Assistant Director; Operational Area Commander

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Job Reference HWFRS/TP/178/232

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Full time permanent

As per agreed Area Manager pay scales

Working Hours:

42

Location:

Worcester

Closing Date:

25/09/2026

Job Type:

Management

Sector:

Emergency Services

Business Unit:

Response

Salary:
Area Commander B in line with NJC Grey Book pay scales plus 20% flexi duty allowance and 9.6% supplement for working a locally agreed Area Commander rota pattern

Location:
Based at Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service HQ, Hindlip Park, Worcester, WR3 8SP

Contract:
Full time, permanent plus pension and benefits including provided car with option for personal use, subject to taxation and mileage charges.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) is pleased to invite applications for the role of Assistant Director (Operational Area Commander aligned to the ‘grey’ book terms and conditions).

HWFRS is a forward thinking and dynamic organisation looking for talented, positive and inspirational individuals to join our strategic team across locations stretching east to west from the Cotswolds to the mid-Wales border, and from the outskirts of Birmingham in the north, to the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in the south – with the Malvern Hills AONB right at the heart of the two counties.

Our stations are crewed by a mix of Wholetime and On-Call Firefighters, supported by Fire Control and essential Support Staff. We attend over 8,000 incidents each year – including property and countryside fires, Road Traffic Collisions, flooding and water rescues, animal rescues and a range of other incidents, alongside our USAR and High Volume Pumping National Resilience capabilities aligned to our Response Strategy.

We also deliver essential key Protection and Prevention services across both counties every day.

We are seeking to appoint an Assistant Director (Operational Area Commander) with the drive, enthusiasm and leadership capability required of a strategic leader in a modern fire service. The successful candidate will help us to deliver our core strategies and lead our workforce.

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate they have the skills and abilities to deliver our strategic objectives, uphold and champion our core values, and lead others in a variety of environments.

About the role

The role will form part of our Strategic Leadership Board (SLB), providing strategic leadership and support to the Principal Officers in the overall coordination of the Service. This includes change management, staff development, delivery of organisational strategy and transformation, effective industrial relations and exploring opportunities for collaboration with partners to support efficiency and effectiveness.

HWFRS strives to deliver organisational and operational excellence in everything it does, requiring all strategic leaders to champion our core values and constantly seek efficiency, effectiveness and accountability across our highly motivated workforce

Eligibility to apply

In order to apply, you must meet the following criteria at the point of application:

• Be a competent UK Local Authority Group Commander or role above
• Be able to demonstrate previous or current competence at Levels 1,2 & 3 command
• Pass a Level 3 Command Assessment if not already held
• Pass a Level 4 Command Assessment if not already held
• Be eligible to live and work in the UK without restrictions
• Have had an appraisal in the last 12 months, unless not applicable to your organisation
• Not have any live formal disciplinary sanctions or history of serious misconduct
• Should not have been dismissed by another Fire and Rescue Service on the…