Contract: Fixed term contract – 12 months
Working Hours: 37
Salary: £34,434.00 pa
Location: Service HQ, Kelvedon Park
Closing Date: 31st July 2026
*We are open to discuss working arrangements including flexibility over hours and location, however the expectation is that, as a hybrid role your work will be balanced between home and Services facilities, and you will be expected to attend the Service premises for at least 3 days of a 5-day working week.
What Are We Looking For?
Our ideal person will be someone with a positive outlook who is keen to support our communities by helping us attract the right people to help make Essex safer together.
You will share the Service values of being professional, naturally inclusive, trustworthy, as well as being courageous in your decision making, and a high performer. A credible representative of Essex County Fire & Rescue Service, with a commitment to providing excellent customer service to our managers, our applicants, and our communities.
The Role
You will provide efficient, professional, and friendly customer service as the subject matter specialist for recruitment and attraction.
You will advise our managers and other colleagues (e.g., Comms & Marketing) to attract and recruit the right people to support the Service’s needs and goals.
You will help us to improve our processes and the candidate and hiring manager experience.
What You Will Be Working On
From advert to induction, full recruitment advice, support, guidance and administration for roles at all levels across the Service.
Accurately and efficiently maintaining Applicant Tracking System
Supporting our positive action agenda, including attraction work in our communities, and attending recruitment and careers events
Design and development of assessment materials and practices
Eligibility
Experience in an in-house recruitment role
Level 3 standard of education (e.g. A-level), or equivalent experience.
If you are an internal candidate, you must have discussed your application with your line manager and confirmed with them there are no outstanding issues of conduct or performance. This will be verified prior to shortlisting.
How to apply
You will be required to submit a CV detailing a minimum of five years employment and / or education history, along with a supporting statement of no more than 750 words that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria detailed in the Person Specification.
You may submit this either as a word document, pdf, or an mp3 (voice note) or mp4 (video), however the word count of your supporting statement should not exceed 750 words no matter which format you choose to present your application.
You may attach separate documents (such as qualifications) should you wish. Your CV and additional documents will be referred to in shortlisting to confirm eligibility (e.g., your current role and any existing qualifications).
Assessment and selection:
The assessment and selection approach will be:
Stage 1
Application & shortlisting (assessment of your supporting statement will be made against the essential criteria) WC 3rd August 2026
Stage 2
Interview: The formal interview will probe your skills and experience, related to the performance of the role, as well as your values, ethics, and behaviours.
Interviews are currently planned W/C 10th August ’26.
Assessments will be made against positive indicators taken from the Code of Ethics and the NFCC Leadership Framework.
You can find the NFCC Leadership Framework here: NFCC_Leadership_Framework_Final.pdf (nationalfirechiefs.org.uk)
And guidance around the Code of Ethics here:
Core Code of Ethics England Guidance May 21 V0.pdf (ukfrs.com)
Guidance on Safeguarding polices can be found here:
Essex Fire – Safeguarding Statements
Should you wish to have an informal discussion with regards to the role, please contact Kay Shelley, Head of Resourcing and Development via email to kay.shelley@essex-fire.gov.uk
Our Culture and Benefits
Here at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service we are committed to prioritising and promoting the wellbeing of our employees.
You can find out more about our benefits at https://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/recruitment/benefits
Important Information for Firefighter Pension Scheme Pensioners
If you are currently in receipt of a pension from the Firefighter Pension Scheme, please note that taking up this role may affect your pension. Under pension abatement rules, if your earnings in this role, when combined with your pension, exceed your pre-retirement salary (adjusted for inflation), your pension may be reduced.
For further guidance, please contact our Pensions team on 01376 576799 or email mailbox.pensions@essex-fire.gov.uk
Safeguarding
Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
It is our policy to require all applicants for employment to disclose if you are currently being investigated by any regulatory body or have any decisions or sanctions pending or in progress in respect of your suitability to work for the Service.
You agree to inform the Service within 24 hours if you are subsequently investigated by any agency or organisation in relation to concerns about your behaviour towards children, young people or vulnerable adults.
The information you provide will be treated as strictly confidential and will be considered only in relation to the appointment for which you are applying.
This role will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Disability Confident
We are an equal opportunity, Disability Confident, employer who welcomes applications from all backgrounds. We value diversity and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Applications are considered solely on merit.
Should you wish to discuss support, or access further information, from one of these groups, please contact Equality.Diversity@essex-fire.gov.uk
You are also able to raise any queries or requests for support, including any adjustments you may require, at any stage of the process by email to recruitment@essex-fire.gov.uk
You can find out more about Essex County Fire & Rescue Service via www.essex-fire.gov.uk and about our vacancies and application processes via www.essex-fire.gov.uk/join-essex-fire