Chief of Operations​/Deputy Director

PLEASE ATTACH THE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS LISTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE

Job
Agency:
Public Safety - Wildland Fire

Location:

Rapid City, SD Salary: $76,317.44 - $90,828.00 Annual Salary, depending on qualifications
Pay Grade: L
Closing Date: 02/05/2026

South Dakota Wildland Fire is hiring a Chief of Operations/Deputy Director . This is a Full-Time position with the Department of Public Safety. For more information on SD Wildland Fire, please visit (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). For more information on the Department of Public Safety, please visit .

• Leads firefighters in wildland fire suppression and other emergency management operations.
• Provides direction to the fire management program by ensuring safe and effective fire management operations. This includes development of annual operating plans, memorandums of understanding and joint powers agreements with other agencies and municipal and volunteer fire departments.
• Provide leadership and direction to operations staff, including the Training Program Manager, District Office Program Manager, Handcrew Program Manager.
• Lead strategic planning to guide the future of the agency and build firefighting capacity.
• Develops statewide wildfire management program goals and creates policies and procedures to accomplish those goals.
• Provides leadership for the agencies prescribed fire program to reduce fuel loading, improve wildlife habitat, and prevent catastrophic wildfire.
• Assist with the development of the agency budget for submission to the department secretary.
• Attend negotiations of cost-share agreements with federal land management agencies.
• Represent the agency at meetings with other state agencies to negotiate and review MOU's and JPA's.
• Represent South Dakota and agency on regional and national sub-committees.
• Act on the Director's behalf when the Director is not available.

The successful candidate will be allowed to travel out of state for federal fire assignments. Please contact the hiring manager for more information.

• NWCG certification as Division Group Supervisor and Incident Commander Type 3

• Works in a typical office environment.
• Works in fire management situations that are inherently dangerous and are exposed to unpredictable fire behavior, burns, smoke, dust, and extreme temperatures exacerbated by the need for and weight of protective gear.
• Works around heavy equipment and aircraft in operation with limited visibility.
• Walks and works in rough terrain.
• Performs continuous and hard physical labor using hand and power tools.
• Is required to pass an annual pack test at the arduous level.

Applicants will be required to answer a series of job related questions when submitting an application for this job.

• NWCG qualifications:
  Division Group Supervisor, Incident Commander Type 3
• Effective communicator both orally and written
• Highly motivated with the ability to work independently
• Passion for development of future leaders

• fire ecology, fire behavior, and fire management theories, concepts, principles, and standards in a wildland fire environment;
• policies, techniques and practices of wildland firefighting obtained through substantial service as a primary firefighter;
• principles, practices, and concepts of wildland fire management (e.g., fire effects, fire hazard and risk analysis, fuel and smoke management, incident management, prescribed fire, and fire use) sufficient to perform program development and oversight for the fire and aviation management programs;
• laws, regulations, and agency policies and procedures applicable to the use and protection of natural and cultural resources;
• accepted wildland fire safety practices and procedures;
• latest technological advances in fire management sufficient to evaluate their applicability to specific situations;
• budgeting policy, procedures and techniques sufficient to develop program budgets and annual work plans;
• capabilities, limitations, approved safety standards, and operating procedures of commonly used fixed and rotary wing aircraft;
• supervisory policies, procedures, and methods in order to manage a diverse workforce;
• c…