Vacancy -- Crown Premises Inspector

'Pan Wales' means that the location in which the vacancy can be based is flexible, subject to the needs of the business. Please note it may not always be possible to accommodate a preference for a specific office location, but requests will be taken into consideration.

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

The Crown Premises Inspector 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.  This is an excellent opportunity for the right candidate to work in the heart of Government assuming key responsibilities for fire safety in Crown premises throughout Wales. The role will also provide the opportunity to work on a wider range of fire safety policy in an advisory capacity, dealing with issues such as reform of the Fire Safety Order. 

The post will cover all Crown premises throughout Wales.

The post holder will be responsible for managing the 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 Assistant Fire and Rescue Advisor 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:

1. 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.
2. Auditing the departmental fire safety management arrangements of Crown buildings.
3. 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.
4. Taking appropriate enforcement action under the Order in accordance with policy and the principles of good enforcement set out in the Regulators’ Code.
5. Providing advice and guidance (through meetings and presentations, as necessary) to all stakeholders regarding fire safety in specific premises and Crown premises in general.
6. 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.
7. Working with and guiding personnel from fire and rescue services who are assisting with inspections of custodial premises.
8. Liaising with Crown premises inspectors from other UK jurisdictions to ensure sharing of information and good practice.
9. Completing and updating risk-based forms, and maintaining a record of activity.
10. Formulating a range of reports, drafting letters and notices and providing general support as appropriate.
11. 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.
12. Maintaining currency of fire safety knowledge through continuous professional development, at least sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the Institute of Fire Engineers or similar.

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.

The post provides an excellent opportunity to work within the national environment of Crown premises, which range from central government premises to unique places of national heritage. This also includes custodial premises which present distinctive and complex fire safety risks.  The role will also provide the opportunity to work on a wider range of fire safety policy in an advisory capacity, dealing with issues such as reform of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.

24/01/2020, 16:00

Posts recruited to as part of this recruitment campaign are broadly open to UK nationals, those with right to remain and work in the UK and those that meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules only. Check your eligibility here:

• UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK

• Nationality rules – GOV.UK

Prior to appointment, all successful applicants will be required to produce original, acceptable documents as part of the pre-employment checks. If it becomes apparent at a later stage in the process that you aren’t eligible to apply, your application will be withdrawn, or offer retracted.

The Welsh Government is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. This is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010 and will be adhered to at each stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments are also embedded in our day-to-day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and increasing diversity in the Welsh Government by removing barriers and supporting all our staff to reach their potential. We are committed to recruiting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and disabled people who are currently under-represented in Welsh Government.

We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, marriage and civil partnership (both same sex and opposite sex), impairment or health condition, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, gender identity or gender expression.

We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader) organisation. Key to supporting this work and providing peer support are five Board sponsored Staff Networks (Disability Awareness and Support (DAAS); Minority Ethnic Support Network (MESN); Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex +) and Women Together.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation and Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the organisation. We encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace. 

The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the line manager on behalf of the Welsh Government of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.

In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.

Our 3 recognised trade unions are:
•         PCS
•         Prospect
•         FDA

This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:
•         pay
•         terms and conditions
•         policies and procedures
•         organisational change.

Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.

The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We encourage staff to get involved. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. and to learn more about trade unions and partnership working.

• Unless stated otherwise in ‘actual starting salary’, all candidates will start at the minimum of the pay scale being appointed to (this includes existing civil servants).This is not negotiable.
• Unless stated otherwise in ‘type of opportunity’, this recruitment advert is not open on a Loan or Secondment basis.
• For more information on the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions for Loan and Secondment positions in Welsh Government, please see external recruitment candidate guidance.
• Unless stated otherwise in ‘Location of Post’ the role/s recruited to via this campaign can only be worked in the UK, not overseas.

All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system.  If you have a disability which would prevent you from applying on-line, please e-mail SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format, or to request a reasonable adjustment related to a disability in order to submit your application.

To apply, you'll need to have an account on our online application system.  Click the 'Apply' button below, and you'll be asked to 'Log in' if you already have an account, or 'Register' if you don't yet have an account.  Registration takes just a few minutes to complete.  You'll need an e-mail address to be able to register.  Once you've registered for an account and logged in, you'll be taken to the online application form, which you'll need to fully complete and submit before the deadline on the closing date.  

If you’d like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.

For further information regarding the Welsh Government recruitment process, please see the Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link).

When evidencing your suitability for the post, it is recommended that you refer to the Civil Service Competency Framework (link)

Anyone who believes they have been treated unfairly, or has a grievance or complaint, about how the process was conducted should either write to the Head of Resourcing, Welsh Government, Cathays Park 2, Cardiff CF10 3NQ or email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales.  If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaint raised with the Welsh Government and feel that the principles of appointment on merit through fair and open competition have not been met you have the right to pursue your grievance with the Civil Service Commission.