Tayside Fire & Rescue
Tayside Fire & Rescue

Assistant Chief Fire Officer - Salary £82,262 per annum

Following the promotion of the present Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Tayside Fire and Rescue is seeking to appoint an Assistant Chief Fire Officer.  We are looking for a leader who will champion original thinking, challenge tradition, influence a change in culture and have a strong commitment to diversity and equality.  In return the successful candidate will be rewarded with living and working in one of the UK’s most desirable areas.

The Organisation
Tayside Fire and Rescue’s mission is to Protect the Community by providing the highest standard of community safety and emergency response services to all the communities we serve.  These services are provided to the three unitary authorities of Dundee City, Angus and Perth and Kinross over a geographical area of 7,500 square kilometres and to a resident population of approximately 387,000.  Tayside Fire and Rescue comes under the direction of Tayside Fire and Rescue Board, representation for which is proportional from the three authorities – five from Angus, seven from Dundee City and six from Perth & Kinross Councils. The current strength is 409 wholetime, 294 retained duty system and 36 volunteer firefighters, as well as 21 Control staff and 85 support personnel.  The headquarters are in Dundee, with two headquarters in Dundee and Perth for Community Safety and Risk Management respectively. There are 24 fire stations situated strategically throughout the region, delivering community safety and emergency response services.

Tayside is exceptional in its geographical situation offering a unique blend of urban and rural communities.  The cities of Dundee and Perth have thriving business and academic communities, with excellent primary, secondary and higher education, and offer a very high quality lifestyle.  The rural environments of Angus and Perthshire offer easy access to mountains, hills and glens as well as a large number of sporting facilities, such as golf, skiing, angling, during both summer and winter months.

The Post
As Assistant Chief Fire Officer you will have responsibility for all service support functions.  You will have a proven track record of managerial effectiveness and, as a member of the Management Team, you will contribute to strategy and policy development.  You will assist with the responsibility for administering a revenue budget in the order of £29.1 million and a capital expenditure programme in excess of £1.6 million. You will assist in the development of the strategic and departmental objectives as set out in the Towards a Safer Tayside Action Plan (Tayside Fire and Rescue’s Integrated Risk Management Plan) and ensure that all strategic and departmental action points within Service Support are completed in accordance with the principles of Best Value.  You will constantly monitor and manage the performance of all Service Support aspects of the Service.  You must have a clear grasp of the legislative framework within which the fire and rescue service operates, the current political and organisational issues facing the fire and rescue service, and be able to translate these in to strategic objectives. 

The Person
Applicants should at least hold the role of competent Area Manager (or equivalent) with wide ranging executive experience.  The successful completion of a formal management qualification at degree or Masters Degree level will be considered a desirable attribute.  You should be a persuasive communicator, capable of motivating others and have the ability to work in a political environment being sensitive to the concerns of elected Members.  The ability to demonstrate competence in managing major emergency incidents, including those with a threat to life, is essential. Commitment to diversity and equality, supported by demonstration and leadership of these principles, is also essential.

Application packs, including post details and an application form, can be obtained by contacting Caroline Rochford, Human Resources Manager, at Tayside Fire and Rescue on 01382 306267 or by emailing caroline.rochford@taysidefire.gov.uk.  Applications will only be considered if submitted on the competency based application form in this pack.

Closing date for receipt of applications is 5pm Tuesday 24th June 2008.

Interviews will be held on Wednesday 13th August 2008.

Tayside Fire and Rescue Board – working towards equality