Assistant Chief Fire Officer

Permanent position for Assistant Chief Fire Officer

Remuneration: £140,614 salary with a provided car up to the value of £9,735.

Relocation support is available to a maximum of £14,249 (depending on personal circumstances), of which, the first £8,000 is exempt from tax and NI contributions.

Based at our Service Headquarters near Exeter

Closing Date for applications is 23.59 on Sunday, 26 October 2025.

Are you an ambitious, forward-thinking leader ready for your next challenge? Would you like to live and work in one of the most beautiful parts of the UK?

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is seeking two outstanding leaders to join our service as our Assistant Chief Fire Officers (ACFOs) – one for Service Delivery and one for Service Improvement.

This is an exciting time to join us. We are delivering a major change programme to secure long-term sustainability and ensure our communities continue to receive a resilient, high-quality service that meets future challenges.

As the largest non-metropolitan fire and rescue service in England, we have a proud history of keeping people safe through prevention, protection and emergency response. Our Service covers the areas of Devon County, Plymouth City, Somerset, and Torbay Councils. With 83 fire stations and over 1,900 highly skilled and dedicated staff, we protect 1.8 million residents as well as the 1.1 million visitors who come to Devon and Somerset each year.

Our Assistant Fire Officer will report to and support the Deputy Chief Officers (DCO’s) in leading the Service. As part of the Executive Board, you will assist the CFO in creating a vision, direction and culture of the Service which builds public trust and confidence through the delivery of effective services.

Find out more
You will be used to acting with authority under pressure to carry out operational command duties in the event of a major incident.

You will demonstrate a strong track record of innovation, transformation, and modernisation in a large organisation.

More information on the role, full job description / person specification, and benefits package can be found in the attached Application pack.

Benefits:

Here are the benefits you can expect:

Leading the largest fire service outside of London
relocation package (see page 13 of the application pack)
Service provided vehicle
competitive holiday entitlement
pension scheme
employee assistance programme provided in-house (wellbeing, counselling and physiotherapy provision)
comprehensive rewards and benefits programme.
Lifestyle benefits – a vast range of national and local discounts and offers from retailers, as well as savings on travel, leisure and entertainment.
three yearly medical
various salary sacrifice schemes
We are looking for existing principal officers, Area Managers or substantive competent Group Managers with a proven record of leading organisation-wide change, who can inspire, innovate and influence at the highest level.

How to apply
You will be required to complete an application form via the apply link below, which will include the requirement for you to provide a Personal Impact Statement. Please use the ‘ACFO Personal Impact Statement and Essential Criteria’ template attached below and upload this when requested in the application form.

The personal impact statement relates to each of the four quadrants of the NFCC Leadership Framework as well as professional expertise. Your impact statement should focus on demonstrating your impact at ‘Leading the Service’ level.

The ‘ACFO Personal Impact Statement and Essential Criteria’ template attached also has a section for you to detail how you meet the following essential criteria from the Job Description and Person Specification.

Inspirational leadership at a strategic level with highly effective people management and engagement skills
Significant experience as Group/Area/Brigade Manager leading significant change within a Fire and Rescue Service with a track record in improving organisational effectiveness.
Significant experience in a strategic management role involving decision making, policy formulation and implementation in giving clear direction and advice at a political level.
Substantial experience in the operational control of major incidents.
A performance focus with the drive to deliver agreed outcomes and raise standards of performance.
The closing date for applications is Sunday 26 October 2025 at 23:59. Shortlisting will take place from 27 October 2025 and the selection and interview process will take place during the weeks starting 3 November and 17 November 2025.

If you are interested in applying for this role, please contact our recruitment partners, Fire Knowledge Executive Recruitment for an informal and confidential discussion with Dave Etheridge: Email: dave.etheridge@fireknowledge.co.uk

Please note that the appointment is subject to successful Baseline Personnel Security Standard check (BPSS), Medical Screening, National Security Vetting to Developed Vetting (DV) and an Enhanced DBS Check.

Our values
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and all employees must share this commitment and adhere to the Services Safeguarding Policy.

Fire and 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 to disclose any criminal convictions (both spent and unspent) including driving offences, cautions and/or reprimands.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority are committed to the rehabilitation of offenders, as such any positive disclosures will incorporate a reasonable and proportionate response.

As a Service and as individuals:

We are proud to help
We are honest
We are respectful
We are working together
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service recognise and celebrate the vast diversity of the local communities we serve and aspire for this to be reflected in our workforce, We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds, experience and beliefs, who share our values to join our team.