Chief Fire Officer / Chief Executive of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service

Cumbria Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority is seeking to appoint a senior strategic leader who will focus on making Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service an outstanding service for the public of Cumbria. Regardless of whether you are from an Operational or Non-Operational background, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is looking for an exceptional individual with resilience who can lead the Service and continue to build and motivate a mixed workforce whilst providing a safe and legal service to the communities across the county.

At a time of ongoing reform of public services and a challenging financial environment, the Chief Fire Officer / Chief Executive will champion the transformation of CFRS, engaging, inspiring, and empowering others, building on our existing open and inclusive culture to seek continual improvement in performance across the Service and the wider strategic footprint of the county.

As the Chief Fire Officer / Chief Executive, you must be able to lead, manage and inspire all Fire staff, ensuring their wellbeing, acting with integrity and transparency whilst fostering a culture based on trust, both internally within the organisation and with the public. Ensuring public confidence in the Fire and Rescue Service within Cumbria is a key objective.

To succeed in this role, you will need to be an ambitious, dynamic and visionary leader. I seek an individual who can take the opportunity to develop a strategic plan with me which effectively addresses current challenges and aspires to make CFRS an outstanding service; and to continually develop Blue Light Collaboration across the county.

If you believe you can offer this to Cumbria and are ready for this challenging, yet incredibly rewarding, role then we would welcome your application.

Applicants must have Senior Leadership experience. Cumbria Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner is committed to Equal Opportunities and all applicants will be assessed on an equal basis that determines their suitability to the post applied for.

This role is offered on a full-time basis and has an annual salary of £128,750 + a 10% Operational Allowance for operational staff.

Any appointment is subject to a confirmatory hearing process by the Police, Fire & Crime Panel, and will also be subject to relevant legislation and other such other conditions as may be agreed by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

The closing date for applications is Friday 3 January 2025 @ 12 noon and shortlisting will be undertaken on Monday 6 January 2025, following which applicants will be notified of the outcome.

Candidates selected to progress to interview will be asked to attend a Familiarisation and Information Day on Friday 10 January 2025 at Cumbria Fire and Rescue Police Headquarters in Penrith. The interview and assessment process will take place on Monday 13 January 2025.

For any further information please contact Mrs Joanne Head, Governance Manager for the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, by email or telephone 01768 217734

To apply for this role please see the recruitment pack and equal opportunities monitoring form below:

CFO/CEX Recruitment Pack                    Monitoring Form