The Role
Post: Assistant Director for Learning and Professional Development
Grade: TMGA
Salary range: £87,948 - £121,301 per annum
Contract type: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Application closing date: Sunday 29 January 2023 at 16:00 GMT
London Fire Brigade is London’s Fire and rescue service – one of the largest firefighting and rescue organisations in the world. We are here to make London a safer city. Employing over 5,000 people across our operational team (our firefighters), control (our call handlers who answer 999 calls), fire safety and our non-operational team (our team who work behind the scenes to support our front-line services, including IT, Finance, Procurement, and communications team).
As laid out in our Plan to keep London Safe, we have been undergoing considerable change since the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017, with change now being further enhanced following the recent Culture Review. We understand about our need to change and are committed to doing everything we can to learn the lessons from the past and the what our staff told us in the Cultural Review, but we know that there is still more to do. We love London and we want to protect our city, and we appreciate that to do that we need to be trusted to serve and protect.
This is a key HR Leadership role within the London Fire Brigade that will have a direct impact on effecting the long term cultural change required, giving the successful candidate a truly unique opportunity to make real difference to one of London’s most iconic employers.
Reporting to the Director for People, the Assistant Director for Learning and Professional Development is responsible for the development and delivery of the professional development elements of transformation in support of the London Fire Brigade’s overall strategic aims and the leadership of a customer focussed and effective Learning and Training Service.
Key Accountabilities:
• Lead the London Fire Brigade (LFB) Learning and Professional Development department to support delivery of LFB’s strategic and operational priorities by providing oversight of training interventions within LFB
• Lead on the development and implementation of a coherent and ambitious Learning and Professional Development strategy encompassing all aspects of learning, training, professional development, performance and talent management, as well as developing an internal training resource and structure for the LFB
• Lead on the management of the external training contract with the LFB’s main external provider, Babcock International Ltd and liaison with all other external providers of training to the LFB
• Provide authoritative advice, as the LFB’s principal advisor on development issues, to the London Fire Commissioner and Top Management Group on all development related matters, ensuring compliance with key legal obligations and reflecting best practice standards
• Identify the business challenges facing individual directorates and provide collaborative best practice professional development advice, including learning, training, performance, and talent management
• Devise and implement policies and strategies that optimise the development of a high performing workforce embedding LFB values and the principles of equality and diversity
• Work closely with the Director of Communications to develop and implement internal communications strategies to enhance employee understanding of development mechanisms
• Support and maintain a culture of continuous improvement, value for money and operational excellence, contributing to corporate priorities and the organisation’s overall delivery aims
Further information about the main duties and responsibilities of the role are detailed in the job description. If you are unable to see the job description please visit our jobs pages at https://jobs.london-fire.gov.uk/alljobs/ to access the full advert.
Assessment Overview
Stage 1
Online application, CV and cover letter (sift). Shortlisted candidates will be invited to stage 2.
To apply, please complete the online application, provide a cover letter clearly outlining the relevant experience, skills, knowledge and qualifications you have to successfully perform this role and upload a copy of your up-to-date CV.
Please ensure you give yourself enough time to complete and submit your application. Late or un-submitted applications cannot be accepted.
Please note any correspondence received from us will be via e-mail and sent to the address you provide on your application form.
Stage 2
Assessment for this role is due to take place week commencing 13 February 2023. Please be advised that if you are unable to make the scheduled assessment date, we may not be able to make alternative arrangements.
Please note: Should you be shortlisted you may need to be able to conduct an interview over Microsoft Teams (a video conferencing service). You will be asked to provide relevant contact details for that to take place if shortlisted.
Additional Information
Person Specification:
Knowledge and Experience
• Significant experience in a senior HR or training leadership role in a large and complex environment with Board level experience
• CIPD or other postgraduate qualification in human resources/organisation development or equivalent by experience
• Experience of developing and successfully implementing people strategies
• A successful track record of developing and implementing professional development and change solutions at an operational and strategic level
• Experience of leading and motivating diverse groups of staff to create high performing teams
• Proven experience within a complex, unionised environment
• Successful delivery of a professional development strategy to support the achievement of core strategic objectives
Skills and abilities
• Ability to develop people strategies for complex organisations
• Ability to manage competing priorities effectively including budgets and resources
• Highly developed interpersonal, influencing, negotiating and communication skills
• Encourage partnership approaches and working across organisational boundaries
• Evidence of the ability to work effectively within a politically sensitive environment
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
• Able to quickly establish rapport and credibility with managers and staff
• Self-starting and independent whilst being able to work collaboratively
• Has strong analytical and critical reasoning skills
• Capable of effective problem solving, negotiating and decision making
• Effective project management skills
• Able to cope with differing views/opinions and ongoing change
Personal style and behaviour
• Demonstrates a commitment to the vision and values of the London Fire Brigade
• Creative, innovative, leads by example, professional and inspiring
• Demonstrates personal insight into his/her actions, experience and behaviours that illustrate awareness and appreciation of equality, diversity and inclusion
• Personally credible with a professional demeanour that generates trust and confidence
• Articulate, dynamic, energetic and self-motivated
• Leads by example and possesses a high degree of integrity
• Assured and assertive with mature judgement
In line with the Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) employment checks will be completed by successful candidates, which will include a basic criminal records check. Successful candidate will be required to declare any convictions for offences which are not spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and any offer of employment is subject to the LFC receiving a criminal records disclosure which it considers satisfactory. Successful candidates should apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to get a copy of their criminal record and share the original disclosure certificate with the LFC. The check will only show convictions that are not ‘spent’. It will cost the successful candidates £23 (current charge) and usually takes up to 14 days.
We value the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects our diverse communities across London. The London Fire Commissioner is an Equal Opportunities Employer and we positively welcome 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 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 for people who have a disability.
Benefits of working for LFB
• 26 days’ holiday plus bank holidays
• Welfare Scheme
• Season ticket loans
• Equality Support Groups
• Contributory Pension Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Opportunity to access affordable accommodation
Attachments