Assistant Chief Fire Officer x2 – Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

The Role:

Our Service is dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of our communities and staff. As a forward-looking organisation having the right strategic leadership team to set and drive our strategic direction and cultural vision is critical to our future success and sustainability.

We are seeking two Assistant Chief Fire Officers with exceptional judgement, high levels of self-awareness and emotional intelligence, independence of mind who can provide and receive constructive challenge and fresh thinking. They will have a successful track record of leading high performing, inclusive teams, focussed on high standards of service delivery. They will lead change and improvement, inspiring and encouraging others, nurturing an inclusive and progressive organisational culture, where staff feel safe and supported. They will lead with resilience, integrity, embodying the behaviours set out in our code of ethics.

The Assistant Chief Fire Officers support the Chief Fire Officer in providing strategic leadership and advice to ensure the highest standards of service delivery in accordance with all statutory, legal, and other obligations. As part of the Strategic Leadership Team the postholders assist the Chief Fire Officer and the Fire and Rescue Authority in developing and delivering the vision, priorities, and objectives.

The postholders will perform operational command at Gold Strategic Command level and attend other emergency operational incidents as required.

Find out more and apply

Key Responsibilities:

• Visible Leader: Provide strategic leadership, empowerment and direction for the areas of functional responsibility ensuring effective management, resources, process, and systems to ensure high quality service delivery.
• Strategic thinker: Develop and oversee the implementation of strategic plans to ensure organisational learning, development and growth. Act as a professional adviser to the Fire and Rescue Authority and the Chief Fire Officer on policy, strategy and operations relating to Fire and Rescue Services.
• People Focused: Motivate and develop teams to continually support high standards of service delivery championing inclusion, improvement, and transformation. Foster and maintain positive and effective employee relations.
• Financial management: Support the Chief Fire Officer in managing the overall financial budget and through the effective use of resources. Lead efforts to achieve value for money and financial savings while identifying opportunities that will deliver long-term benefits and stability.
• Cultural development: Actively inspire, lead and drive cultural change initiatives, role modelling and promoting behaviours that reflect our commitment to public service, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Operational excellence: Ensure high standards of operational effectiveness, safety, and responsiveness across all levels of the organisation.
• Stakeholder engagement: Foster positive and trusting relationships with a wide range of key stakeholders, including local and national government bodies, community groups, and emergency services partners.
• Innovation and development: Champion new technologies and ways of working that enhance service delivery and workforce capability.

Eligibility criteria

• Competent Area Manager or above.
• An accomplished incident commander, qualified at level 4- strategic command.
• Able to meet required fitness and medical standards.

If you are a charismatic and driven leader with the skills and passion to make a significant impact, and are excited about shaping our organisation to give the best possible services to our communities, we look forward to hearing from you.