Fire Safety Manager in Worcester

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Fire Safety Manager to act as the Trust's competent person for all matters relating to fire safety. This senior role plays a critical part in ensuring compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the NHS Firecode suite of guidance across a diverse portfolio of acute and community healthcare premises.

The post holder will provide expert professional advice and assurance to the Director of Estates & Facilities, senior leaders and the Trust Board, supporting the delivery of a safe environment for patients, staff and visitors. You will lead on the development, implementation and continuous improvement of the Trust's Fire Safety Management System, ensuring robust governance, risk management and statutory compliance.

Working closely with Estates, Capital Planning, Health & Safety, Emergency Planning teams and external enforcing authorities, you will oversee fire risk assessments, fire safety training programmes, audits and investigations, and provide specialist input into new developments and service changes. You will also play a key role in staff engagement, training delivery and influencing best practice across the organisation.

This is an excellent opportunity for a confident fire safety professional with strong leadership skills, healthcare experience and a proactive approach to assurance and continuous improvement within a complex NHS environment.

Main duties of the job:

• The Fire Safety Manager will lead on all aspects of fire safety compliance across the Trust, acting as the competent person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
• The role is responsible for developing and maintaining a robust Fire Safety Management System, undertaking and overseeing fire risk assessments, delivering statutory and mandatory fire safety training, and providing expert professional advice to senior leaders, Estates teams and Trust committees.
• The post holder will work closely with internal teams and external enforcing authorities to ensure fire safety risks are effectively managed, audits and investigations are completed, and assurance is provided to the Trust Board through clear governance, reporting and continuous improvement.

As part of the Trust's aim to improve diversity across the Trust, positive action is being taken and all applications for this post from BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ candidates can request to be considered under an expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum criteria as specified in the person specification for this role.

Applicants will be prompted in the application form to declare if they wish to be considered under this expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme, and their response would be visible to the Shortlisting Panel.

If you have any queries about the expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please contact Rob Saunders (HR Manager - Recruitment) in confidence via email robert.saunders1@nhs.net.

About us:

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond. The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester. Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do:

• Being open and honest
• Ensuring people feel cared for
• Showing respect to everyone

We are committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement by embedding the principles of our Improvement System. We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

DBS Checks and Costs:

Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary.

Person Specification:

Experience:

• Continuing professional development
• Knowledge of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
• Working knowledge of NHS Firecode series HTM 05
• Conduct suitable and sufficient fire risk assessments
• Carry out fire safety surveys and reviews
• Excellent presentation skills written and verbal
• Successful team leadership/motivation of others
• Effective report writing
• Ability to assess efficacy of training programmes
• Ability to operate/think laterally at a strategic and operational level
• Commitment to customer service
• A track record of developing and maintaining good working relationships at all levels in a large organisation
• Must be a team player and have personal initiative and drive
• Good IT skills
• Must be confident and a firm leader who exhibits presence
• Well-developed written and oral communication skills
• Contributing to management reviews
• Several years experience in fire safety
• Knowledge and experience in the application of Firecode
• Experience of preparing and delivering training courses
• Experience of working across organisational boundaries to improve standards
• Experience of working with external agencies and influencing internal change
• Experience and knowledge of undertaking and reviewing fire risk assessments
• Experience in undertaking fire safety audits and conducting investigations
• Highly developed and effective verbal and written communication skills
• General computer literacy skills and ability to use Microsoft Office applications including Office, Excel and Word
• Ability to devise and deliver training programmes using eLearning, face to face, webinar and Teams environments

Qualifications:

• Fire Safety background with evidence of healthcare experience
• Science- or engineering-based degree education; and/or extensive experience of fire safety to masters level
• Certificate in Training Practice or extensive experience of preparing and delivering training
• Membership of a professional organisation (e.g. the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE); the Institute of Fire Prevention Officers (IFPO); Member of National Association of Healthcare Fire Officers)

Personal Qualities:

• Professional personal presentation and manner
• Positive attitude and flexible approach
• Must lead, drive health department forward, work flexibly, liaise with health service colleagues and Trust partners