Chief of Staff

About this Role

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is the voice of firefighters in the UK, representing over 33,000 uniformed front line emergency staff of the fire and rescue services. We are the only recognised trade union negotiating nationally for firefighters and emergency fire control staff and are a powerful force for change in the working conditions of our members.

About the Role:
This is a new role and your opportunity to make a significant impact. It is a defining leadership opportunity to strengthen worker voice and shape organisational change. You will influence not just how we operate today, but how we evolve into a modern and future-proof trade union that lives its values.

Working directly to the General Secretary, you will play a central part in providing governance direction, political insight, and strategic operational leadership. The focus is on advancing the interests of FBU members by strengthening the union’s capacity, influence, effectiveness, and efficiency.

You will lead major transformation and modernisation programmes, strengthen governance and organisational performance, and champion culture change and continuous improvement.

Key deliverables will be:

• Planning and implementing the strategic agenda set by the General Secretary
• Leading a review of governance, systems, processes, and protocols
• Helping to shape the union’s strategic direction
• Building and maintaining strong political relationships on behalf of the union
• Strengthening cross-departmental and cross-union working
• Messaging and strategic communications for the General Secretary

About You
You will be people-focused: able to galvanise colleagues, inspire confidence, and ensure that the union is operated with integrity, fairness, and the highest professional standards. Most critically, you must be committed to fostering a progressive working culture, one that embraces diversity of thought and reflects the lived experience of our members.

You will be a politically astute and experienced senior leader with:

• Extensive senior leadership experience within a trade union or closely aligned political, democratic organisation.
• Strong working knowledge of trade union governance and the complexities of working alongside a Rulebook.
• Proven ability to develop and deliver political strategy in complex environments.
• Experience of working across departments or teams to deliver strategic aims, particularly in a union or movement-building context.
• Proven track record of leading, managing and delivering complex organisation-wide projects.
• Demonstrable skill in building relationships and alliances across the labour movement and political spectrum.
• Experience of preparing high-impact written materials such as speeches, briefings, and articles.
• Outstanding political communication skills – written and verbal – including the ability to speak and write with clarity, credibility, and impact.
• Strong strategic thinking, with the ability to translate insight into agile and practical plans and campaigns.
• Willingness to learn about fire and rescue services, emergency response services, and the wider environment they operate within.
• A strong commitment to the aims, values, and traditions of the trade union movement.

Working Arrangements

Benefits include:
Generous annual leave
Additional Christmas office closure period
Final salary pension scheme
Employee assistance programme
Season ticket loan
Annual Christmas bonus
Eyecare claim back scheme
Childcare assistance scheme
Flexible working arrangements

The role is based at Head Office, in central London and flexible working arrangements are in place. As you would expect with such a senior role, the hours of work for the role are unspecified and will necessarily involve an element of unsocial hours, including evening and weekend work. Periods of working away from home will also be required.

Further information

How to apply
Full details of the role and person specification are in the Job Description which you can download here.

Please send your CV together with supporting statement setting out how you meet the essential Job Requirements set out in the Person Specification to Niki McGrane at [email protected]

Closing date and time: 10.00am Friday 23rd January 2026.

First stage interviews will be held on 28th January and those selected for the final stage will be interviewed on 9th February 2026.

Please note:
Late or incomplete applications will not be considered so please ensure you provide all the requested information by the deadline.