Appointment of Assistant Chief Fire Officer

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is a high performing, innovative and progressive organisation that has high ambitions for the service that it provides to the communities and people of Cheshire.

Due to the impending retirement of the current postholder, the Fire Authority is inviting applications for the post of Assistant Chief Fire Officer.

The successful candidate will possess a detailed understanding of the issues relating to the Fire and Rescue Service at national and local levels, have strong political acuity and be an inspiring and outstanding leader. The Fire Authority will also be looking for an individual who is genuinely committed to staff engagement, diversity and inclusion and who will be able to influence others whilst ensuring the Service has strong leadership to shape and direct service provision and uphold the existing high standards of performance, and the positive culture currently in place. Candidates will also need to demonstrate resilience and excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to execute ambitious programmes of change.

Applications are invited from competent Area Managers and existing Brigade Managers, qualified to Fire Service Incident Command Level 4 and Multi-Agency Gold Incident Command (MAGIC), and are competent to participate in the Principal Officers on-call rota. The selection process will comprise of three stages, the first will entail a psychometric assessment, technical interview and stakeholder panel with members of staff, the second stage will be a command assessment and media assessment, and the third stage will be an interview and presentation with Members of the Fire Authority.

Full details are available in a Recruitment Pack available on the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service website. Initial application will be via the submission of a CV accompanied by a supporting statement of up to 2,000 words outlining suitability for the role against the job description and person specification. The Equality Monitoring Form is also to be completed and submitted. 

Please ensure you read the ‘Application Guidance Notes' before completing your application.

Please return completed application forms via email to recruitment@cheshirefire.gov.uk

Please quote job reference 07/26/ACFO on your CV.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer - Recruitment Pack

Equality Monitoring Form

Application guidance notes

Closing Date for Applications: 9am on Monday 25 May 2026

It is important that you consider at an early stage of the process if you would like to request arrangements that will assist you in completing the selection process. For example, in relation to disability; a neurodiverse condition such as dyslexia; pregnancy; religion or belief; or injury etc. Any requests for workplace adjustments will be treated with the utmost confidence. For support or further information please email: recruitment@cheshirefire.gov.uk

Appointment to this post is subject to a satisfactory Standard Disclosure & Barring Service check.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) is committed to keeping vulnerable adults, children and young people safe from harm in all of the work that CFRS undertakes. CFRS recognises that it has a legal and moral obligation to safeguard these groups of people. Furthermore, it acknowledges that the protection of vulnerable adults, children and young people from harm is the responsibility of everybody within the organisation.

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive leadership team and strongly encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, particularly those from groups historically underrepresented in the fire and rescue service. We value a broad range of perspectives and experiences, and welcome candidates who can demonstrate the strategic insight, leadership capability, and commitment to excellence that this role demands.