Assistant Chief Fire Officer

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is a high performing, innovative and progressive organisation that has high ambitions for the service that it provides to the communities and people of Cheshire.

Due to the impending retirement of the current postholder, the Fire Authority is inviting applications for the post of Assistant Chief Fire Officer.

The successful candidate will possess a detailed understanding of the issues relating to the Fire and Rescue Service at national and local levels, have strong political acuity and be an inspiring and outstanding leader. The Fire Authority will also be looking for an individual who is genuinely committed to staff engagement, diversity and inclusion and who will be able to influence others whilst ensuring the Service has strong leadership to shape and direct service provision and uphold the existing high standards of performance, and the positive culture currently in place. Candidates will also need to demonstrate resilience and excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to execute ambitious programmes of change.

Applications are invited from competent Area Managers and existing Brigade Managers who are in possession of a Level 4 Incident Command and a MAGIC qualification so they can participate in the Principal Officers on-call rota. The selection process will comprise of three stages, the first will entail a psychometric assessment, technical interview and stakeholder panel with members of staff, the second stage will be a command assessment and media assessment, and the third stage will be an interview and presentation with Members of the Fire Authority.

Full details are available in a Recruitment Pack below.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer - Recruitment Pack

Initial application will be via the submission of a CV accompanied by a supporting statement of up to 2,000 words outlining suitability for the role against the job description and person specification.

These should be emailed to recruitment@cheshirefire.gov.uk quoting job reference number 53/24/ACFO.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Laura Flanagan on 01606 868810 or 07929 784791, in order to arrange a telephone call with Alex Waller, Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive.

Closing date: Monday 13 January at 17:00 hours

Selection process

The selection of the Assistant Chief Fire Officer will be undertaken by Members of  Cheshire Fire Authority’s Brigade Managers Pay and Performance Committee. The process will also involve the Chief Fire Officer, members of the Senior Leadership Team, and independent HR and Media Consultants.

To apply candidates are required to submit a CV accompanied by a supporting statement of up to 2,000 words that will demonstrate suitability against the job description and person specification.

Stage One - Wednesday 29 January 2025

• Psychometric Assessment

• Technical interview with the Chief Fire Officer and independent HR Consultant

• Stakeholder Panel with members of the Service’s Staff Networks

Stage Two - Wednesday 5 February 2025

• Command Assessment

• Media Assessment with independent Media Consultants

Stage Three - Friday 12 February 2025

• Presentation to Members of the Brigade Managers Pay and Performance Committee on a topic given prior to the interview

• Formal Interview with Members of the Brigade Managers Pay and Performance Committee

Reasonable Adjustments and Accommodations

It is important that you consider at an early stage of the process if you would like to request arrangements that will assist you in completing the selection process. For example, in relation to disability; a neurodiverse condition such as dyslexia; pregnancy; religion or belief; or injury etc. Any requests for reasonable adjustments will be treated with the utmost confidence. For support or further information please email: recruitment@cheshirefire.gov.uk

Post Process

The successful candidates will be issued with a conditional offer and will undergo preemployment checks including medical, Standard DBS check and referencing prior to the issue of a formal offer of appointment. Feedback will be available to both successful and unsuccessful candidates upon request after the process has concluded.