Cambridgeshire Fire Service Seeks Occupational Health Advisor to Support Workforce Health
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is recruiting an Occupational Health Advisor for its Huntingdon base, placing staff health, sickness absence management, and return-to-work support at the center of the post. The permanent position carries a salary of £50,586 to £53,166 a year for 37 hours per week, with hybrid working available across the service and wider Cambridgeshire locations.
The role sits inside a small team and is framed as a hands-on clinical and advisory post rather than a purely administrative one. The successful candidate will provide proactive health education, guide managers and employees through sickness absence cases, and contribute to rehabilitation planning when staff need support to return to work. In a service environment where operational readiness matters, occupational health functions as both a clinical safeguard and a workforce continuity tool.
One line from the vacancy stands out: the service is not simply filling a vacancy, but looking for someone who can improve the unit itself.
A Role Built Around Case Management and Early Return to Work
The responsibilities described for the post go beyond routine workplace screening. The advisor will give medical guidance in individual cases, advise managers on the next steps, and help shape the process that allows staff to return safely after illness or injury. That work depends on careful judgment, clear documentation, and the ability to balance clinical confidentiality with the practical needs of management.
In fire and rescue services, this kind of occupational health input has direct operational consequences. Absence management affects cover, response capacity, and team stability, while poorly managed reintegration can prolong sickness absence or create avoidable risk when staff return before they are ready. The advertised remit makes clear that the post is intended to support both the employee and the organisation, with an emphasis on early, appropriate intervention.
The service also wants the new advisor to help identify and drive improvements in the Occupational Health Unit. That implies a leadership element, with the postholder expected to recognize gaps in current practice and implement changes across the team. For a relatively small unit, that can mean introducing more consistent case processes, refining referral pathways, or improving the quality of advice delivered to line managers.
Clinical Qualifications and Experience Expected in the Post
Applicants must hold Part 1 of the NMC Register and have an occupational health qualification at postgraduate diploma or degree level. Experience managing an occupational health department or unit is also required, along with casework experience that includes giving medical opinion and rehabilitation advice during or after sickness absence.
Communication is another core requirement. The role calls for excellent listening and written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear and precise reports for management. In occupational health, those skills are not optional extras. They determine whether advice is usable, whether managers understand restrictions or adjustments, and whether staff feel the process has been handled fairly and with respect.
Knowledge of Data Protection Regulations is also listed, which reflects the sensitivity of the work. Occupational health information is among the most confidential data held in the workplace, and any advisor in this setting must navigate privacy, consent, and disclosure with care. The post also expects experience of working unsupervised in an advisory role, suggesting a level of professional autonomy and clinical confidence.
Hybrid Working and the Practical Shape of the Post
The position is based at a purpose-built facility within the fire station and training centre on Percy Road in Huntingdon, but the service also advertises a flexible hybrid pattern. That arrangement allows work from home as well as from the service and other locations around Cambridgeshire, a model that can suit case management and report writing while preserving access to staff and managers when face-to-face input is needed.
For occupational health services, the setting matters. Working in or near an operational service can improve responsiveness, make communication with line managers easier, and keep the advisor closely connected to the realities of shift work, physical demands, and operational fitness. In a fire service, those factors are not abstract. They shape whether a person can safely perform their duties and whether adjustments are realistic.
The recruitment notice also places the post inside a service that is trying to present itself as an employer of choice. It emphasizes inclusivity, collaboration, and professional development, alongside career progression and specialist training. Benefits include 28 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, a competitive pension scheme, family-friendly policies, flexible working, free on-site parking where available, and access to Blue Light Discounts.
Workforce Wellbeing Is Treated as an Operational Priority
The job advertisement frames health support as part of the service’s wider staffing strategy. Employees are offered access to mental health resources, an Employee Assistance Programme, and occupational health services, which suggests the organisation views workforce wellbeing as a standing requirement rather than a one-off intervention. For a public safety employer, that approach is closely tied to retention, performance, and readiness.
The service also published staff survey figures as part of its recruitment message. It says 94% of employees care about the future of the service, 88% are proud to work for it, and 78% would recommend it as a great place to work. Other figures include 81% who would like to still be working there in two years, 83% who feel motivated to give their best every day, and 82% who are satisfied as employees. Those numbers are presented as evidence of culture, though they also point to the service’s effort to attract candidates who want to work in a stable and supportive environment.
In practical terms, the role is about keeping people at work when safe, helping them back when they have been away, and making sure managers have clinical advice they can act on. Fire and rescue services depend on physical capability, clear decision-making, and reliable staffing. Occupational health sits at the point where those requirements meet the realities of illness, injury, and recovery.
Application Timeline and What the Service Wants Next
The vacancy asks applicants to send a CV and covering letter aligned to the person specification in the recruitment pack, along with an EDI form. CVs submitted without a covering letter will not be considered. The closing date is 12 noon on Friday November 13, with interviews scheduled for either November 20 or 23.
The post is open now, but the service’s message is specific about what it wants: a personable and experienced clinician who can manage a unit, advise on complex cases, and bring improvements with them. The unresolved question is not whether occupational health matters in a fire service. It is how quickly the next advisor can turn that role into more consistent support for staff who need to stay well, recover well, and return safely to work.