Fire Safety Auditor

Job description

About the job

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

The Corporate Services Group works closely with the Home Office's policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the department's priorities.

The group is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Communications, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Private Office, Security, Estates and Information.

Home Office Property Services (HOPS) manages a large, diverse, and complex national estate, comprising offices, operational sites, residential accommodation, and high-risk premises. Ensuring compliance with fire safety legislation and maintaining effective fire risk management arrangements across this portfolio is critical to protecting our people, assets and operations.

We are seeking a highly motivated and technically competent Fire Safety Auditor to join our Health, Safety and Fire (HSF) team. This role is central to providing independent assurance on fire safety compliance across the Home Office estate, supporting continuous improvement and helping ensure that statutory and departmental requirements are consistently achieved.

Job description

As a Fire Safety Auditor, you will deliver fire safety audits, inspections and assurance activities across a diverse property portfolio, assessing compliance with fire safety legislation, organisational policies and recognised standards.

Working closely with Fire Safety Management Business Partners (FSMBPs), Health and Safety Management Business Partners (HSMBPs), Facilities Management (FM) teams, property managers, contractors and other stakeholders, you will review fire safety arrangements, documentation and performance information to identify risks and opportunities for improvement.

You will undertake both planned and reactive assurance activities, including site inspections, audits and desktop reviews, responding to incidents, emerging risks and operational changes where required.

The role involves producing clear, evidence-based reports, tracking remedial actions and supporting continuous improvement in fire safety performance. Through effective stakeholder engagement, you will provide assurance, promote a positive fire safety culture and help ensure the organisation meets its statutory and corporate fire safety responsibilities.

The current building locations for this role are:

Bedford - Franklin Court; Belfast - Law Society House; Dover - Channel House or Priory Court; Folkestone - Martello House; Glasgow - HMPO Northgate; Peterborough - HM Passport Office Quay House; Liverpool - The Capital; Salford - Soapworks; Sheffield - Vulcan House; Solihull - Sandford House; Stoke on Trent - Smithfield Two.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct fire safety audits, inspections and assurance reviews across the estate to assess compliance with legislation, policy and recognised standards.
• Review fire risk assessments, compliance records, action plans and supporting documentation to evaluate fire safety management arrangements.
• Produce clear, evidence-based reports identifying good practice, risks, non-compliance and opportunities for improvement.
• Monitor and validate progress against agreed actions, ensuring remedial measures are implemented and evidenced appropriately.
• Analyse audit findings, performance data and compliance trends to identify emerging risks and recurring issues.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of fire safety assurance processes, standards and methodologies.
• Assist with internal and external audits, inspections and assurance activities, including those undertaken by regulatory and government bodies.
• Build effective relationships with stakeholders, providing advice, assurance and support to strengthen fire safety governance and culture.

Working Pattern

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis with the option of compressed hours working.

Travel

Frequent overnight travel will be required to other Home Office locations, UK wide. Travel and subsistence costs will be reimbursed in line with standard Home Office policy.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Demonstrable experience in conducting fire safety audit activities, compliance reviews or assurance activities within complex organisations.
• Strong knowledge of UK, Scotland, and Northern Ireland fire safety legislation, fire risk management principles and recognised fire safety standards.
• Experience reviewing fire risk assessments and assessing the effectiveness of fire safety management systems and controls.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple audits and competing priorities while maintaining quality standards.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex fire safety issues clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience building effective relationships with stakeholders and influencing improvements in compliance and risk management.

Desirable Criteria

• Level 4 Fire Safety Diploma (or equivalent) in Fire Safety, or willingness to work towards it.
• ISO 45001 Auditor or Lead Auditor qualification, or willingness to undertake it.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
• Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
• Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
• See more of our benefits on our careers website.

Sign-up on our website to receive emails with information about careers at the Home Office.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.

1. Application - by 14th September 2026

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• CV.
• Personal Statement (maximum 750 words).
• Evidence of the Behaviour Making Effective Decisions (maximum of 250 words).

Your CV should consist of your career history, qualifications and skills/experience, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.

The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

2. Sift - from 16th September 2026

The sift will be held on the Personal Statement, CV and Behaviour, as listed in the advert.

Should a high volume of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will then be progressed to a full sift that will consist of all the remaining elements submitted (CV / Lead Behaviour).Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the initial sift will not have their remaining submitted elements scored and will only receive a sift score for that assessed at the initial sift.

3. Interview - from 7th October 2026

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the advert). All Behaviours listed in the selection process will be scored at the interview.

The interview will take place online via Teams.

For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.

Problems during the application process

If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you've made a mistake on an initial application, please contact

[email protected], including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.

Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.

Location Preferences

You can select up to three locations in order of preference. Please ensure that these are locations you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at one of your preferred location(s) and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.

Reserve lists will be held for each location. Candidates will be appointed in merit order by location.

Breaking Tied Scores

The behaviours have been ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores.

Advertising in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is part of the UK. As stated in the Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland recognise the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose, and accordingly confirm that their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments and would not be affected by any future change in the status of Northern Ireland.

Standards

All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Additional Security Checks

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs

• Complete the "Assistance Required" section in the "Additional Requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland/Access NI on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.

If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected]

For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected]

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Home Office Resourcing Centre
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. and you wish to make a complaint, then contact the Government Recruitment Service via [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.