Deputy Chief Fire Officer / Director of Service Delivery

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) provides a vital public safety service for communities across Berkshire. We serve over 900,000 residents across diverse urban and rural settings, including major transport routes such as the M4 and key rail infrastructure. This demands the expertise of over 400 highly skilled and well-equipped firefighters and nearly 200 staff in support teams to deliver on our vision of keeping our communities safe. In its latest HMICFRS inspection , RBFRS was rated Good in eight of the eleven areas , reflecting strong performance in prevention, protection, and emergency response, as well as a positive and inclusive culture. Inspectors praised our commitment to community safety, effective collaboration, and investment in technology and workforce development. We are now seeking a new Deputy Chief Fire Officer / Director of Service Delivery who will bring a relentless focus on inspiring our people and delivering exceptional services to Berkshire communities. Reporting directly to the Chief Fire Officer / Chief Executive, you will provide strategic leadership across prevention, protection, response, resilience, operational policy and assurance. As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will lead the Service Delivery Directorate, working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation to ensure that community risk, operational intelligence and organisational priorities are translated into effective service delivery. In the absence of the Chief Fire Officer / Chief Executive, you will provide leadership on service delivery, operational command and public safety matters. To succeed as our next Deputy Chief Fire Officer / Director of Service Delivery, you will be capable of creating and sustaining the very best culture and environment for our people. You will be passionate about leadership, inclusion and developing high-performing teams, ensuring our workforce feels safe, supported and empowered to deliver their best every day. We are committed to continually improving how we serve our communities and support our people. Achieving this means continually improving how we deliver services, embracing innovation, transforming the way we work, maximising the benefits of technology, strengthening collaboration and developing future leaders across our organisation. You will bring the strategic vision, leadership credibility and drive needed to help shape that future while ensuring our services remain effective, resilient and focused on community need. You will be comfortable working in partnership with elected members, stakeholders, emergency services and communities, providing confident leadership through change, challenge and opportunity. You will inspire trust and confidence in our people, provide visible and values-led leadership, and ensure that service delivery remains focused on creating safer communities across Berkshire. Appointments are subject to Fire Authority approval for an anticipated start date in January 2027. Please note that is your personal responsibility to check whether by applying / accepting this position it would result in any Annual Allowance implications. A breach in the Annual Allowance threshold could result in a Tax charge. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service values your individuality, your diversity and your dignity. Inclusion, diversity and equality are principles which guide our decisions and will be visible throughout the Service, and we will continually work to improve in these areas. Simply: The communities we serve are varied and diverse, we should be too. We are a Disability Confident Leader if you meet the essential criteria of the role, you will be guaranteed an interview if you choose to opt into the Offer of an Interview Scheme (formerly known as the Guaranteed Interview Scheme). Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and all employees must share this commitment. Hiredonline is an advertising consultancy. Once you have submitted your application it will be passed to the third party Recruiter who is responsible for processing your application. This will include holding and sharing your personal data, our legal basis for this is legitimate interest subject to your declared interest in a job. Our privacy policy can be found on our website and we can be contacted to confirm who your application has been forwarded to.