How To Become A Section Chief: What It Is and Career Path

What is a section chief and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

All chiefs, whether they are heads of tribal groups, clans, or a large staff, are great leaders. Section chiefs are no different. Section chiefs lead a team of workers to achieve the goals of their organization. They also take care of any organizational duties needed to help the team succeed, like gathering relevant materials or filling out relevant paperwork.

Section chiefs can work in many different fields. Some section chiefs work in the military and lead their soldiers through nail-biting missions. Other section chiefs work for hospitals and are in charge of all of the doctors in a specific department. Some section chiefs specialize in emergency response and disaster management.

No matter where they work, the job of a section chief is often tough. They work long hours under stressful conditions to complete life-saving tasks. They are responsible for the well-being of their team and all the people that they are helping. Their leadership helps many people get out of difficult situations. In exchange for their leadership, section chiefs earn an average of $78,984 a year.

ScoreSection ChiefUS Average

Salary

6.2

Avg. Salary $78,816

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.3

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.25%

Asian 2.13%

Black or African American 8.43%

Hispanic or Latino 16.06%

Unknown 4.51%

White 67.63%

Gender

female 11.57%

male 88.43%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress level

9.3

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.4

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a section chief

Explore section chief education requirements

Most common section chief degrees

Bachelor's

40.5 %

Associate

36.4 %

Master's

9.4 %

Start to develop specific section chief skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Procedures	21.75%
Training Programs	9.25%
Professional Development	6.69%
Logistical Support	6.43%
Combat	5.62%

Complete relevant section chief training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New section chiefs learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a section chief based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real section chief resumes.

Gain additional section chief certifications

Section chief certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific section chief certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for section chiefs include Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) and OSHA Safety Certificate .

More About Certifications

Research section chief duties and responsibilities

Manage sortie production on 17 USAF E-8C aircraft worth $6.2 billion.
Manage HAZMAT accumulation storage points and documentation.
Manage training time effectively ensuring employees have every opportunity to learn necessary skills to succeed in a combat environment.
Assist in planning, implementing and administering educational training that enhance performance in combat operations for soldiers to accomplish every mission.

Prepare your section chief resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your section chief resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a section chief resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable section chief resume templates

Build a professional section chief resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your section chief resume.