiscal, business planning, and risk management capability Advanced relationshipbuilding, problemsolving, and conflict resolution skills Demonstrated ability to stabilize organizations in complex or highpressure contexts, rebuilding confidence and credibility through visible and steady leadership Preferred: Advanced ability to navigate politically sensitive, highprofile, or emotionally charged environments while maintaining professionalism, composure, and trust Strong strategic foresight skills, with the ability to anticipate organizational impacts of growth, risk trends, legislative changes, and community expectations Demonstrated success influencing and aligning diverse stakeholders, including Council, ELT, union leadership, regional partners, and community groups Highly adept at communicating during uncertainty, ensuring clarity, transparency, and reassurance in challenging or evolving situations Proven ability to balance operational credibility with senior executive leadership, including decisionmaking that reflects both frontline realities and municipal obligations Demonstrated success in regional collaboration, mutual aid leadership, and multiagency coordination environments Strong capability in change leadership, including leading people through difficult transitions with empathy, accountability, and consistent followthrough Certifications, Licenses and/or Designations: Required: Valid Alberta Class 5 Drivers License Completion of Incident Command System 300 Current Standard First Aid, CPR, and AED NFPAcompliant firefighter, officer, and incident commandrelated certifications appropriate to a senior leadership role Ability to obtain and maintain required security clearances and compliance requirements Preferred: Incident Command System 400 Advanced emergency management certifications (e.g., Basic Emergency Management, ECC, Director of Emergency Management) Advanced NFPA leadership, safety, or specialty certifications (e.g., Fire Officer advanced levels, Safety Officer, Wildland leadership) ATIA/POPA, municipal leadership, or executive leadership training Additional specialized rescue, emergency operations, or leadership designations relevant to a modern municipal fire service Blue Card Command Certification Cochrane is committed to providing a healthy and safe work environment for all employees, which means that everyone is responsible for health and safety. This means that you must take reasonable care to protect the health and safety of your colleagues, contractors, the public, and of course, yourself by following all relevant health and safety legislation and corporate policies. Still interested? Heres how to apply: Qualified individuals are encouraged to submit your resume, and a letter stating how your experience match the required qualifications, skills, and abilities for this position. The annual salary for this position is between $158,861 - $169,713 and is based on a 35hour work week. In addition to a competitive salary - Town of Cochrane employees also enjoy : Comprehensive total compensation program with 100% employerpaid Extended Health Care, Dental, Life Insurance, Dependent Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment and Short Term Disability Health Care Spending Account and wellness benefit to support physical and mental wellbeing Employee & Family Assistance Program for confidential personal and family support Enrollment in the Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP) - a defined benefit pension where the Town matches employee contributions and contributes an additional 1% Additional employee perks including vacation entitlement that increases with service learning and development support, and other workplace benefits We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All applicants must be legally entitled to live and work in Canada. #J-18808-Ljbffr