Contract & Working Conditions
Contract: Fixed Term (6-months)
Working Hours: 37 hours per week
Working Pattern: Mon – Thurs 1130-2000 & Friday 1200-2000 (1 hour meal break)
Salary: £31,022 to £33,699 per annum – Grade 5 NJC
Location: Service HQ, Kelvedon Park
Closing Date: Midnight on 11th June 2026
This is a hybrid role, your work will be balanced between home and Services facilities, and you will be expected to attend the Service premises for at least 3 days of a 5-day working week.
This role is a fixed-term opportunity. There may be an opportunity to have this extended or made permanent following a competitive process.
We anticipate this to be a popular vacancy. As such we reserve the right to interview ahead of the published closing date.
The Role
Are you a dynamic and passionate individual looking to make a difference in a fast-paced environment? Essex County Fire & Rescue Service is seeking an enthusiastic and driven HR Support Advisor to join our People Operations Team and play a crucial role in supporting our employees as they protect and serve our community.
This role is at the forefront of providing key administrative HR support and serves as a first point of contact for our managers and colleagues who work around the clock. You will play a vital role in ensuring a smooth experience across the employment lifecycle from onboarding to ongoing support and development.
Ideally, you will be experienced within a HR transactional role and familiar with updating and maintaining HR systems; we use ‘Civica HR’, so experience with a similar system would be a bonus. You will also bring the ability to prioritise HR tasks and queries as they come in.
Providing our customers with a quality experience is our top priority, so a commitment to high standards of service and communication are essential to help us deliver this. The role will be varied, supporting several teams and departments, as well as working collaboratively across the People Services department.
You will be working alongside a great team of HR Support Advisors who truly encourage and support each other in all we do and working for an employer with lots of benefits, including local government pension scheme, blue-light discounts, family friendly policies and hybrid working options.
What You Will Be Working On
* Efficiency in managing, prioritising and organising workloads
* An ability to work under pressure and to deadlines
* Strong levels of attention to detail and accuracy
* Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
* An ability to build and maintain effective working relationships
* Previous experience delivering a high quality, customer focused approach
Eligibility
* Previous experience in an HR or People-related role
* Level 2 qualification in Maths & English (GCSE grade C-A, or 4-9, or Functional Skills)
* If you are an internal candidate, you must have discussed your application with your line manager and confirmed with them there are no outstanding issues of conduct or performance. This will be verified prior to shortlisting.
How to apply
You will be required to submit a supporting statement of no more than 750 words that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria of the Person Specification. You may submit this either as a word document, pdf, or an mp3 (voice note) or mp4 (video), however the word count must not exceed 750 words no matter which format you choose to present your application.
You may attach separate documents (such as qualifications, or a CV) should you wish. Your additional documents will be referred to in shortlisting to confirm eligibility (e.g., your current role and any existing qualifications).
Assessment and selection
Stage 1 – Application & shortlisting (assessment of your supporting statement will be made against the essential criteria of the Person Specification)
Stage 2 – Interview dates: 17th and 19th June 2026. The final part of the recruitment process will be a 30-minute in-tray assessment, followed by a 45-minute values-based interview with some role specific questions.
Assessments will be made against positive indicators taken from the Code of Ethics and the NFCC Leadership Framework.
Contact
Should you wish to have an informal discussion with regards to the role, please contact Veera Marshall, Head of People Operations via email toveera.marshall@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://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/recruitment/benefits
Important Information for Firefighter Pension Scheme Pensioners
If you are currently in receipt of a pension from the Firefighter Pension Scheme, please note that taking up this role may affect your pension. Under pension abatement rules, if your earnings in this role, when combined with your pension, exceed your pre-retirement salary (adjusted for inflation), your pension may be reduced.
For further guidance, please contact our Pensions team on 01376 576799 or email mailbox.pensions@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 Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Disability Confident
We are an equal opportunity, Disability Confident, employer who welcomes applications from all backgrounds. We value diversity and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Applications are considered solely on merit.
Should you wish to discuss support, or access further information, from one of these groups, please contact Equality.Diversity@essex-fire.gov.uk
You can also raise any queries or requests for support, including any adjustments you may require, at any stage of the process by email torecruitment@essex-fire.gov.uk
Additional Information
You can find out more about Essex County Fire & Rescue Service via www.essex-fire.gov.uk and about our vacancies and application processes via www.essex-fire.gov.uk/join-essex-fire
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