Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as a Senior Fire Safety Advisor within our Fire Safety Team.

Reporting to the Fire Safety Manager, you will take a senior role in providing professional fire safety advice across a diverse and complex healthcare estate. You will work with colleagues across clinical services, Estates & Facilities, Capital Projects and other corporate teams to support effective fire safety management and continual improvement.

The role will include undertaking and reviewing complex fire risk assessments, providing specialist technical advice, supporting the management of significant findings and actions, contributing to fire safety policies and procedures, investigating fire-related incidents and supporting the development and delivery of fire safety training.

You will also provide professional support and guidance to the Trust's Fire Safety Advisors and on occasion may deputise for the Fire Safety Manager when required. The substantive role is the lead Fire Safety Advisor within the team and has an important part to play in supporting the Trust's wider fire safety arrangements.

We are looking for someone with a strong professional background in fire safety, health and safety, risk management or a related discipline, who can demonstrate the knowledge, judgement and interpersonal skills necessary to operate effectively within a complex organisation.

Main duties of the job

You will have relevant professional qualifications and experience, together with a good understanding of fire safety principles and legislation. Experience of fire risk assessment, Building Regulations, fire safety training and healthcare fire safety will be particularly valuable. The role requires the ability to communicate complex technical matters effectively, influence others and develop positive working relationships with colleagues at all levels.

We recognise that competent fire safety professionals can develop through different professional routes. Candidates who do not currently meet every aspect of the specialist healthcare fire safety competency requirements may therefore be considered where they can demonstrate suitable underpinning qualifications, knowledge and relevant professional experience, together with the ability and commitment to undertake an agreed programme of development to achieve the required level of competence.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced fire or safety professional looking to further develop their career within healthcare fire safety and to contribute to the continued development of fire safety arrangements across the Trust.

If you are looking for a varied senior role where you can use your professional judgement, develop your specialist expertise and make a meaningful contribution to fire safety across healthcare services, we would welcome your application.

Working for our organisation

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of specialist services across south east England for people with mental health problems and learning disabilities. We care for people of all ages, from children and young people through to older people with conditions such as dementia.

We provide hospital and community mental health services from more than 110 locations across Sussex. Our estate covers a floor area of some 85,000 square meters which is about the size of 16 football pitches.

It is made up of:

∙ 48 Freehold properties

∙ 57 Leasehold properties, and

∙ 5 Private Finance Initiative (PFI) properties.

These include 36 inpatient wards and homes, with a total of 579 beds, 68 community team bases and 10 corporate buildings.