Contract:
Permanent
Working Hours:
Full Time, 42 hours per week subject to Grey Book terms and conditions.
2 x Day shift (0800-1800) 2 x Night shift (1800-0800) 4 x Rota days in a rolling 8-day contract.
Salary:
£38,153 per annum
Locations:
Main Control:
Service Headquarters, Kelvedon Park, Rivenhall, Witham, Essex. CM8 3HB.
Secondary Control (When required):
Ongar Fire Station, 67 High Street, Ongar, Essex. CM5 9DT.
Closing Date – Sunday, 17th March ‘24
The Role (Role Profile)
Our Fire Control Operatives, or Control Firefighters as they are officially called, are the link between the public and our operational firefighters. The role sees them answering 999 calls, contacting senior fire officers and other emergency services, and using our dynamic mobilisation system to send and move resources across Essex.
As a Crew Manager you’ll provide leadership, supervision and development to support team members in performing their roles to the highest standard as well as taking on the full role map and responsibilities of a Crew Manager.
You will support the Watch Manager by assisting with coordinating the activities of the watch. You’ll manage the day-to-day use of allocated Service Control resources to ensure the effective delivery of call receipt, mobilising, communications, operational availability and associated information support functions.
You will deputise for the Watch Manager where required and you will promote and role model a culture of support, excellence, and continuous improvement in line with our Service values.
As an external applicant, you’ll already hold a substantive role as a competent Crew Manager for a minimum of twelve months within a UK Fire and Rescue Service.
This is the role for you if?
- You’re motivated and enthusiastic about leading others to help our Service achieve operational and organisational objectives.
- You’re a role model to others and you can demonstrate all the capabilities of leading others and a diverse group of staff, exemplifying professionalism and maintaining high standards.
- You’re committed to the development of yourself and others, and will be prepared to support the progression, and wellbeing of all personnel within your team, alongside the responsibilities outlined in the UK Fire Service Crew Manager Control Role Map.
About us
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) is one of the largest fire and rescue services in the country, serving a county with a wide variety of risks. Essex is home to two airports, Stansted and Southend, as well as Harwich seaport, Lakeside shopping centre, power stations, docks at Tilbury and, along the Thames, several underground stations, and parts of the M25 and M11 motorways and several significant A-roads, and areas of diverse and complex risk.
We have 50 fire stations across the County – 12 of which are wholetime, and we employ wholetime and On-Call firefighters as part of an organisation of over 1400 people across operations, Service Control, and support staff.
Our Service is governed by Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority (EPFCC). The EPFCC Fire and Rescue Authority is responsible for fire and rescue services covering an area over 1,400 square miles and a population of over 1.8 million.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for this role you must:
• Have held a substantive role as a competent Firefighter Control (internal applicants) or held a substantive role as a Crew Manager (external applicants) for a minimum of twelve months within a UK Fire and Rescue Service
• Have successfully completed all relevant operational assessments and compulsory courses and are competent for your current role.
• Have no current live disciplinary or performance warnings or be subject to any informal management for reasons of conduct or performance.
The Application Process
Internal Candidates who are Crew Managers on Control terms and conditions in either the resource or development pools:
If you meet the eligibility criteria listed above, you should express an interest for the role by applying in Cornerstone.
Internal candidates who are not in the resource or development pool are required to submit a supporting statement of no more than 750 words providing evidence on how you meet the criteria of leading others (NFCC Leadership Framework) at Crew Manager level.
External candidates, and internal Crew Managers on Control terms and conditions who are not in either the development or resource pool:
You are required to submit a supporting statement of no more than 750 words providing evidence on how you meet the criteria of leading others (NFCC Leadership Framework) at Crew Manager level via our application site Cornerstone.
Assessment and selection
The assessment activity will take place in line with the Service’s agreed recruitment and operational promotion approaches and will involve the following activities:
Stage 1
Shortlisting will take place during the week commencing Monday 18th March.
Stage 2
This will take place week commencing Monday 25th March, and will comprise of a Ethics & Leadership presentation and questions (assessment will be made against positive indicators taken from our Code of Ethics and the NFCC Leadership Framework.
Further detail will be supplied along with the shortlisting outcomes.
Stage 3
This will take place week commencing Monday 1st April and will comprise of a Role Specific technical paper and an Operational assessment.
Further details including any learning materials will be confirmed after Stage 2 has been completed.
Should you wish to have an informal discussion with regards to the role, please contact Station Manager Rebecca Sutton at Becky.Sutton@Essex-Fire.gov.uk
Disability Confident
We are an equal opportunity, 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, 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 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 firefighter’s 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 because 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 because 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. Some of our benefits include:
· Generous annual leave
· Competitive pension scheme
· Career development opportunities
· Wellbeing and counselling services
· Physiotherapy services
· Affiliation with the Blue Light Card scheme
You can find out more about our benefits via www.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 standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.