Fire Protection Engineer - Jefferson County

TARGET CLOSE DATE:

10/31/2025

PAY GRADE:

Grade 29

TYPE:

Full time

JOB SUMMARY:

Jefferson County is seeking a well-qualified, motivated Fire Protection Engineer to enhance fire protection and life safety within the community. Such individuals perform engineering, technical and analytical inspections related to fire and life safety protection systems, features, devices, and processes for new and existing structures. Employees in this job also assist in developing the fire prevention budget, conduct educational fire safety and life safety programs, and establish fire prevention and escape plans for business owners. The work of a Fire Protection Engineer is reviewed by a Deputy Director through performance reviews.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

Jefferson County provides competitive pay and comprehensive benefits packages to include medical and dental insurance, employer-sponsored retirement plan (pension), generous paid holidays, sick and vacation leave, and more. The annual pay range for this job is presented below:

Jefferson County: $77,771 - $120,640

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

The following are job-related qualifications that are required for employment consideration for this position:

• Driver’s license.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering to include Construction, Mechanical, Architectural, or Electrical, or related discipline (Building Science, Architecture).

• Experience reviewing the installation and testing of fire suppression systems and equipment (e.g., alarm systems, suppression systems, sprinklers placement, communication).

• Experience establishing fire safety protocols (e.g., life safety plans).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

The following are job-related qualifications deemed desirable by Merit System agencies. These qualifications may be considered by a hiring agency when reviewing applications and inviting candidates to participate in subsequent steps in the selection processes.

• Master's degree in Engineering to include Construction, Mechanical, Architectural, or Electrical, or related discipline (Building Science, Architecture).

• Experience in life safety plans review in the field of engineering, construction, architecture, or related field.

• Fire Inspector I Certification or higher.

• Fire Plans Examiner Certification.

• National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) Certification.

TYPICAL JOB DUTIES:

• Conducts code enforcement inspections for new and existing structures and properties by reviewing applicable fire codes and ordinances for construction, occupancy, fire protection purposes in order to document violations and notify owners, contractors, or venders to provide necessary resolutions.

• Approves the installation and location of fire hydrants, fire detection, and fire suppression systems for new or renovated buildings to ensure they meet building and fire codes.

• Checks fire flow requirements for facilities, sprinkler plans and hydraulic calculations to ensure adequate water flow.

• Reviews and interprets city codes, implements policies, and attends meetings to in order to inform venders, building owners, and local officials of applicable fire safety codes and best practices.

• Assists in the development of fire plans (e.g., map books, pre-plan books) to provide a document of characteristics of the area for firefighting crews.

• Reviews annexations to ensure proper fire protection is provided to structures.

• Conducts inspections of existing structures and new construction as it relates to the fire detection systems, fire suppression systems, and safety code compliance by conducting visual inspections of the structures, interviewing business owners and contractors, and documenting findings.

• Contacts other agencies to follow up on complaints and/or violations pertaining to their area of specification (i.e., health department, DHR, fire crews).

• Inspects buildings to locate hazardous conditions and fire code violations (e.g., combustible material and inadequate or non-functional fire exits).

• Verifies licenses and permits for construction to ensure the permit work is completed in compliance with applicable fire safety codes and local ordinances.

• Oversees the fire inspection program by developing fire codes for the city to adopt, implementing policies, and reviewing the fire inspection/investigation reports and work performance.

• Develops and recommends proposed fire prevention policies, procedures and codes.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Job involves physical exertion required for sustained periods of light physical activity such as walking or standing. May involve occasional light lifting of items or objects weighing up to 25 lbs. Work involves conducting field visits to existing and new construction buildings to conduct visual and physical fire prevention inspections.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Work is conducted both indoors in an office setting as well as regular field visits to external places of business, residence, or construction worksites. Work involves use of standard office equipment, such as computer, phone, copier, etc. as well as the use of specialized tools and equipment such as testing meters and fire alarms.

EEO STATEMENT:

The Personnel Board of Jefferson County provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment with the Personnel Board of Jefferson County, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.  Each Merit System member city/agency operate its own equal employment opportunity policies available on the individual city/agency website.

ACCOMMODATION:

NOTE:

This job posting may close before, or be extended beyond, the listed Target Close Date based on the employment needs of the Merit System. More detail regarding this job is available by clicking Apply.

DISCLAIMER:

This job posting is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of the job duties, responsibilities, or skills and abilities required to do the job and may be changed at the discretion of the Personnel Board at any time.