Contract: Permanent
Working Hours: 42 hours per week (Day duty)
Salary: Watch Manager B
Location: The role will be based between Kelvedon Park and home, though there will be a requirement to travel to stations and Service Delivery Points around the county on a regular basis to perform the duties of the role
*We are open to discuss working arrangements including flexibility over hours and location
As an operational employee, you will be required to maintain operational competency, and support availability and work from various stations across the county, in line with our Day-Duty Officers Riding (DDOR) principles. This is a requirement of the role and an essential condition to maintaining Grey Book terms and conditions.
The Role
We currently have a vacancy as a Watch Manager – Fire Break and Specialist Intervention Instructor working as part of our award-winning intervention schemes – Firebreak and Fire Cadets.
The individual will be responsible for delivering fire safety programmes which will involve working with the most vulnerable and challenging individuals within the community, implementing initiatives and delivering messages to community organisations and groups.
There will be a requirement to engage and support the delivery of work with partners such as crime reduction partnerships, local authorities, and voluntary agencies as well as any other duties as required to deliver the Prevention strategy.
The purpose of this vital and key role within our Prevention function is to protect and save life, property and the environment by developing and delivering intensive, bespoke interventions involving young people and vulnerable adults, in order to address fire safety and behavioural issues effecting risk and vulnerability in Essex. This role will be within the Education and Specialist Intervention Team.
What Are We Looking For?
We are looking for people with a passion for delivering high level and risk-based community interventions to vulnerable members of the community.
The post holder will be required to have a strong overall knowledge of Prevention and ECFRS work in the community, in particular, Firebreak and Fire Cadet programmes (or equivalent) – as well as experience of teaching across age and ability ranges. There are requirements to travel within and outside the County.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for the role, you must be able to demonstrate that you have:
• successfully completed all relevant operation assessments and compulsory courses, and are competent for your current role as either a Watch Manager, Crew Manager or competent Firefighter for a minimum of twelve months, on the wholetime or day duty system
• you must have a valid and current FiTech of 42 VO2 max, or be actively engaged in a programme of fitness
• you must have a clean full driving license
• discussed your application with your line manager prior to applying (this will be verified during the recruitment process), and confirmed there are no performance or conduct concerns, that there are no current live disciplinary or performance warnings, nor are you subject to any informal management for reasons of conduct or performance
In order of preference, we will review applications from Watch Manager and Substantive Crew Managers first, and then applications from competent Firefighters. If people who are currently substantive Firefighters are successful in achieving the role, they will be substantively promoted to Crew Manager and concurrently temporarily promoted to Watch Manager. Substantive promotion to Watch Manager will be dependent on successful completion of a development plan (anticipated development journey is approximately two years), and demonstration of competence in the role, and operationally.
Further information on this is available on request.
The process
To apply, please submit a supporting statement of no more than 750 words, detailing how you meet the essential requirements of the person specification. Please ensure you have attached the statement before clicking apply. You may also attach a CV if you wish. Your CV will only be referred to for reason of confirming qualifications and eligibility, and not for purposes of shortlisting.
If you are a Crew Manager in either the Service’s Leadership Resourcing and Succession resource or development pool, you do not need to submit a supporting statement, though you do need to click apply.
Closing date for applications is 5pm, Friday 18 August 2023
Interview – w/c 28th August 2023
Stage 1
• Application & shortlisting (assessment will be made against the essential criteria of the person specification)
Stage 2
• Operational assessment*
Stage 3
• Role specific presentation and interview.
*if you are an existing Watch Manager with a valid Initial Incident Command (IC Level 1) you will not need to undertake an operational assessment.
Should you wish to have an informal discussion with regards to the role, please contact Aileen Wilson via aileen.wilson@essex-fire.gov.uk
We are an equal opportunities, disability confident, employer who welcomes applications from everyone and values diversity in our workplace. A commitment to promoting diversity and developing a work environment where all staff are treated with dignity and respect is central to our recruitment process and all applications will be considered solely on merit.
As part of our offer to support all our candidates to perform to the best of their abilities during our recruitment and selection processes and we would like to let you know about a couple of support options you can access, should you wish to, including our employee forums, who are keen and willing to support all of our potential colleagues.
Our employee forums and partners include:
Asian Fire Services Association (AFSA), BEING (our LGBTQ+ employee support network), Christian Fellowship, Ethnic Minority Forum, Men’s Forum, and our Women’s Forum. In addition, we also have a female firefighters operational group.
Further to the above, the Service has a Digital Accessibility Inclusion Group (DAIG) that supports all colleagues to improve their digital skills and provides additional support and guidance to colleagues with neurodivergent strengths and struggles as a result of dyslexia, ADHD, Autism, dyspraxia etc. We want everyone to thrive at work, and so we encourage and enable people to access digital tools to help them perform at your best. The DAIG is a group of colleagues from across the Service that unite to support others as a result of their lived experience and desire to make a difference. They support people with a range of visible and invisible disabilities to identify and access digital workplace adjustments and solutions and may be able to assist with your application too.
Should you wish to discuss support, or access further information, from one of these groups, please contact equalitydiversity@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, application processes and benefits via https://join.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://join.essex-fire.gov.uk/jobs/benefits/
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 an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.