About us

The Queensland Fire Department (QFD) provides fire prevention, preparedness and response services to fire in the built and landscape environments, as well as scientific and specialist capabilities to Queensland communities. The QFD provides a multi-hazard emergency response, including road crash rescue, bushfire, hazardous material, technical and vertical rescue, severe weather incidents, remote and swiftwater rescue, and provides a number of functions supporting community safety outcomes.

The department encompasses Queensland Fire and Rescue (QFR), Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ), as well as the broader department which work together to pre-empt, prevent, mitigate and manage the consequences of fires and other emergencies on Queensland communities and support our large volunteer membership across the state.

The QFD is an organisation that is focused on reframing the department’s relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, and organisations through the Path to Treaty, Closing the Gap and building our cultural capability.

Purpose of the role

The Bushfire Resilient Communities unit leads land use planning resilience for RFSQ ensuring the state's interests regarding bushfire hazard, risk and resilience under Queensland’s State Planning Policy are addressed within state and local planning instruments. This includes advising on referred development proposals that interact with bushfire hazard areas, including vulnerable, essential services and major infrastructure services. The team is also responsible for the provision and publication of up-to-date bushfire prone area mapping needed to support implementation of the Queensland’s land use planning and building frameworks with respect to bushfire hazard.

Reporting to the Executive Manager, you will be responsible for facilitating effective bushfire risk mitigation and prevention outcomes across Queensland through management of the department’s responsibilities under the State Planning Policy’s regarding bushfire hazard. This will involve representing RFSQ’s interests in statutory land use planning and environmental issues across relevant legislation and subordinate instruments. You will support the integration of contemporary science into bushfire risk reduction strategies and capabilities across the department.

Key requirements

Highly desirable requirements

• Tertiary qualification that includes completion of relevant environmental science, urban and/or regional planning and relevant experience.

Special requirements

• It is expected that the incumbent may participate in an out-of-hours on-call roster during emergency operations. This may require work outside of normal hours (e.g. night shift), including weekends, working extended hours and may include deployment to other parts of the state.

Your key accountabilities

Your part in the ongoing success of our department, in supporting key frontline services will see you responsible for a variety of work, including, but not limited to:

• Manage the interests of RFSQ under the State Planning Policy including the receipt, analysis, referral, collation and reporting for planning instruments and significant projects received by the department.
• Lead the development and review of land use planning frameworks for RFSQ relevant to bushfires.
• Develop or enhance systems, processes and guidelines that support the effective implementation of bushfire hazard land use planning provisions to address bushfire risk within the department and across the state.
• Provide and represent strategic advice and departmental positions related to land use and environmental issues impacting upon the department’s service delivery.
• Apply research and analysis skills to produce and present reports on complex policy and planning issues.
• Support the application of contemporary bushfire science, spatial and predictive technologies in the analysis of risk in line with departmental and or state government policy.
• Develop strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure RFSQ and volunteer requirements are met, and business objectives are achieved.
• Lead and manage teams within a dynamic work environment, fostering teamwork and managing human resource activities including developing and managing staff performance and providing feedback.

Capabilities

To determine your suitability for the role, you will be assessed on the following Leadership Competencies for Queensland behavioural profiles that link to the “key accountabilities” for this role:

Leadership Competency Stream – Team Leader (leading teams)

Vision

• Leads strategically
• Stimulates ideas and innovation

Results

• Builds enduring relationships
• Drives accountability and outcomes

Accountability

• Fosters healthy and inclusive workplaces
• Pursues continuous growth

Once you join us we will want you to exemplify the QFD shared values of:

• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Courage
• Loyalty