Deputy Commissioner (SES4H) Queensland Fire and Rescue - Albion, QLD, Australia

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 committed to reframing the department’s relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, and organisations through activities identified in the QFD Reframing the Relationship Plan, contributing to Closing the Gap outcomes and building our cultural capability.

Purpose of the role

The Deputy Commissioner, QFR is responsible for leading the performance and specialist service delivery elements of fire, emergency management and specialist emergency response activities to communities throughout Queensland. This is achieved by overseeing and leading the delivery of all QFR services through our four regional office locations. Along with supporting the Commissioner in the performance of the Commissioner’s statutory functions, you will be accountable for leading improvements in the overarching performance and capability of QFR.

The position requires strong professional leadership and management capabilities. The role requires an ability to lead and manage urban and emergency management services to deliver government priorities along with excellence in client service delivery. The Deputy Commissioner is to provide high level leadership particularly by working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders. As an executive your performance will be assessed in according to four key accountability perspectives: financial; stakeholder and outcome; internal business; and learning and growth.

This position is accountable to the Commissioner, QFD.

Mandatory operational requirements

• professional firefighting experience which requires the ability to demonstrate significant knowledge of and practical experience in each of the following:
  • responding to, combating and managing structural fires, bushfires, and incidents involving hazardous materials
  • carrying out specialist and technical rescues
  • responding to and managing disasters.

AND

• incident control expertise which requires the ability to demonstrate significant knowledge of and practical experience in the control of:
  • incidents of large-scale structural fires and bushfires; and
  • incidents involving hazardous materials; and
  • specialist and technical rescues; and
  • responses to disasters.

AND

• fire prevention expertise which requires the ability to demonstrate significant knowledge of and practical experience in fire prevention, in relation to:
  • building fire safety; and
  • community education and enforcement; and
  • mitigation and prevention strategies in the built environment and rural environments that are susceptible to bushfires.
• Experience must be obtained by employment as a firefighter in QFR or a fire service (however described) in another State or New Zealand that is equivalent to QFR.

Your key accountabilities

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

Financial

• Provide strategic direction and leadership within QFD to ensure the effective delivery of services through best use of the human, financial and capital resources, ensuring government and corporate objectives are met.
• Management of organisational capability and direction in response to contemporary performance expectations in liaison with our business partners.

Stakeholder and outcome

• Develop strategic partnerships and effective relationships with Local Government, Queensland Police Service, emergency services agencies and other State Government agencies, Commonwealth agencies, non-government organisations and other organisations including volunteer organisations which contribute to the effectiveness of Queensland’s disaster management system.
• Develop and sustain relationships within the organisation, with the Ministers Office, across the public service and with a diverse range of significant external stakeholders including unions and associations.
• Provide executive leadership regarding local, inter-state, national and international trends, issues and initiatives relevant to fire and emergency management services and oversee policies, considering emerging trends and identifying long term opportunities.
• Represent the interests of the state of Queensland effectively in public and internal forums and on a range of national forums that relate to national security.

Internal business

• Provide high level visionary leadership within QFD and the community to ensure the delivery of world class professional, preventative and responsive fire and emergency services.
• Provide leadership and undertake strategic decision making during times of State-wide or critical emergency response.
• Command and lead major incidents and disaster management responses with the capacity to undertake the role of State Fire Controller.
• Strategic management of performance, capability and interoperability across QFD.
• Provide executive leadership to guide the direction of the organisation, its current and future services and the longer-term development of the organisation.
• Ensure QFD's compliance with relevant legislation, government policy, corporate direction and contemporary best practice in fire and emergency service delivery.
• Execute excellence in interpersonal skills to manage negotiations to resolve issues of great significance to the department's operation.
• Ensure that the Commissioner and Minister are provided with proactive and detailed advice on a broad range of complex and sensitive issues.
• Provide a high level of advice, forward planning and strategic decision making that has a significant impact and that is critical to continued success of the department.
• Devise and implement strategies that address critical risk areas.
• Strongly influence departmental and whole-of-government policies and priorities.
• Represent or assume the role of Commissioner QFD during planned and/or unexpected absences.

Learning and growth

• Provide leadership and drive direction and accountability against customer measures to support best practice in the raising, training and sustaining of staff that support the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery phases in an all-hazards environment whilst contributing to the broader objective of improving community resilience.
• Support the Commissioner, to ensure, through monitoring and regularly evaluating, emergency capability is continually improving with a priority focus on providing support to local governments and fire/disaster management groups.
• Ensure a strategic approach to the delivery of training for operational staff enables persons to perform the functions under the relevant Acts are met efficiently, effectively and appropriately.
• Implement sustainable and effective performance management and development systems.
• Lead and drive the implementation of government reform agenda and department commitments.
• Lead and model whole of government values which reflect a commitment to customer first, ideas into activities, unleash potential be courageous and empower people.
• Lead and drive the implementation of operationally critical projects of significant scope and complexity including systems, technology, employment relations and continuous improvement initiatives.

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 – Executive (leading the function)

Vision

• Leads strategically
• Stimulates ideas and innovation
• Leads change in complex environments
• Makes insightful decisions

Results

• Develops and mobilises talent
• Builds enduring relationships
• Inspires others
• Drives accountability and outcomes

Accountability

• Fosters healthy and inclusive workplaces
• Pursues continuous growth
• Demonstrates sound governance

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

• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Courage
• Loyalty