Chief Fire Officer - Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service

Chief Fire Officer - Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service

Cumbria Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority is seeking to appoint a senior strategic leader who will focus on making Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service an outstanding service for the public of Cumbria. The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is looking for an exceptional individual with resilience who can lead the Service and continue to build and motivate a mixed workforce whilst providing a safe and legal service to the communities across the county.

At a time of ongoing reform of public services and a challenging financial environment, the Chief Fire Officer will champion the transformation of CFRS, engaging, inspiring, and empowering others, building on our existing open and inclusive culture to seek continual improvement in performance across the Service and the wider strategic footprint of the county.

As the Chief Fire Officer, you must be able to lead, manage and inspire all Fire staff, ensuring their wellbeing, acting with integrity and transparency whilst fostering a culture based on trust, both internally within the organisation and with the public. Ensuring public confidence in the Fire and Rescue Service within Cumbria is a key objective.

To succeed in this role, you will need to be an ambitious, dynamic and visionary leader. I seek an individual who can take the opportunity to develop a strategic plan with me which effectively addresses current challenges and aspires to make CFRS an outstanding service; and to continually develop Blue Light Collaboration across the county.

If you believe you can offer this to Cumbria and are ready for this challenging, yet incredibly rewarding role, then I would genuinely welcome your application.

Applicants must have Senior Leadership experience. Cumbria Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner is committed to Equal Opportunities and all applicants will be assessed on an equal basis that determines their suitability to the post applied for.

This role is offered on a full-time basis and has an annual salary of £134,291 + a 10% Operational Allowance for operational staff.

Any appointment is subject to a confirmatory hearing process by the Police, Fire & Crime Panel, and will also be subject to relevant legislation and other such otherconditions as may be agreed by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 30th September noon and shortlisting will be undertaken on Tuesday 6th October 2026, following which

Applicants will be notified of the outcome.

Candidates selected to progress to interview will be asked to attend a Familiarisation and Information Day on Friday 9th October 2026 at Cumbria Fire and Rescue Police Headquarters in Penrith. The interview and assessment process will take place on Friday 16th October 2026.

For any further information please contact Miss Katharine Simmons, Office Manager for the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, or telephone .

Salary: £134,291 + 10% Operational Allowance for operational staff

Contract type: Full Time