Details
Reference number
424816
Salary
£60,300 - £70,730
National pay locations: Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Peterborough, Sheffield, Solihull £60,300-£66,330; London pay location: Croydon £64,300-£70,730
GBP
Job grade
Grade 7
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
HO - Chief Operating Officer Group - Health, Safety and Fire Management Team
Type of role
Health and Safety
Working pattern
Full-time, Compressed hours
Number of jobs available
1
Contents
* Location
* About the job
* Benefits
* Things you need to know
* Apply and further information
Location
Cardiff, Croydon, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Peterborough, Sheffield, Solihull
About the job
Job summary
The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.
The Chief Operating Officer Group works closely with the Home Office's policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the department's priorities. The group is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Security, Estates and Information and Digital, Data and Technology.
The Home Office Health, Safety and Fire Management Team provides professional health and safety policy, guidance, advice, expertise and support to approximately 51,000 Home Office staff based around the globe. This team works strategically to drive business improvement in health, safety and fire management through staff champions, networks and business leads, promoting approaches including leadership capability development, stress risk assessment, education and campaigns, and evaluating impact through MI and health and safety audits.
The Fire Safety Lead is a brand-new role that will sit in the central Health, Safety and Fire Management Team. The risk profile of roles in the Home Office means we are looking for someone who has the ability to think innovatively and test normal understanding of risk and compliance.
The successful candidate will be a key driver in building a best practice fire safety management system across the Home Office.
Job description
In terms of fire safety, the Home Office has a significant and complex portfolio of properties including high and medium risk premises. Our high-risk premises are over 18m high or 6 storeys, include overnight accommodation and/or cells and have areas that are public facing.
This role is strategic in nature. Whilst you will provide technical fire safety advice on occasion; this position is about ensuring that organisationally and strategically the Home Office is compliant with relevant regulatory requirements, has the necessary resource, technology and processes in place to ensure such – and helps to deliver a safe, compliant and welcoming estate for all that use it.
Key Responsibilities
* Line manage a small team of Fire Safety Management Business Partners (7 direct reports) who will be working on a regional basis;
* Work with external fire safety consultants and own team and relevant stakeholders in the rollout of the new triple pathway evacuation system across the Home Office campus and non-campus buildings. Leading a small number of pilots initially and then planning and rolling out the systems nationally;
* Be accountable for driving up performance and sustaining legal compliance of fire safety management system across the regions, both human and building elements. Will ensure the team rolls out and leads Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for similar buildings aligned to their fire safety conditions risk profile, low, normal and high;
* Be accountable for maintaining fire KPIs and reporting into various governance boards producing relevant reports and slide packs;
* Be accountable for ensuring the Department is legally compliant for fire safety management.
Working pattern
Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis. However, compressed hours working is available.
Travel
Frequent travel in the UK (weekly/bi-weekly depending on workload) will be required. This is a national post requiring direct engagement with business partners at sites in their regions.
Person specification
Essential criteria
• Must hold Member level either MIFireE with IFE or MIFSM with IFSM fire professional membership and have a relevant supporting fire safety qualification at Level 4 or equivalent.
• Adept at operating strategically with a technical underpinning in fire safety or closely aligned field.
• Understanding of commercial and contractual processes, budgetary requirements and resourcing will be required to be successful in this role; coupled with your fire safety competence.
• Experience of all aspects of line management functions including driving performance of a team of fire/safety professionals.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with experience of working with senior leaders and challenging stakeholders, able to write short, sharp and clear communications.
Memberships
Must hold Member level either MIFireE with IFE or MIFSM with IFSM fire professional membership and have a relevant supporting fire safety qualification at Level 4 or equivalent.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Leadership
* Making Effective Decisions
* Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:
* A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
* In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
* 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
* Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
* Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
* See more of our benefits on our careers website.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.
1. Application – by 30th September 2025
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
* CV.
* Personal Statement (maximum 750 words).
Your CV should consist of your career history, qualifications and skills/experience, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.
The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.
For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV and Personal Statement), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.
1. Sift – week commencing 6th October 2025
The sift will be held on the CV and Personal Statement.
1. Interview – week commencing 27th October 2025
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be technical fire safety experience, Behaviours (as listed in the job advert) and Strength based questions.
The interview will take place in person. Location to be confirmed.Travel expenses will not be reimbursed.
In addition, candidates will be asked to prepare a presentation that will be delivered at interview. The presentation question/scenario will be disclosed closer to the interviews.
The presentation will be assessed against 'Experience' on the 'Success Profiles' and will be assessed against the 'Essential Criteria' as listed in the job advertisement.
For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.
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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Problems during the application process
If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you've made a mistake on an initial application, please contact, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.
Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.
Location Preferences
You can select up to three locations in order of preference. Please ensure that these are locations you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at one of your preferred location(s) and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.
Reserve lists will be held for each location. Candidates will be appointed in merit order by location.
Standards
All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.
Additional Security Checks
As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.
Further Information
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.
If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre- stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email
If you are invited to an interview, you will be required to bring documentation for the purposes of establishing your identity.
You will need to meet the nationality requirements for this role and obtain the necessary security clearance to take it up.
For meaningful security checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. Learn more on our website. Security Checks - Home Office Careers
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Visa sponsorship
We do not sponsor individuals via Skilled Worker Sponsorship / Tier 2 (General) work visas.
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
* Contact Government Recruitment Service via as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
* Complete the "Assistance Required" section in the "Additional Requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback
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 .
See our vetting charter .
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)
* 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
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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 .
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 the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
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 : Home Office Resourcing Centre
* Email :
Recruitment team
* Email :
Further information
If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance
If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.