County Coordinator

County of San Benito 

County Coordinator 

SALARY  $10,320 – $12,040 Monthly 

LOCATION San Benito Fire Safe Council 
440 San Benito St, Hollister, CA 95023

INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD REPLY TO:

[email protected]

ORGANIZATION San Benito Fire Safe Council

OPENING DATE July 1, 2026

Position Description 

The County of San Benito is a diverse community set in a picturesque Central California location and offers tourists and residents alike the comfort of a moderate, Mediterranean climate, spectacular mountain ranges, low-rolling foothills, and scenic valleys.

Department Summary 

The San Benito Fire Safe Council (SBFSC)  serves as a coordinating body to identify and mitigate wildfire risks across the county. SBFSC is responsible for partnering with county residents for wildfire risk management through the organization and support of Firewise USA communities, identifying wildfire risk reduction programs with sponsoring agencies and securing grants for the execution of those programs, and partnering with fire agencies across the county. 

Join the SBFSC  to advance its mission of wildfire risk reduction across San Benito county.  We are a high-performing, community-focused organization that values collaboration, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving to build a safer, more wildfire-resilient San Benito County. 

Position Summary 

The current vacancy is a full-time, 15 month position. 

The County Coordinator is a grant-funded, limited term, full-time professional position responsible for advancing countywide wildfire mitigation, preparedness, and resilience initiatives. The position supports coordinated implementation of adopted plans, including the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), and strengthens alignment among fire protection districts, County departments, state and federal agencies, community based organizations, and the public. 

Under direction, the Coordinator serves as the central point of coordination for wildfire prevention, risk reduction, and strategic planning efforts. The role includes development, update, and maintenance of wildfire-related plans and annexes; drafting and recommending policy measures to improve defensible space compliance, land use integration, and vegetation management standards; and ensuring consistency with state and federal guidance, local ordinances, and established fire service practices. 

Primary responsibilities include facilitating cross-jurisdictional coordination; leading plan writing and updates for the CWPP and related documents; supporting defensible space and home hardening outreach; assisting with fuels reduction and vegetation management planning; identifying and pursuing supplemental funding opportunities; tracking performance metrics and preparing required grant reporting; and developing public-facing educational materials aligned with County and partner agency standards. 

This position requires sound judgment, strong organizational and analytical skills, and the ability to translate technical wildfire risk data into practical planning and policy recommendations. The Coordinator must apply a public safety lens to all activities, prioritize wildfire risk reduction strategies grounded in established best practices, and ensure compliance with grant requirements, County policies, and applicable regulations. 

Duties and Deliverables

• The County Coordinator will review and become familiar with San Benito County CWPP and Regional Priority Plan (RPP) documents and coordinate with local agencies currently involved in socializing completed the CWPP and RPP , attend any related meetings, maintain information on the SBFSC website to enable the public to easily locate, access, and review the current draft of the CWPP/RPP, collaborate with San Benito Wildfire Resilience Core Collaborator Group to conduct public educational webinars on the CWPP and RPP. 
• Support the communication and execution of San Benito’s county-level wildfire mitigation network by developing and executing a plan in partnership with CAL FIRE unit or contracted entity to regularly engage key community wildfire resilience stakeholders.
• Standardize data collection to track local and statewide wildfire resilience progress by continuing to contribute to the California Fire Safe Council (CFSC) GIS Networking Portal and collaborate with CAL FIRE Unit and Contract County Fire Planning staff to support development of a statewide CWPP boundary and attribute database by identifying existing CWPPs within the county and confirming the availability of associated spatial or descriptive planning area information.
• Accelerate home hardening, defensible space implementation, evacuation and resilience planning, and public education and outreach  by attending at least one CAL FIRE-hosted Defensible Space Assessor Training session and providing educational presentations or workshops for Firewise communities and local Fire Safe Councils. 
• Strengthen strategic partnerships – including engagement of vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations – to support county-wide implementation and cross-pollination by engaging a broad and diverse set of mitigation entities within the county, including nontraditional or historically excluded organizations, in countywide meetings and forums with a focus on wildfire resilience outreach, planning, and/or implementation. 
• Enhance efficiency and capacity for achieving community wildfire resilience by:
  • Presenting project scope of work, deliverables, and impacts presentation to the county’s Board of Supervisors to ensure that county leadership is informed and can effectively keep the County Coordinator tied into the county’s priorities and plans. 
  • Directly and actively supporting intra-county wildfire mitigation organizations and agencies in developing and submitting collaborative funding proposals and/or planning to develop readiness to apply for and accept grant funding. 
• Attend the 2026 and 2027 CFSC Networking and Peer Learning Workshops in Sacramento, CA.
• Perform routine County Coordinator functions of:
  • Submitting  quarterly programmatic and fiscal reports and required closeout documentation
  • Participate in Check-in Meetings with the assigned Grant Specialist
  • Providing SBFSC recurring administrative assistance and execution of SBFSC existing CAL Fire and PG&E grants, IT function maintenance, website maintenance, and monthly SBFSC meetings 
  • Attend CFSC’s virtual County Coordinator Monthly Meeting series
  • Complete additional impact metrics trackers as requested by CFSC
• Develop, design and provide for the recruitment, selection, training and exercises development of Firewise communities. Identify training needs of community and county stakeholders and prepare, develop and execute training and educational programs and ongoing exercise training sessions/programs.
• Conduct, facilitate and/or attend information seminars, conferences, presentations, public and professional meetings, and meetings with representatives of schools, community, business and industry to discuss, assess, and develop effective plans for wildfire risk management.

The Successful Candidate 

Will have a passion to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, abilities: 

• Enhanced understanding of county-wide wildfire risks and their mitigation  through the execution of the county’s recently-updated CWPP. 
• Comprehensive knowledge of community-level wildfire mitigation practices as advocated by the Firewise USA program.
• Experience in forming Firewise communities, assembling community members, performing risk assessments within those communities, and coaching them through their Firewise application submission processes. Experience in procedures and practices for communities, having achieved Firewise certification, enabling them to maintain these certifications through yearly metrics reporting.
• Principles and practices of emergency services planning, including whole community planning, core capabilities, current technology, trends and techniques in the areas of emergency and disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. 
• Principles of organization, planning, management, supervision, training/development and personnel administration. 
• Federal, state, regional and local emergency services programs, community organization and resources. 
• Functions and organization of local governmental structures including the application of public safety operations, i.e. general functions of the Sheriff’s Department, police, EMS and fire departments, CAL Fire and other public safety agencies. 
• Familiarity with web-based office tools, specifically Google Workspace tools, for performance of SBFSC operations and functions. 

Skill and Ability to: 

• Research, analyze and evaluate complex data, reports, problems, information, critical situations, policies, and procedures related to wildfire risks, and recommend effective resolution and implementation, and/or prepare periodic reports required by Federal, State and County agencies. 
• Communicate effectively in writing and orally, to prepare comprehensive oral and written reports in support of management objectives, i.e. administrative, technical and statistical reports; write comprehensive emergency response plans; to speak before public officials, the press, and the general public in order to promote and gain concurrence and cooperation. 
• Effectively manage, train, develop and motivate County employees and stakeholders in wildfire risk management principles. 
• Establish and maintain effective public relations and working relationships with those contacted through the course of work. 
• Perform a variety of tasks simultaneously. 

Examples of Experience/Education/Training 

Any combination of training, education and/or experience which provides the knowledge, skills and abilities and required conditions of employment is qualifying. An example of a way these requirements might be acquired is: 

Education: 

College course work equivalent to a Bachelor’s Degree in public or business administration, disaster planning or related field from an accredited college or university. Preference will be given to candidates with degrees or coursework in the fields of forestry, resource management or emergency management. 

AND 

Experience: 

Approximately three years of increasingly responsible administrative or management experience in an organization which has included planning, development, and organizing of disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts within or in close coordination with an office of emergency services, public safety organization or related domain, administrative procedures and policies, budget and program analysis in the area of emergency services, or a closely related field. 

OR 

Certification: 

Candidates in possession of a NFPA CWMS (Community Wildfire Mitigation Specialist) certification are preferred. Other relevant certifications and training include participation in the (NWCG) National Wildfire Coordination Group, FEMA, and other related training. 

AND 

Experience: 

Approximately two years of increasingly responsible administrative or management experience in a large organization which has included planning and development of administrative procedures and policies, budget and program analysis in the area of emergency services, or a closely related field. 

Additional Information 

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT 

The required conditions of employment include, but are not limited to the following: 

• This position requires the County Coordinator to be accessible to the public at a location within San Benito County. The County Coordinator will be required to conduct his/her duties no less than one full day per week at an office location located at the Community Foundation of San Benito County in Hollister, CA. 
• Occasionally be available to report after work hours, work irregular hours  or weekends as required to maintain the County Coordinator’s access to county residents, host SBFSC functions, etc.,. 
• Possess and maintain a valid California Class C driver’s license or the ability to provide suitable transportation that is approved by the appointing authority. 
• Be available to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and during times of disaster and/or emergency. 
• As an project-based, independently-contracted position, the person filling the position:
• Cannot bill for more than 40 hours per week
• This position is not available for overtime under FLSA

BENEFITS: 

This is a contractor position. The selected contractor’s services will be contracted though an Employer Of Record that has been selected by the grant’s fiscal sponsor.  This information is not legally binding, nor does it serve as a contract.