We're Hiring - Fire Chief

The City of Portage la Prairie is seeking a strong, forward-thinking leader to serve as Fire Chief, providing strategic and operational leadership for the City’s Fire Department.

Portage la Prairie is a growing, dynamic community in southern Manitoba, offering a high quality of life, a diverse economy, and a collaborative municipal environment. The City delivers a full range of municipal services and works closely with regional partners, including the surrounding Rural Municipality, to support a safe, resilient, and thriving community.

Position Overview

Reporting to the City Manager and serving as a member of the Senior Management Team, the Fire Chief is responsible for the overall leadership, administration, and operation of the Fire Department. This includes oversight of emergency response operations, fire prevention, training programs, and emergency preparedness initiatives.

The Fire Department provides services to both the City of Portage la Prairie and the surrounding RM through established service agreements, making this a role with meaningful regional impact and collaboration.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership to all aspects of the Fire Department
• Ensure effective emergency response, fire suppression, prevention, inspection, and public education programs
• Attend major fire and other emergency scenes, providing support and direction for incident commanders.
• Lead training, emergency preparedness, and incident command operations
• Develop and manage departmental budgets, long-range plans, and resource allocation
• Foster a culture of safety, professionalism, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Provide leadership in labour relations within a unionized environment
• Ensure compliance with all applicable legislation, regulations, codes, and standards
• Contribute to the overall strategic direction of the City through participation on the Senior Management Team
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with regional, provincial, and community stakeholders

Qualifications & Experience

• Undergraduate degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Fire Protection, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive leadership experience in fire services, emergency management, or public safety, preferably within a municipal and/or unionized environment
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, budgeting, and organizational leadership
• Strong knowledge of legislation, codes, and standards governing fire services and emergency management
• Proven leadership in labour relations, including experience working within collective agreements
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities
• Must possess comprehensive NFPA certifications covering firefighting, hazardous materials response, apparatus operation, instruction, safety, inspection, investigation, and incident command.

Why Join Portage la Prairie?

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a vital public safety service in a community that is continuing to grow and evolve. The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping the future of fire and emergency services in Portage la Prairie and the surrounding region.

Compensation

This position is available immediately. Salary will be commensurate with experience and falls within the City’s established range of $133,363 to $156,897, along with a comprehensive benefits package. Regular hours of work are Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.  This is a salaried position, and it is the expectation of the city that working hours will balance to the needs of the department. This position requires the capability of dealing with after hour emergency incident and attending meetings as required.

Application Process

Please submit your cover letter and resume to:

Human Resources Office
City of Portage la Prairie
97 Saskatchewan Avenue East
Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 0L8
Email:  careers@city-plap.com

Applications must be received by 4:30pm Friday June 5th, 2026 and marked “Fire Chief”. The posting will remain open, and applications may continue to be considered until the position is successfully filled.

The City of Portage la Prairie is committed to an inclusive, barrier-free environment and will accommodate the needs of applicants under the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process.  We thank all applicants for their interest; only those advancing in the competition will be contacted.  If contacted to participate in the process, please advise if you require an accommodation.