Defence Fire & Rescue Service – Group Manager – Defence Fire Safety Regulator (DFSR)

The Defence Safety Authority (DSA) is responsible for regulating Defence Health, Safety, and Environmental Protection, ensuring compliance with the law and promoting safety across Defence activities. Operating under a Charter from the Secretary of State for Defence (SofS), the DSA provides independent assurance that safety policies are implemented effectively while supporting Defence’s operational needs.

The DSA hosts Defence safety regulators across all operating environments and incorporates the Defence Accident Investigation Branch (DAIB) and an HQ within a single independent organisation led by a 3* military officer.

As part of this mission, the Defence Fire Safety Regulator (DFSR) ensures compliance with UK fire safety legislation through risk-based audits, works consultations, and post-incident reviews. The DFSR also provides expert advice, enforces fire safety standards, and collaborates with key stakeholders to uphold the highest safety standards across the Defence Estate.

This is a full-time position (42 hours per week) offering a unique opportunity to contribute to the safety and security of Defence personnel and assets.

Are you ready to take on a critical role in safeguarding lives and assets across the Defence Estate? As a Defence Fire Safety Regulator (DFSR), Fire Safety Inspector, you will be ensuring compliance with UK fire safety legislation and driving the highest standards of safety. Your responsibilities will include ensuring that Responsible (Accountable) Persons implement effective fire precautions to protect people and property.

A key part of your role will involve conducting risk-based audits to assess compliance with fire safety legislation and Defence Safety Regulations. These audits are essential to ensuring that Responsible (Accountable) Persons implement effective fire precautions to protect people and property. You will also undertake post-fire audits where necessary, identifying potential failings and taking appropriate action to address them. Where breaches of legislation are identified, or where an immediate risk to life is present, you will have the authority to issue Enforcement Notices or Prohibition Notices to safeguard lives and ensure compliance.

In addition to audits, you will play a vital role in statutory fire safety consultations for building works. This process ensures that new or altered buildings meet fire safety regulations by addressing fire safety issues early in the planning and design stages. You will work closely with building control bodies (local authorities or private inspectorates), applicants (such as developers, architects, or owners). By embedding fire safety from the outset, you will help prevent costly and disruptive changes later in the construction process.

We are seeking a motivated and experienced professional to join our team. This is not just a job—it’s an opportunity to make a real difference. As a confident communicator with a strong understanding of UK fire safety legislation, you will collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders to uphold safety standards across the Defence Estate. You’ll use your analytical and interpretation skills to conduct audits, assess compliance, and contribute to the continuous improvement of fire safety practices. No two days will be the same, offering you a dynamic and rewarding work environment where your expertise will have a tangible impact.

This role also offers the opportunity to travel across the UK, as you work to ensure fire safety compliance in diverse and challenging environments. If you’re ready to take on a role that combines responsibility, variety, and the chance to make a real impact, we want to hear from you.

If you need to contact Defence Business Services (DBS) regarding this vacancy, please indicate that your vacancy is being handled by Resourcing Team 1. If you experience any technical difficulties with the CS Jobs system, please contact the Support Team at candidate@support.oleeo.com

Qualifications – essential

Level 4 Certificate in Fire Safety (Auditors), recognised by an official awarding body.

Qualifications – desirable

Lead Auditor (ISO 9001/45001)

Fire Safety level 4 Diploma.

Fire Safety level 5 Diploma.

All qualifications declared must be held at point of application and if applicable be in date.

Evidence of qualifications will be required at interview. Equivalent Qualifications will not be accepted.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

At the application stage you will be assessed against:

Experience:

• Curriculum Vitae - A CV will be required for this position, CVs must comply with the CV template provided on the CS Jobs dashboard, detailing job history, full qualifications previous experience and skills.
• Statement of Suitability - Candidates will be required to complete a Statement of Suitability of no more than 1000 words, explaining how they consider their personal skills, qualities, and experience provide evidence of suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.

Behaviours:

Candidates will be required to submit evidence of no more than 250 words against the selected behaviours:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Behaviours will be assessed at level 3 - SEO/C1 level

At interview you will be assessed against the following behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing The Big Picture

Technical Skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Technical Skills will be assessed at interview only (10 min presentation). The topic will be provided to those candidates successful at the sift stage.

Apply using the CS Jobs apply button, fill in all required details in all sections.

The successful candidate will be required to undertake a DFRS Operational Fitness Assessment (OFA) prior to employment and be subject to further assessments to confirm their fitness for duty and general wellbeing, in accordance with the DFRS medical standards.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.