Job Title:      Group Manager – Operational Recruitment, Effectiveness and Training

Location: Training Centre (Maidstone)

Date Advertised:           8th May 2026

Closing date:                  24th May 2026

Salary:                         £64,013 per annum + Officer FDS Allowance of 28%

Vacancy Ref:                  R001018

Being the Group Manager – Operational Recruitment, Effectiveness and Training

The Group Manager, Operational Recruitment, Effectiveness and Training at Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is a critical leadership role with enhanced responsibility for delivering service excellence. Responsible for the strategic management, co-ordination, design and delivery of the organisation’s operational core training requirements from acquisition through to competency and on to mastery to ensure they meet required standards and realise statutory obligations, organisational goals.

You will be responsible for providing strategic leadership, ownership and assurance of the organisation’s initial pathway to competence and maintenance of competency including Fires and firefighting and rescue from vehicles, ensuring these are fit for purpose, compliant with fire standards, National Operational Guidance and statutory obligations, and aligned to organisational priorities across wholetime and on-call duty systems.

What you’ll do

As the Group Manager, Operational Recruitment, Effectiveness and Training, you will drive the delivery of customer-focused learning activities within the Training Centre environment and supporting the development of centres for excellence for learning on every station. Your core responsibilities will include:

  • Continued Development: Drive the pathway to competence and maintenance of competency including the development and co-ordination of all pathway learning programmes, ensuring the structure remains fit for purpose.
  • Governance and Assurance: You will be accountable for the formal sign-off for Pathway to competency and maintenance of competency. Ensuring assessment, moderation and approval processes are robust, auditable and compliant with fire standards and National Operational Guidance.
  • Operational Learning: You will be accountable for the monitoring and evaluation of the operational learning strategies/development programmes to ensure service delivery performance against agreed targets

What you’ll bring:

We are looking for a leader who acts with unquestionable integrity and personal resilience. To succeed in this role, you will bring:

  • Inclusive Leadership: A profound understanding of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles, with a track record of fostering high-performing, inclusive workplace cultures.
  • Practical Knowledge: Extensive practical knowledge and understanding of pathway to competency and pathway to mastery as a standardised approach to the maintenance of competency
  • Course Development: You will have an uunderstanding of course development, design, delivery and underpinning learning theory
  • Strategic Vision: The ability to think strategically and develop customer-focused strategies that address both corporate and operational risks.
  • Communication Skills: Exceptional relationship management skills, with the ability to consult and negotiate effectively with unions, board members, and external partners.
  • Sector Knowledge: A thorough understanding of the Fire Sector context, including the Fire & Rescue Services Act, Health & Safety legislation, and community risk analysis.

You are eligible to apply if you:

To be considered for this position, you must meet the essential knowledge and experience criteria in the job description / personal specification. You will also be required to have the following:

  • Command Qualification: You hold an Intermediate Incident Command (ICS L2 SFJ Level 4) qualification. You will also be required to hold or secure within 6 months ICS L3 SFJ Level 6 qualification and have a minimum of 20 command hours within the previous 12 months.
  • Continued Professional Development: You possess an Annual CPD log of 25 hours (equivalent to IFE Graduate Grade), or submission of an equivalent record for external applicants
  • Leadership Development: You will have completed the middle leadership programme (MLP) or have equivalent demonstratable evidence

You must be willing to work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends, and can travel throughout the county and nationally as required.

PLEASE NOTE: the successful applicant will:

  • Be required to pass pre-employment checks including Disclosure & Barring, National Security Clearance (SC), and Non-Police Personnel Vetting Level 3.
  • Live within Kent or close to the Kent border, for the purposes of being able to provide operational response cover.