CFRS0167 - Head Of Finance

Come and lead our finance team!

Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service (CFRS) is now the responsibility of the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Our finance team is an integral part of our service and our financial management and future affordability has recently been recognised as good by HMICFRS.  We are looking for an ambitious and dynamic individual to take our finance function to the next level by someone who is looking for a career opportunity as a permanent part of the finance team at Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service.  

The Head of Finance will support the Chief Finance Officer setting the strategic direction, planning and management of the financial arrangements of the organisation in accordance with relevant legislation.  This will involve overseeing the delivery of all aspects of financial management and planning for the service including budgeting, financial planning and statutory accounts, providing financial advice to key stakeholders and representation of the Chief Finance Officer at a range of strategic internal and external forums and leading the Financial Services team.

This is an exciting opportunity to support CFRS in effectively developing and managing its financial strategy and being a part of this exciting journey as a standalone improving fire service.

To succeed in this role the successful candidate should be a qualified accountant, ideally with local government finance experience and the ability to manage a small team.  

You should be highly motivated and have a strong commitment to ensure CFRS continues on its journey of building financial resilience whilst achieving efficiencies.

You must have a passion for identifying new opportunities and encouraging innovative improvements to the way the service is delivered and be effective at building relationships at all levels.

Please see the Head of Finance job description linked below (we call it a Post Specification) for more details on the essential criteria for the role. 

Attachment: Head of Finance Post Specification (WORD)

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Steven Tickner, Chief Finance Officer on steven.tickner@cumbriafire.gov.uk  or Lucy Taylor, Financial Accountant on Lucy.taylor@cumbriafire.gov.uk 

Details of the Post and How to Apply

Salary: £65,873 - £68,775

Hours: 37 hours per week. We support part-time working, job-shares and other flexible options - these can be discussed at interview.

Contract: Permanent

Location: The Finance team is based at Carlisle East Fire Station, Penrith Headquarters, and home-working.  

Closing date: Midnight on Sunday 16th November 2025

Interviews: Interviews will be held in-person week commencing 24th November 2025. The location will be confirmed with successful candidates at invite. 

* This post requires a Standard DBS Check * 

Adjustments – we strongly encourage any candidate who needs adjustments to make us aware as soon as possible, either using the section on the application form or by contacting the Resourcing Team directly (email below). We will have a confidential discussion with you and we take the approach of ‘you tell us what you require, and we will do out best to facilitate’. Where we are unable to make the adjustment, we will share this asap.

Resourcing Team email: Recruitment@cumbriafire.gov.uk  

Guaranteed Interview scheme 

CFRS has a Guaranteed Interview scheme for those whose most recent employer is the armed forces, for care leavers, and for those who consider themselves disabled. If you consider yourself eligible, please include this information when submitting your application to the Resourcing team, who will handle this confidentially. We encourage candidates to let us know so we can provide the best support and access throughout the process.

TO APPLY

• Please complete the Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service Application Form, linked here: https://forms.office.com/e/X2pc2y6sDR (Microsoft Forms)
• Please ensure you have properly submitted your application. You will not receive an email confirmation, however you will be taken to a page that confirms it has been submitted.
• We do not accept CVs

If you have any queries at all, please contact the Resourcing and Talent team via email: Recruitment@cumbriafire.gov.uk