Assistant Chief Fire Officer
Location: Staffordshire
Contract Type: Full-time Permanent
Salary: £128,449
Are you an accomplished Strategic Leader seeking the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within public service?
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is seeking an Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) to join its Strategic Leadership Team to provide exceptional leadership and drive organisational excellence.
About the Role
As ACFO you will support the Strategic Leadership team in delivering the Service’s vision and strategic objectives. You will provide strategic leadership at the highest level, ensuring the successful delivery of the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP), driving organisational transformation, fulfilling statutory requirements, and adhering to national guidance, while also serving as one of the organisation’s Strategic Incident Commanders.
The role is a uniformed operational role and conditioned to The National Joint Council for brigade managers of Fire and Rescue Services constitution and scheme of conditions of service (Gold book) - sixth edition and thefirefighters pension scheme.
In this role, you will set and drive high performance across all aspects of service delivery, ensuring clear accountability, strong assurance and a culture where excellence is the standard. You will lead by example, consistently demonstrating and embedding the Core Code of Ethics in every aspect of your leadership, decision‑making and organisational influence.
You will operate confidently within a politically accountable environment, building constructive, trust‑based relationships with representative bodies, partners and stakeholders. Your leadership will be visible, credible and grounded in integrity, enabling you to inspire cultural change and strengthen organisational performance.
Key Responsibilities
1. Provide strategic leadership across all Service functions, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and long‑term objectives.
2. Ensure operational effectiveness and compliance with all relevant legislative and sector requirements.
3. Promote a culture of safety, continuous improvement, accountability, and evidence‑based decision‑making.
4. Build strong and effective relationships with partners, stakeholders, and elected members to support public safety, enable collaborative working, and strengthen stakeholder engagement.
5. Represent the Service nationally, regionally, and locally, influencing policy and outcomes.
6. Ensure compliance with health, safety, and welfare obligations.
7. Provide senior strategic command at major and critical incidents, ensuring authoritative leadership and sound decision‑making. Oversee effective multi‑agency coordination to maintain operational assurance, public safety, and organisational resilience.
8. Act as a role model for the Core Code of Ethics, ensuring ethical behaviours, fairness, integrity, and accountability across the organisation.
9. Support the development of leaders at all levels, championing inclusion, wellbeing, and high performance.
Essential Behaviours – Living the Core Code of Ethics
The successful candidate will demonstrate behaviours aligned to the national Core Code of Ethics:
Putting Our Communities First
10. Understands diverse community needs and champions equitable, accessible, and effective fire and rescue services.
11. Makes decisions rooted in public safety, safeguarding, and community wellbeing.
Integrity
12. Acts with openness, honesty, and professionalism at all times.
13. Upholds high ethical standards and fosters a culture where staff feel safe to challenge inappropriate behaviour.
Dignity & Respect
14. Promotes an inclusive, supportive workplace where everyone is treated with fairness and respect.
15. Models positive behaviours, valuing differences and encouraging diverse perspectives.
Leadership
16. Demonstrates visible, authentic leadership that inspires confidence and trust.
17. Takes ownership, provides clarity during uncertainty, and leads through a period of transformation with empathy and resilience.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)
18. Ensures EDI principles are embedded in all decision‑making, workforce practices, and community engagement.
19. Challenges discrimination and champions positive cultural change.
What We’re Looking For
We welcome applications from high‑performing and competent Area Managers with the ICL level 4 in Strategic Incident Command and the Multi-Agency Gold Incident Command (MAGIC) qualification, or those of a more senior rank who can demonstrate substantial experience operating effectively at a strategic leadership level.
Conditions of Service
Successful candidate must reside within the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service boundary or within a reasonable distance to ensure operational cover. A relocation allowance is available subject to service procedures. Please see full Conditions of Service attached.
Further information about the role and responsibilities can be found in the attached role profile.
To apply please submit your application including the CV and a 2000 word Supporting Statement (please download and use the template attached to the advert as it outlines the criteria. After completion this can be uploaded into the box titled Cover Letter)
Closing date on: 1st June 2026 midnight 12:00.
Your application will be shortlisted in line with the Leadership Framework and Core Code of Ethics.
If successful at the Shortlisting stage, you will have to undertake a Personality Profiling Online assessment, conducted through an independent provider, between 5th and 11th June 2026
Interviews Date: First interview: 11th June 2026
Second interview and presentation 12th June 2026
The process will have 2 rounds of interviews, so please ensure that you are available for the above dates.
In addition to your salary, you will have access to a range of benefits including:
20. Enhanced Annual Leave Entitlement
21. Generous Pension Scheme
22. Access to Gyms & Fitness Advisor
23. Free Parking at Most Sites
24. Enhanced Maternity Package
25. Occupational Health
26. Well-being Champions
27. Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
28. Eye Tests
29. Flexible Working Scheme
30. The Firefighter Charity
31. Cycle Scheme
32. Blue Light Card
33. Flamesavers
34. Rewards for rescue
35. Say So
36. Development Programme
37. Trade Unions
38. Career Breaks
39. Physiotherapy
40. TRiM
41. Employment Network
42. Fostering Friendly
Safeguarding
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Adults, Children and Young People and all staff and volunteers are expected to share this commitment.
Please note if you are successful at interview and commence pre-employment checks this will include DBS, please see what this involves and the process via the below link:
Positive Action
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is fully supportive of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and strives to employ a workforce that represents the community we serve.
Our vacancies are open to everyone and all appointments are made based on merit. We encourage and welcome applications from all underrepresented groups which include: Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds, female, people who have a disability, those who are neurodivergent and persons of the LGBTQ+ community.
We use positive action to encourage potential candidates from underrepresented groups through support and advice sessions. If you have the skills, experience and values, that here in Staffordshire Fire and Rescue we pride ourselves on, then we would welcome you to apply.
For more information on Positive Action please email the team on
For any Recruitment queries please email