| Location | San Jose, CA |
| Salary | $135,975.84–$172,099.20 Per Year |
Associate Engineer (Fire Protection)
Salary
$135,975.84 - $172,099.20 Annually
Location
San Jose Metropolitan Area
Job Type
Full-Time
Job Number
202601746
DEPART
Fire Department
Opening Date
08/19/2026
Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.
The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY), or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov.
About the Department
The San José Fire Departments (SJFD) mission is to serve the community by protecting life, property, and the environment through prevention and response. SJFD is a high-volume, high-performance, "all hazard" fire department, responding to approximately 93,000 calls for service each year from 33 Fire Stations. SJFD's service area includes a number of high-hazard occupancies, including an international airport; a general aviation reliever airport; five major hospitals (including two trauma centers, and five emergency departments); the SAP Center, home of the NHL's San Jose Sharks (17,500 capacity); PayPal Park, home of MLS's San Jose Earthquakes (18,000 capacity); San José State University (the oldest public institution of higher education on the West Coast) with a student population of 33,409; three super regional malls; approximately 100 high-rise structures; and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
For more information on the San José Fire Department (SJFD), please visit the website here.
Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third-party job board application system. To apply, applicants must complete an application via the City of San Jose's website at www.sanjoseca.gov/citycareers.
Position Duties
The San José Fire Department (SJFD) is seeking to fill two (2) Associate Engineer positions in the Bureau of Fire Prevention (BFP). The Bureau of Fire Prevention (BFP) Development Division contributes to the Department's mission through its primary focus on key areas of responsibility that include public education and outreach services, investigation of fires to determine cause and origin, and code compliance activities such as plan review and inspection.
For more information about BFP, please click here.
Under the general supervision of a Senior Engineer, the Associate Engineer position performs a variety of professional engineering, plan review, and inspection work.
Typical duties include, but are not limited to the following:
The subject of the incumbent's tasks will be focused on one or more of the following Sections of BFP areas: Building Life Safety Systems, Fire Sprinkler/Suppression Systems, Fire Alarm Systems, and Site 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.
Salary range for this classification is:
This range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates' qualifications and experience.
Minimum Qualifications
Education: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the required professional engineering discipline (e.g. Fire Protection, Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, etc.) OR possession of an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certificate.
Experience: Three (3) years of increasingly responsible professional engineering experience.
Acceptable Substitution: A master's degree from an accredited college or university in the required professional engineering discipline may be substituted for one (1) year of professional engineering experience.
Licenses or Certificates: Possession of a valid State of California's driver's license is required.
Form 700: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
Competencies
The ideal candidate will possess the following desirable 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.
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 peoples ideas and thoughts.
Analytical Thinking - Approaches a problem or situation by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.
Customer Service - Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.
Decision Making - Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions.
Planning - Acts to align own units 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.
Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.
Selection Process:
The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicants training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process. 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.
This recruitment is open until filled, however applications received on or before September 11, 2026, will be given first consideration.
If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Denisse Madriz at denisse.madriz@sanjoseca.gov.
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 CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov 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 Citys benefits page 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 website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.
In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks site 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.
01
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.
02
Please select how you best meet the minimum qualifications for the Associate Engineer position:
03
If you possess a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university, please state the degree level, field of study, and name of the issuing accredited college or university. If not, please type N/A.
04
If you have an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certificate, please indicate your certificate number, institution, and year the certificate was awarded to you. If not, please type N/A.
05
Please describe your professional engineering experience that you indicated in the previous question and where you obtained this experience.
06
This position requires a State of California Drivers License. Please select the applicable option that best describes your drivers license, or your ability to possess a valid drivers license.
07
Please describe your experience with the following codes: California Fire Code, California Building Code, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards, California Code of Regulations Title 19 - Public Safety, or any other code(s) you feel is relevant to this position.
08
Please describe your experience in designing, evaluating the design of, plan reviewing, and inspecting/testing fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, and/or fire architectural life safety systems.
Required Question
Employer City of San Jose
Address 200 E Santa Clara St
San Jose, California, 95113
Phone (408) 535-1285
Website https://www.sanjoseca.gov/