Are you an ambitious, visionary leader ready to shape the future of fire and rescue services? County Durham and Darlington Combined Fire Authority is seeking an exceptional individual to join our leadership team as Deputy Chief Fire Officer.
We are looking for someone who can deliver a professional, innovative, and high-performing service, ensure the safety and wellbeing of our communities while meet all statutory and legal responsibilities. This is a unique opportunity to influence the future direction of a service that is proud to be recognised as high performing, forward-thinking, and trusted by the communities we serve.
Our vision is clear: “Safest People, Safest Places.” To achieve this, we need a leader who can drive transformation, embrace innovation, and work collaboratively with partners during a period of financial challenge for public services. Your ability to lead change, inspire confidence, and maintain excellence will help us stand out and continue delivering outstanding services.
We are looking for an individual with a proven track record of senior leadership and delivering organisational change in complex, political, and unionised environments. Someone with strong skills in strategic planning, resource management, and decision-making, with the resilience and creativity to navigate competing priorities. Has a leadership style that is inclusive, engaging, and committed to diversity, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
Applicants must have experience at a senior executive level, have a relevant degree (postgraduate) appropriate to the post and have completed a MAGIC course. You should be qualified to and operating at Fire Service Incident Command Level 4 to take an active role in the Executive rota.
If you have the vision, resilience, and leadership skills to shape the future of County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, we want to hear from you. This is your opportunity to make a real difference, driving innovation, delivering excellence, and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our communities.
For informal discussions only, prior to the application deadline, please contact Chief Fire Officer, Steve Helps, on 030300 32929
Application packs are available by emailing humanresources@ddfire.gov.uk and should be returned electronically to the same place.
The deadline for applications is 0900 hours on 6 February 2026
Assessment Centre: 13 February 2026
Final Interview: 19 February 2026
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.
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and all employees must share this commitment.
Fire & Rescue Authority roles are listed in Schedule 1 of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order and as such it is our policy to require all applicants and employees to disclose any criminal convictions (both spent and unspent) including driving offences, cautions and/or reprimands. Information provided will be treated as strictly confidential and will be considered only in relation to the appointment for which you are applying or in which you work (please refer to the guidance notes www.gov.uk/guidance/rehabilitation-periods for more information).
Legislative change enables Fire and Rescue Services to be eligible for a Standard level Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for employees of the Service, including volunteers. Applicants are required to inform us of any pending or incomplete investigations of a safeguarding nature that are ongoing, or that arise during periods of application and pre-employment. A table of rehabilitation periods for the most common sentences and disposals, and example scenarios can be found here www.gov.uk
Our Fire and Rescue Authority are committed to the rehabilitation of offenders, as such, any risk assessments used for positive disclosures will incorporate both a reasonable and proportionate response
To apply for this job email your details to humanresources@ddfire.gov.uk.