The right person, in the right role, at the right time

Group Manager Promotion Board - CFRSPB0003

At Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, we are passionate about the communities we serve; we are committed to treating all with dignity and respect; and we are always looking for positive role models to join our leadership team. 

If you're looking to progress in an inclusive, supportive, and dynamic service, we would like to hear from you!

Use of Resources

Job Details

Job Title: Group Manager B

Salary: £55,953 (development) - £62,028 (competent) plus 20% Flexible Duty Allowance

Hours: 42 per week

Location: Fire Headquarters, Penrith, Cumbria - Flexible working available

Group Manager B Job Description and Role Profile (PDF)

Group Manager Promotion Board

At a time when it has never been more important to ensure we have the best culture for our staff and the best services for our communities, it is key that we get the right people in the right roles, and we are excited to be recruiting to the post of Group Manager. Successful applicants will be joining an engaging and empowering environment, where we champion innovation, integration, and doing things differently.

We are looking for individuals who are focussed on demonstrating outstanding leadership, and who value compassion, honesty, and integrity. You will listen and engage with the teams you lead, strive for service improvement, and promote a fair, respectful culture, that prioritises staff development and well-being. As a service, we are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, and are looking for leaders who will promote and drive forward key EDI strategies across our communities and throughout our teams, leading by personal example, open commitment, and clear action.

To apply for this role, you must be a competent Station Manager or above. We welcome applications from both from our internal talent and from those looking to progress or move into our service. 

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. As women and ethnic minority employees are currently underrepresented in our management roles, we encourage applications from these groups.

We have guidance in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments.

Please see the below policies linked for further information on our Resourcing and Talent processes:

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

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 

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 – linked 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 

Pension Information 

Please note, if you have been employed as an Operational Firefighter, and are in receipt of a Firefighter’s pension, your pension may be abated if you are appointed. Abatement will occur if your pension plus your new salary adds up to more than your previous salary upon retirement – further details can be provided on request. It’s also worth noting that you may also be affected by HMRC rules and should check with the HMRC to see if this applies to you.

Applications Open - 9am on Monday 17th March 2025

Virtual Engagement Session - Wednesday 26th March 2025, at 18:00pm*

Link to join the meeting  

Meeting ID: 370 106 875 082

Passcode: sB3T4bq6 

*Please note, both engagement sessions will have the same content, so you only need to join one if you can. 

Virtual Engagement Session - Wednesday 2nd April 2025, at 13:00pm*

Link to join the meeting  

Meeting ID: 361 448 005 094

Passcode: c876Fz99 

*Please note, both engagement sessions will have the same content, so you only need to join one if you can. 

Closing date for applications: 11:59pm on Sunday 6th April 2025

Shortlisting - Monday 7th April 2025

Assessments: Mon 14th / Tues 15th / Weds 16th April 2025. Timings and locations TBC.

How to Apply

To apply for this process, candidates must:

  • Complete the Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service Group Manager application form, linked here. (Microsoft Forms link)

Group Manager B Job Description (PDF)

Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm on Sunday 6th April 2025. 

Important Information

On our application form, we ask applicants to answer 4 questions, each one linked to the NFCC Leadership Framework. 

These 4 questions are: 

  1. Thinking about your current leadership role, please detail some of the methods you use to maintain engagement, seek feedback, and understand varying views. This could be with your direct teams, the wider service, members of the public etc.
  2. Thinking about your current leadership role, please share an example of when you have nurtured talent and proactively planned for succession.
  3. Thinking about your current leadership role, please share an example of when you have sought out an opportunity to work collaboratively across teams and functions to improve service delivery.
  4. Thinking about your current leadership role, please detail some of the ways you have helped others to understand, adapt to, implement, and embed change. 
     

Applicants are asked to answer in no more than 400 words for each question. The word count will be checked and any answers over will be stopped at the 400th word. 

We advise candidates to use Microsoft Word to help with checking their word count. 

Please note, we will be scoring on the content of your answers, especially how relevant they are to the question and if suitable detail has been provided. We do not score on spelling or grammar.  

If you have any queries about these questions or if you would like them sent across in a different format, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Resourcing team who can support, email: Recruitment@cumbriafire.gov.uk 

Our Vision and Values

Our Vision

A community-focussed, professional, and trusted Fire and Rescue Service that makes Cumbria a safer place for all.

Our Values

We believe passionately in the delivery of excellent public services to make Cumbria a safer place for all. To do that we need to be clear about the values and behaviours that we need to drive change and achieve our high standards.

Code of Ethics