Associate Engineer

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,
• Code compliance activities such as plan review and inspection.

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.

Typical duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Examine plans, perform calculations and review specifications for commercial, industrial, and residential buildings for compliance with the California Building Code, California Fire Code, California State Fire Marshal regulations, and applicable NFPA standards and local ordinances.
• Provide technical advice to consultants, architects, engineers, contractors, developers, department officers and staff, and the Fire Marshal on the application or interpretation of fire safety codes/regulations, and on the resolution of fire safety issues found in the preliminary design of buildings.
• Analyze and evaluate proposals for alternate materials, methods of construction, and/or variances to fire safety codes and regulations.
• Conduct field inspections to ensure that the finished construction complies with approved plans.

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 Suppression Systems, Fire Detection/Fire Alarm Systems, Hazardous Materials and Site Development.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Courtney Stuerwald at Courtney.stuerwald@sanjoseca.gov.