The Role
Post: Community Engagement Lead
Salary range: £72,181 - £89,656 per annum
Grade: FRS GContract type: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Application closing date: 4 PM on Wednesday 09 July 2025
London Fire Brigade (LFB) 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.
We employ over 5,500 people, across our operational team (our firefighters), control (our call handlers who answer your 999 calls) and our non-operational team (our teams who work behind the scenes to support our front-line services, including HR, IT, Finance, Procurement, Communications etc.).
LFB is looking for a leading Community Engagement professional, with a strong combination of emergency services and/or community response and recovery, and grass roots Community Engagement practice.
At LFB we have a commitment to the Grenfell community, and part of this commitment means showing up for communities after an incident and ongoingly to ensure that LFB plays a full part in community recovery and healing. We are on a mission to embed our much-improved practice of working closely, meaningfully and ongoingly with communities impacted by or at the greatest risk of incidents across the capital, from fatal e-bike fires to supporting our blue light partners at a wide variety of serious incidents.
At the heart of this role is leading the implementation and development of an organisation-wide approach to community liaison, care and recovery at and after incidents. We require someone who understands the complexities of delivering meaningful engagement within the context of a busy emergency service. You will work closely with our Community Engagement Manager and Assistant Commissioner for Fire Stations to ensure essential Community Engagement Training attendance levels are met and learning outcomes achieved and standards improved. Alongside this you will manage our 24/7 offer of community support for our Fire Fighter Colleagues needing trauma informed community expertise at incidents and in the immediate aftermath. This will mean working flexibly and out of hours where required as well as managing an out of hours service.
Outside of leading on this important area you will have the opportunity to support the Head of Service and other senior colleagues with building strategically important community relationships for LFB.
You will need to have a varied skill set. A strategic mind with collaboration at your core, but the ability to react and respond very flexibly to the immediate need at incidents. Sound professional judgement is key success in this role. You will need to be able to bring people with you. LFB is on a mission to transform its own culture and we require all of our leaders to fully engage in our culture change work and actively seeks out cross-departmental strategic links to improving workforce culture.
This is a very challenging role and it is a truly exciting time to join LFB and our dynamic Community Engagement Team. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch via recruitment@london-fire.gov.uk
The role is London-based and requires at least 40% in-office / on station working to facilitate collaborative working with stakeholders.
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, salary range or the full advert, please visit our jobs pages at https://jobs.london-fire.gov.uk/alljobs/ to access the full advert.
Assessment Overview
Stage 1
To apply, please complete the online application, upload a copy of your up-to-date CV, provide a cover letter and provide evidence to address the following selection criteria:
1. Experience of developing, delivering and evaluating high quality community engagement activity, with experience of reporting and metrics in a communications and engagement environment.
2. Experience of community recovery both immediate and in the aftermath of a large and/or serious incident or impact.
3. Experience of working in or closely with complex public sector organisations. An experienced leader able to motivate, develop and inspire a team.
4. Able to advise on and deliver Community Engagement in a large organisational environment; able to scale up meaningful community engagement activity.
5. Strong core community engagement skills – listening, distilling issues, identifying issues and producing appropriate and workable solutions.
6. Skilled at delivering and supporting others to deliver Trauma informed community engagement.
Please note that we will score the evidence you provide based on the competencies listed in the selection criteria above.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend stage 2.
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 at LFB Headquarters on Thursday 17th or Friday 18th July. Please be advised that if you are unable to make the scheduled assessment date, we may not be able to make alternative arrangements.
Additional Information
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 the London Fire Brigade
• 26 days’ holiday plus bank holidays
• Flexi-time Scheme (which can result in an additional 12 days annual leave)
• Additional leave between Christmas Day and New Year
• Family (including maternity) leave and emergency support leave
• Flexible working including work from home 60%
• Free access to the Brigade gym
• Use of the Brigade’s Medical Adviser/physios/fitness advisers
• Free counselling
• Season ticket loans
• Join social networks including our Equality Support Groups
• Contributory pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff discount scheme including access to Blue Light Card retail and hospitality discounts
• Opportunity to access affordable accommodation
In line with the Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) employment checks will be completed by successful candidates, which will include a Standard criminal records check. Successful candidate will be required to declare any convictions for offences and any offer of employment is subject to the LFC receiving a criminal records disclosure which it considers satisfactory.
Attachments