The position of Tyne and Wear’s most senior firefighter is up for grabs with a salary of more than £157,000.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) have released the job advert for a chief fire officer following last week's announcement that current fire boss, Chris Lowther, is retiring from the role.
Mr Lowther has been at the helm of TWFRS since 2017, and in that time overseen a challenging period including the Covid pandemic and budget struggles. The 50-year-old, who joined the fire service in 1997 and rose through the ranks to take the top job, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he believed that a “new chief with new ideas” was needed at TWFRS.
READ MORE: Fire brigade cuts 'in the past' pledges Tyne and Wear service's retiring chief
Chronicle Live understands that a replacement chief will be announced in May and Mr Lowther will remain in the post following the appointment for a handover period, with him retiring no later than October 31.
The job advert for the position of chief fire officer said applicants for his role must be a current serving "Gold Book Principal Officer" (a chief, deputy chief, or assistant chief fire officer) of a UK local authority fire and rescue service. The successful candidate will earn an annual salary of £157,746 plus a car.
The advert said: "We are seeking a chief fire officer to provide strategic leadership as we continue to navigate the evolving landscape of the public sector and deliver high quality services that meet the needs of our communities both now and in the future."
The person who takes over the role will need to have a collaborative leadership style and be able to engage with a range of people including external agencies or partners. They must have a broad range of experience of emergency incident command at 'Gold Command' level and be able to take responsibility for decisions about major and risk-critical issues.
The job advert said: "Using your professional expertise, you will provide strategic advice to the fire authority, to enable their informed and balanced strategy-setting, and you will carry ultimate personal responsibility for all delegated decisions made by yourself and other senior officers.
Applicants will be required to provide evidence of a 'Level 7 Incident Command qualification' or demonstrate the ability to operate at this level through an assessment as part of the selection process.
The advert continued: "You will inspire a positive and ethical culture for our almost 900 staff in their work to ensure we maintain and build upon our recent inspection and continue to improve the safety and protection of the 1.1 million residents of Tyne and Wear. You will have a proven track record of positively driving transformation in a large, diverse organisation."
Applications should be made in the form of a supporting statement describing how you meet the requirements of the role (maximum 1,000 words), and a CV, to be sent to CFOAppointment@twfire.gov.uk. More details can be found here.
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