Head of Fire National Resilience Capabilities

Job summary

Do you enjoy leading, developing and challenging multi-disciplinary teams to achieve?Are you able to build strong relationships with operational partners, enabling you to influence and challenge at all levels?If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you to join our team at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and we'd love to hear from you!

The Fire Directorate plays a vital role in keeping the public safe from fires and the harm they cause, as part of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s vision to end the building safety crisis and transform the fire and rescue sector.
We are seeking a dynamic and motivated individual to join the National Resilience and Fire Safety Unit within the Directorate and lead on delivery of a substantial programme of work to upgrade fire national resilience assets. This is an exciting opportunity to lead crucial work to ensure that fire and rescue services are able to draw on national life-saving kit and equipment and teams of trained firefighters, to respond quickly and effectively to a national-scale catastrophic incident.

Job description

• Ensure that the fire national resilience capabilities are fit for purpose by completing delivery of Phase 1 of the New Dimensions 2 capital replacement programme (£29.5m) to time and budget, ensuring that there are no underspends (25/26 financial year).
• Secure funding (approximately £66m) from the departmental allocations process for Phase 2 of the New Dimensions 2 capital replacement programme and mobilise in time for the start of financial year 26/27.
• Build trusted and effective relationships with delivery partners in Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, the National Fire Chiefs Council and across MHCLG to ensure delivery stays on track and delivery risks are mitigated.
• Lead and coach a project delivery team to deliver effective governance arrangements, financial oversight and accountability. Ensure robust risk and financial management to ensure budgets are managed effectively and value for money is maximised.
• Work with delivery partners to anticipate and respond effectively to short notice opportunities to secure additional funding or deliver over shorter timescales.
• Oversee policy development on specific capabilities to support wider domestic resilience and ensure their continuing fitness for purpose e.g. to reduce response times for marauding terror attacks and timely inclusion in the New Dimensions 2 programme.
• Lead long-term strategic thinking and planning on the future of fire national resilience capabilities and how they contribute to wider programmes of work on fire reform, civil protection and home defence.

Person specification

• Leadership: A caring leader skilled in building and leading multi-disciplinary teams with an empowering, safe-to-challenge culture and maintaining a focus on wellbeing and development at all times.
• Seeing the big picture: bring together views, perspectives and diverse needs of stakeholders, ensure plans reflect wider strategic priorities and technological developments.
• Communicating and influencing: Ability to influence and make positive impacts at the highest levels through excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Delivering at pace: Take responsibility and drive progress with focus and drive, including during periods of sustained pressure, change and ambiguity.
• Working together: Inspire and motivate a strong and supportive team to deliver to challenging timescales in partnership with operational colleagues and those across wider MHCLG and Government.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £66,620, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £19,299 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Childcare Voucher and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application and Selection
The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Behaviours , Experience

Stage 1: Sift

• Behaviour: (Lead Behaviour) - Leadership

• Behaviour: Seeing The Big Picture

• Behaviour: Delivering at Pace

• Behaviour: Working Together

• Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing

There is a 250-word limit per question.

When writing your application, remember:

• the assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially

• do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers

• if talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: Leadership, Seeing The Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together, Delivering at Pace

• Experience: Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.

Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 09/02.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 23/02/2026 and are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

How We Recruit

Find out more about our recruitment processes here.

• Applying

• Sifting

• Interview

• Interview Results & Feedback

• Reserve List

• Near Miss

• Civil Service Grades

• We are a DCS, RIS & GPTWV employer

• Reasonable Adjustments

How to Apply

Find out everything you need to know before applying here.

You must review the following information from the MHCLG Career's Site before submitting your application. This step is essential to ensure your eligibility for the role and that your application is completed correctly.

• Security Clearance Requirements

• Civil Service Nationality Requirements

• Right to Work

• Artificial Intelligence

• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles

• CV Declaration

• Sponsorships

• Salary and Grade

• Existing Civil Servants

• Conflict of Interest

• Location and Flexible Working

• Fixed Term Contracts

• Internal Fraud Database - Internal Fraud Register

• Appeals and Complaints

• Conflict of Interest

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office: +SC

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Charlotte Hickman
• Email : charlotte.hickman@communities.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk

Further information

If you are unsure about any part of the process or require additional information about the post to enable you to progress your application, you should speak to the Resourcing team - recruitment@communities.gov.uk. Candidates can appeal at any stage of the recruitment process if they believe there has been:

a procedural irregularity

an infringement of the Civil Service equal opportunities policy

exceptional circumstances which were not notified to the interview panel which might have affected performance on the day.

It is important to note that these are appeals about the process not the decision. In the first instance, an appeal should be directed to the MHCLG Resourcing Hub at recruitment@communities.gov.uk.

If the MHCLG Resourcing Hub is unable to satisfactorily resolve your complaint, you may contact put your complaint in writing to the Civil Service Commission, Room G8,1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ or by email to: info@csc.gov.uk

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