Protection Hub Manager in Reading

Salary: £52,413 – £57,836 per annum, Grade 7

Hours: Full Time – 37 hours per week

Location: Service Headquarters, Calcot, Reading

Excellent annual leave allowance of 30 days, flexible working, onsite gym, parking facilities and a Local Government Pension Scheme are available.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Protection Hub Manager to join the Protection function within Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS). Following a recent departmental restructure, we are seeking an experienced and collaborative leader to join our Protection Management team. Working alongside fellow managers, you will help provide strategic direction, professional leadership, and operational oversight across all elements of the Protection function. This role carries significant responsibility for leading and ensuring a consistent approach to managing Protection activities across the East and West Hubs, ensuring activities are prioritised appropriately with suitable assurance and reporting processes in place.

Working closely with the Protection Group Manager and the wider management team, you will help ensure that work is prioritised effectively, aligned with organisational objectives, risk, and statutory duties. A crucial part of the role will be liaising with external partners to ensure a coordinated approach to managing the risk of unsafe buildings requiring remediation through regular engagement with Local Authorities and representatives from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

At RBFRS, you will join a committed and high-performing leadership team. We are looking for someone who will actively demonstrate and promote behaviours aligned with the Job Profile and our Behavioural Competency Framework, and who shares our commitment to delivering excellent public service.

Key Responsibilities and Deliverables:

• Work alongside the GM Protection to develop a professional organisational culture within the Protection function, ensuring effective collaboration with other key stakeholders across the service recognising the key links to protection risk and Firefighter safety.
• Lead, coordinate and be accountable for Hub protection activities, ensuring activities are prioritised against risk and organisational objectives.
• Manage the use and allocation of uplift grant funding appropriately, providing suitable budget returns to central government with a clear audit of spending and compliance with grant conditions.
• Establish, develop and maintain relationships and partnerships with both internal and external stakeholders, partners and agencies at local, regional and national levels to deliver the Service’s strategies, purpose and aims.
• Manage the allocation of work to support multi-disciplinary teams for the Building Regulator (BSR), including the management of BSR grant funding through effective budget management.
• Ensure robust enforcement of the Fire Safety Order 2005 and Fire Safety England Regulations 2022, including legal proceedings, to uphold public safety and regulatory integrity.

Key role requirements (knowledge, skills and experience):

• A sound understanding of Fire Safety processes, procedures and sector challenges.
• Minimum level 4 Diploma in Fire Safety.
• Strong stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Able to produce management reports and manage and monitor budgets.

The successful candidate will demonstrate and promote behaviours in line with the Job Profile/Person Specification and our Behaviour Competency Framework. The Behavioural Competency Framework allows us to easily identify the behaviours that drive successful performance and enables us to deliver an effective service. The behaviours detailed within the job profile will be assessed throughout the selection process.

If you are interested in applying for this position, click Apply Now.

Assessment process:

If shortlisted for interview, you will be required to deliver a 15-minute presentation on ‘How you would prioritise and manage the demands of the built environment within Royal Berkshire’. Appointment is conditional upon undertaking an Enhanced with Barred List(s) Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Rechecks will be required in line with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy.

For further details about the role please contact David Crease, Area Manager, Prevention and Protection at creased@rbfrs.co.uk to arrange an informal discussion. If you have any queries about the application process or to discuss any adaptations or adjustments, we can make to assist you in your application or with our promotion process please contact Amanda Gavin at gavina@rbfrs.co.uk or by phone 0118 94550 for an informal discussion.

Please note we do not accept applications via Agencies or CVs without an accompanying application form. Closing date for applications is 00:00 hours 18 February 2026. It is anticipated that the assessment/interview process will run week commencing 9 March 2026. Anticipated start date: ASAP.

Please note that it is your personal responsibility to check whether by applying/accepting this position it would result in any Annual Allowance implications. A breach in the Annual Allowance threshold could result in a Tax charge. Please view our Applicant Privacy Statement on application.

Our Commitments:

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service values your individuality, your diversity and your dignity. All are welcome here. Inclusion, diversity and equality are principles which guide our decisions and will be visible throughout the Service, and we will continually work to improve in these areas. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture of dignity and trust where everyone feels safe and comfortable to bring their whole self to work. Simply: The communities we serve are varied and diverse, we should be too. Applications are welcome for job-share or part-time arrangements please enquire on application. All applications are considered on merit alone. We are a Disability Confident Leader – if you meet the essential criteria of the role, you will be guaranteed an interview if you choose to opt into the Offer of an Interview Scheme (formerly known as the Guaranteed Interview Scheme). Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and all employees must share this commitment.