Wholetime Station Manager B Assessment & Development Centre – County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service

CDDFRS are seeking to assess ambitious and forward-thinking individuals for the Service’s Wholetime SMB talent pool.
Applications are invited from wholetime, competent, Watch Managers and above.

The SM role is both rewarding and challenging, requiring a proven track record in planning, leading high-performing teams, supporting cultural change, and developing yourself and others.
Candidates must be achievement-focused, with strong communication, negotiation and influencing skills, and be committed to driving improvements that make a meaningful difference to the communities we serve.

The Service is looking for inspiring and supportive leaders with outstanding leadership skills. Successful candidates will be able to deliver transformational change and demonstrate a strong commitment to all aspects of diversity.

At a challenging time for public sector organisations, CDDFRS aims to stand out by continuing to work collaboratively with partners to provide the best possible services for local communities.
Those who successfully passed CDDFRS’ the previous assessment centre for Station Manager level and are already in the talent pool need not apply.

Application packs are available by emailing humanresources@ddfire.gov.uk and should be returned electronically to the same place.

For informal discussions, prior to the application deadline, please contact:
Jon Singleton, Group Manager Training, Email: jon.singleton@ddfire.gov.uk, Mobile: 07484030558

Deadline for applications is 09.00 hrs on Friday 11 September 2026

The Assessment Centre is a two stage process:
Stage 1 Assessment Centre: 21 – 24 September 2026
– Management Dilemma
– Behavioural Interview
– Media Assessment
Only candidates who successfully pass the stage 1 will progress to stage 2.
Stage 2 Assessment Centre: 6 – 9 October 2026
– Incident Command

Further details of this role can be found in the job description which is included in the application pack.

CDDFRS welcomes applications from all eligible candidates, however as women and black and minority ethnic employees are currently under-represented in our management roles, we encourage applications from these groups