CFRS0155 - Principal Legal Officer
Principal Legal Officer
Salary: £55,199 - £57,362 (pro rata)
Hours: This role is 37 hours, and is available on a full-time, part-time, or job share basis. We offer other flexible work options, such as compressed hours.
Contract: Permanent
Location: Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Carleton Hall, Penrith. CFRS encourages flexible working which also means working from another station or homeworking.
Closing date: 11:59pm on Sunday 12th January 2025
Interviews: Interviews will be held in person on Tuesday 28th January 2025. The location will be confirmed with successfully shortlisted applicants, but will likely be Penrith, Cumbria.
THE OPFCC
On 1st April 2023, the Police and Crime Commissioner legally became Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC), as responsibility for the governance of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) transferred to him following Local Government Reform in Cumbria.
The PFCC now occupies two separate legal entities: The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria (in relation to policing) and the Cumbria Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority (the Fire and Rescue Authority) for the Fire and Rescue Service.
To help the PFCC fulfil his statutory and regulatory responsibilities across both legal entities, he is supported by the Office of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC).
The OPFCC is seeking a Principal Legal Officer to provide a comprehensive legal service to the Fire and Rescue Authority, CFRS and the OPFCC across a broad range and variety of legal work.
THE ROLE
Reporting to the Chief Executive of the OPFCC and the Chief Principal Officer of CFRS, this influential role is an exciting and varied opportunity for a senior legal professional. The post holder will ensure the Fire and Rescue Authority, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, and the OPFCC all receive the expert legal advice and support that they require to act lawfully and fulfil their statutory obligations.
To apply for this role you must be a qualified solicitor, hold a current practicing certificate, and possess detailed knowledge across an array of legal disciplines that are relevant to be able to carry out the functions and responsibilities of the role. The successful candidate must have an understanding of public sector statutory and regulatory framework as well as have a strong political awareness.
We are seeking to appoint a high calibre individual with a proven record of working at a senior strategic level. You must have experience of effectively working across professional and organisational boundaries and in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders.
The successful candidate will also be responsible for working with the Legal Services team (provided by Cumbria Constabulary) to ensure that the OPFCC receives the advice and support on relevant legal matters.
As well as being an excellent communicator and having a commitment to all aspects of diversity and inclusion, we are seeking an individual with sound judgement and high levels of integrity. You must have the ability to assimilate and explain complex information, providing constructive challenge and fresh thinking.
If you think you are ready for this new challenge, then we would welcome an application from you.
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Paula Zutic on 01768 217734 or email commissioner@cumbria-pcc.gov.uk, to arrange a telephone call with the Chief Executive of the OPFCC and/or Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive of CFRS.
Please see the Principal Legal Officer job description linked below (we call it a Post Specification) for more details on the essential criteria for the role.
Attachment: Principal Legal Officer Post Specification (word)
**This role requires a Standard DBS check.**
CFRS has a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for those whose most recent employer is the Armed Forces, for Care Leavers, and for Disabled Candidates. The scheme is linked below and there is a specific section of our application form where you can mark if you consider yourself eligible. We encourage candidates to let us know so we can provide the best support and access throughout the process.
Reasonable Adjustments – we strongly encourage any candidate who may require reasonable adjustments to make us aware as soon as possible, either using the section on the application form or by contacting the Resourcing Team directly (email below). We will have a confidential discussion with you and we take the approach of ‘you tell us what you require, and we will do out best to facilitate’. Where we are unable to make the adjustment, we will share this asap.
Resourcing Team email: Recruitment@cumbriafire.gov.uk
TO APPLY:
Please complete the online Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service Application Form.
Link to Application Form: https://forms.office.com/e/Wit9u9zZQK (Microsoft Forms)
Please note: We do not accept CVs.
If you have any queries at all, please contact the Resourcing & Talent team via email: Recruitment@cumbriafire.gov.uk
OUR SERVICE
With approximately 600 operational firefighters, front facing delivery teams, corporate services, and support staff, delivering services across the county from 38 Fire Stations, we know we need to be a modern, flexible, and inclusive employer.
We offer:
- Flexible working across the county, including a hybrid of homeworking and office working at one of our Wholetime stations
- Free parking at our fire stations
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Access to station gyms, free of charge
- Enrolment in either the Fire Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme (depending on your terms and conditions) - link to the Pensions page here
- Occupational Health service, including counselling
- Close working relationship with the Firefighters Charity, including mental and physical health support
- A dedicated Wellbeing Hub – link here
- On-going personal development, including apprenticeship options and leadership courses
- Access to modern ICT equipment
- Family friendly policies, including six months full pay for Parental Leave
- Menopause Policy - link here (Word document)
- Support for Carers
- Workplace adjustments for Neurodiverse and Disabled employees
- Staff Networks for a variety of different communities, including (but not limited to) Armed Forces, LGBTQ+, Menopause, Retirees
Our service is passionate about the communities we serve and dedicated to developing our workforce - if you're looking to progress in an inclusive, supportive, and dynamic fire service, we would like to hear from you!
We value the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects our communities in Cumbria. We actively encourage applications from all suitably qualified individuals, irrespective of people’s age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances.
We capture Equality data on our application forms to help us review barriers in our processes for any minority group. This is optional to complete and is securely removed and accessed only by the Resourcing team to review.
Resourcing Team email: Recruitment@cumbriafire.gov.uk