Background:

The current NFCC Operational Communications Lead officer will be retiring and stepping down from this role at the end of March 2025.

The role sits directly under and reports to NFCC’s Operational Preparedness, Response and Resilience (OPRR) Committee.

The NFCC Strategic Lead for Operational Communications will play a vital role in advising senior stakeholders including the Government, engaging control rooms and control leads, and providing leadership across the sector in relation to control room and communication matters.

The primary purpose of the role is to lead FRS on all matters relating to control rooms and technical communications. The Strategic Lead will coordinate strategic advice to FRS’ to assist in effective operations and lead for NFCC on discussions with external stakeholders to influence for the benefit of FRS and the public.

As Chair of NFCC Operational Communications Strategic Board you will be responsible for the delivery of the workplan, with workstreams such as PSTN, MAIT and Fire Ground Radio development, each of these areas has a strategic lead and this role required strategic leadership and support to enable successful delivery.

The successful candidate will be required to:

  • Raise awareness of the opportunities and risks associated with the constantly evolving telecoms technology in the UK to ensure that FRS are prepared in good time to respond to changes or to influence changes as appropriate
  • Support NFCC to seek improvements, where appropriate, to the UK’s telecoms or control room provision to help services become even more resilient
  • Lead on all aspects of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP). This Programme will deliver the Emergency Services Network (ESN), the next generation of secure and resilient emergency services communications in Great Britain (GB), with integrated critical voice, mobile broadband data and significantly more capabilities than the current Airwave system. The role of the NFCC Strategic Lead will be to ensure that FRS interests are well represented, and this is supported by the NFCC Fire Customer Group
  • Be the Airwave Senior Information Risk Owner for FRS and to ensure that Airwave continues to provide high quality communications capability until it is replaced by ESN. The NFCC Strategic Lead will represent FRS at the Emergency Services Airwave Strategy Group

The role involves:

  • Oversight and support to the UK’s 999/112 Liaison Committee which is a key interface between the emergency services, commercial telecoms providers (including BT who are the UK’s only Level 1 Public Service Answering Point), and Government
  • Engaging and supporting control room and communications leads within Services as they respond to the rapidly changing telecoms and control room technology, including supporting the development of appropriate policies and procedures that seek constant improvement of FRS effectiveness
  • Leading NFCC Operational Communications Strategic Board to bring together FRS stakeholders to identify key priorities for control room and communications development and to use networking tools to share good practice
  • Ensure strong relationships are developed between key internal stakeholders such as the Mobilising Officers Group, NFCC ICT & DDaT Leads and ESMCP Fire Customer Group
  • Where appropriate, provide responses on behalf of NFCC to consultations which are relevant to emergency control rooms and telecoms
  • Undertake effective liaison with government departments across the UK to ensure effective alignment with Government policy and strategies linked to emergency control rooms and telecoms, as well as progressing effective partnership working with other public sector organisations, such as the Police, NHS, Ambulance, MCA
  • Liaise directly with the statutory and commercial communications bodies such as Ofcom and commercial telecoms providers on behalf of NFCC and Services, to establish engagement networks and seek opportunities to support effectiveness and innovation
  • Commission and co-ordinate work packages to develop relevant policies and procedures
  • Where necessary proposals/documents will be submitted to OPRR Committee to be taken forward to Council meetings

If you feel that you would be suitable for this role, please send your expression of interest to the NFCC Administration and Secretariat Team by 10 February 2025, midday.

Please note that we cannot accept any other forms of application therefore should you have any difficulties accessing this site, please contact: nfccadminsupport@nfcc.org.uk

If you would like to discuss the opportunity, please contact the current role holder, Ben Norman – Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service & NFCC Strategic Lead for Operational Communications.

Mobile 07780 603984