Area Manager – South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (SYFR) is seeking a values-driven and forward-thinking strategic candidate to join our Senior Leadership Team as an Area Manager.

The right candidate will help us deliver our aspiration of “Making South Yorkshire safer and stronger”.

They will contribute to shaping the culture and direction of the service whilst providing leadership to key departments, to achieve continuous organisational, service and performance improvement.

Like other fire and rescue services, this role goes beyond command and delivery.

It is an opportunity to shape culture, develop people, and create lasting change across a modern public service. You will also provide operational leadership at the Strategic command level as required.

About Us

Our goal is simple: Making South Yorkshire safer and stronger.

Our latest HMICFRS inspection (published July 2025) recognised that we have made progress in areas such as response, prevention, and organisational culture, with several areas graded as “Good.”

However, the inspection also identified that further progress is required to deliver a consistently high-performing service, including strengthening leadership, workforce development, performance management, risk information and operational effectiveness.

We have a clear improvement programme in place, and this role will be central to delivering that change.

About the role

The role of Area Manager is an integral part of our Senior Leadership Team and is intrinsic in ensuring the provision of a professional, inclusive, innovative and effective fire and rescue service in accordance with all statutory and legal duties.

The service has three Area Managers, each responsible for one of the following portfolios:

• Service Delivery
• Service Improvement
• Service Development

What We Are Looking For

We are seeking an outstanding candidate who:

Demonstrates effective strategic leadership at Group Manager level, with a proven track record in organisational change and service improvement.

Operates with an open, inclusive and engaging leadership style that builds trust, while actively championing equality, diversity and a positive organisational culture in line with national expectations.

Skilled in translating complex data and risk they bring strong capability in performance management, governance and continuous improvement, and consistently develop credible, constructive relationships with staff, partners and communities.

You will also be aware of the issues facing the fire sector, including culture, workforce capability, and financial sustainability, and be able to turn these into opportunities for improvement and innovation.

You will role model our behaviours of honesty, integrity and respect in all that you do. This will require an open, transparent and inclusive style and the ability to develop positive relationships with all internal and external stakeholders.