ID 829 - Crown Premises Inspector

The Welsh Government is offering an opportunity for a suitably qualified and experienced fire safety officer.

The Crown Premises Inspector (CPI) post sits within the Fire Services Branch in the Welsh Government. The branch deals with all matters relating to the Fire and Rescue Services which is an area devolved to Senedd Cymru. The CPI works directly to the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, who is the principal adviser to the Welsh Ministers on fire service matters.

The CPI has authority to enforce the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the ‘Fire Safety Order’) in all premises owned or occupied by the Crown in Wales (except MoD sites). This includes a wide range of premises, including public buildings, offices, depots and warehouses, heritage buildings and custodial premises – the last of which present distinctive and complex fire safety risks. The post will cover all Crown premises throughout Wales.

Other requirements of the post

Candidates must have a sound knowledge of fire safety legislation and risk-based enforcement, (including the principles of fire risk assessment) and be able to demonstrate the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to deal with complex fire safety solutions.

Candidates must also have excellent interpersonal and organisational skills, be able to work to tight deadlines, work on their own initiative as well as maintaining regular liaison with the Welsh Government’s Fire Services Branch.

Although the CPI role does not include line management responsibilities, it will require oversight and supervisory duties of Fire and Rescue Service officers, who assist the CPI in conducting inspections of some custodial premises across Wales.

The CPI is also required to work with staff at the premises being inspected, often at senior and management level, and to conduct appropriate enforcement action should the inspection warrant this.

Grade Description:

What the organisation will expect

• You will be responsible for managing defined areas of work using your specialist knowledge or experience to exercise sound judgement when interpreting complex or conflicting information weighing up all evidence to produce innovative solutions to problems.
• You will be adaptable, flexible, open to, and accepting of change affecting you and your area of work and deal with that change efficiently and professionally.
• You will show political awareness and an understanding of the political landscape when considering the impact of your decision and work on the wider business area and when formulating proposals for the CFRAI and Ministers.

What your team will expect

• You will value diversity and inclusion, creating an environment where individuals feel safe to challenge, share ideas and express concerns adopting an inclusive leadership style.
• You will express complex technical concepts and findings clearly and succinctly to those with lesser degrees of technical knowledge.
• You will be responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining systems or processes ensuring excellence or value for money.

What key stakeholders will expect

• You will take the lead in creating, building and maintaining constructive relationships at all levels.
• You will be able to tailor and adapt your communication style (written and oral) to advise, guide, influence and persuade internal and external stakeholders as appropriate.

Main responsibilities:

The post holder will be responsible for managing the Crown Premises inspection programme and ensuring that the Welsh Government maintains a fully referenced database of premises information. The inspector will report to the Welsh Government’s Fire and Rescue Adviser and form close links with relevant colleagues in the Welsh Government.

We are looking for a highly motivated individual able to work on their own initiative with a proven track record in Business Fire Safety. The duties are varied and include:

• Management of a risk based programme of inspections of Crown premises - both through on-site work and desk top review, and auditing and inspecting premises across Wales for the purpose of assessing compliance with the Fire Safety Order.
• Auditing the departmental fire safety management arrangements of Crown buildings.
• Following up and investigating fire incidents in Crown premises, often as part of a combined team with officers from the Fire and Rescue Service in whose area the incident occurred.
• Taking appropriate enforcement action under the Order in accordance with policy and the principles of good enforcement set out in the Regulators’ Code.
• Providing advice and guidance (through meetings and presentations, as necessary) to all stakeholders regarding fire safety in specific premises and Crown premises in general.
• Liaising with fire and rescue services, other enforcing authorities, statutory bodies and others where joint working is necessary, to promote consistency, and for the purposes of information exchange.
• Working with and guiding personnel from fire and rescue services who are assisting with inspections of custodial premises.
• Liaising with Crown Premises Inspectors from other UK jurisdictions to ensure sharing of information and good practice.
• Completing and updating risk-based forms, and maintaining a record of activity.
• Formulating a range of reports, drafting letters and notices and providing general support as appropriate.
• Providing technical advice on fire safety in general, and contributing to the reform of policy and law with regards to fire safety and prevention. In particular, this will include the reform of the Fire Safety Order in light of the Grenfell Tower fire.

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service

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

• Expert knowledge of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

All Welsh Government staff are members of the Civil Service, and as a result are eligible for:

• Civil Service Pension Scheme
• 31 days annual leave (pro-rated for part time)
• training and development opportunities
• Cycle2Work Scheme
• Smart Working flexible working arrangement
• Green Car Scheme (subject to availability)

If you are an active Civil Service Pension member you can continue your membership throughout your employment with us.

Job contact :

Name :
Fire Services
Email :
fire@gov.wales

Recruitment team

Email :
sharedservicehelpdesk@gov.wales