BKCN Local Commander on St. Eustatius

HBO | St. Eustatius |36 hours | Vacancy number P&O2024_011_006 | Closing date: 31 December 2024

Job description

As a Local Commander you will fulfil a crucial role within the department and with regard to the safety of the residents of St. Eustatius. Although St. Eustatius, which is also known as Statia, is a small island, it is rich in history. That history, coupled with the impressive natural environment on the island, makes St. Eustatius a wonderful and meaningful place to live and work.

The Local Commander is the point of contact for fire services on St. Eustatius and is responsible both for tackling incidents and risk management. In your role as overall manager you will have ultimate responsibility for managing the base and its staff. You will be responsible for the entire operation, create a safe working environment and monitor the relationship between the various parts of the team and the set targets. You will take decisions which reinforce the organisation's efficiency and effectiveness and will make sure that everything is in line with the strategic policy.

As a member of the management team you will contribute actively to BKCN’s strategic management and use your expertise to help develop and implement policy. As the local face of the fire service he will maintain important contacts with the Public Entity of St. Eustatius and other organisations and authorities.

In addition to these duties you will be responsible for firefighting operations as the Chief Fire Officer, you will have a leading role in terms of tackling incidents and crisis situations. Your contribution will be vital to ensure the health and safety of the residents of St. Eustatius.

Duties

• You will manage the firefighting organisation on St. Eustatius and will also directly manage the team leaders/officers in charge (with a focus on staff care, professional competence, a safe working environment and staff development).
• You will be the first point of contact for the local island administration and the airport authority.
• As overall manager you will ensure that quality standards are maintained when implementing policy in your own focal areas and related processes within BKCN.
• You will manage the budget which has been allocated to the base.
• As a member of the BKCN management team you will contribute to the functioning of the fire department in its entirety.
• You will represent BKCN in island and interregional projects and working groups.
• You will play an active role in internal and external consultation and project groups.
• You will assess schedule policy developments within the specialist field and will ensure that a suitable amount of attention is paid to the focus areas. You will develop part-year plans to translate established policies into implementation within your own focus areas.
• You will ensure coordination with the other bases and the supporting clusters of engineering and logistics, operational preparation and risk management.
• You will provide details of your ambitions within the multi-year plan and annual plan and will lead yet to be determined BKCN projects.
• You will ensure effective communication within your own organisational unit and make sure that information is provided within the framework of the focus areas on (policy) matters and developments in terms of services.
• You will advise the Commander General in specific situations and coordinate special issues

Organisation

The Caribbean Netherlands Fire Department (Brandweerkorps Caribisch Nederland, BKCN) is part of the Ministry of Justice and Security. The Minister of Justice and Security is the regional manager of the BKCN. BKCN is the implementing body in terms of providing basic fire services, assistance and disaster relief. The Caribbean Netherlands is served by a single fire department with bases on the islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. It is headed by a Commander General. Each base is led by a local commander. The fire brigade organisation stands for decisiveness, expertise and helpfulness, with a focus on cooperation.

Your competencies

• Facilitative leadership.
• A focus on quality.
• The ability to network.
• Situational awareness.
• The ability to help staff develop.
• Decisiveness.
• Results-orientation.
• Ability to cope with stress.

Job requirements

• A higher vocational education level of professional and intellectual ability (HBO+) is required due to the complexity of the role and the level of responsibility.
• You have knowledge of, and experience within, the fire service or a similar emergency response organisation. You understand the specific challenges, standards and practices involved in firefighting and incident response and are able to act effectively within this professional environment.
• You have leadership qualities and experience in overall management, where you are responsible for coordinating all aspects of providing fire services. You will promote a safe and efficient working environment, encourage collaboration between teams and contribute to strategic goals by developing a coherent vision.
• You have experience with planning, guiding and implementing change within a team. You are able to see when there is a need for change, create a roadmap, inform and guide employees during the transition and deal effectively with resistance.
• You have strong communication skills in the capacity to collaborate with a variety of stakeholders.
• You have the capacity to develop long-term strategies, analyse complex issues and take well-considered decisions which align with the goals of BKCN and the needs of the community on St. Eustatius.
• You have experience as a Chief Fire Officer or in a similar role in accordance with criteria of the Institute of Physical Safety (Instituut Fysieke Veiligheid, IFV).
• You have experience in a political-administrative environment.
• You have a command of Dutch and English.

What are we offering?

• A job in accordance with the BES Legal Position of Civil Servants Decree (Rechtspositiebesluit ambtenaren BES).
• A salary in preliminary salary scale 11 and job scale 12, of a minimum of $4,050.00 and a maximum of $5,920.00 per month based on a working week of 36 hours (job scale allocation on the basis of knowledge and experience).
• Holiday pay (8.33% of your salary).
• An end-of-year bonus (8.33% of your salary, with a gross minimum of $ 1,750.00).
• A pension scheme with the Caribbean Netherlands Pension Fund (Pensioenfonds Caribisch Nederland, PCN).
• 168 holiday hours based on a working week of 36 hours.
• A temporary appointment for a year, with the prospect of a permanent appointment in the event of good performance and a positive assessment result.
• A relocation scheme for candidates who are not resident on the island.

Procedure

The procedure may include an assessment, case study and/or reference check.

This vacancy is being simultaneously published internally and externally and selection will take place on the basis of the following order of priority:

• Official staff of the National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands (Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland, RCN) on Bonaire, St. Eustatius or Saba (internal).
• Residents of the Caribbean part of the Netherlands (external).
• Other candidates (external).

Appointment requirements

• A Certificate of Conduct (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag, VOG).
• A medical assessment in order to be admitted to the pension fund.
• Dutch citizenship.

More information?

If you would like more information on the job, please contact Thijs Verheul, BKCN Commander General, on telephone number: +599-2178 or by email at: thijs.verheul@brandweercn.com.

For information about the procedure, please contact Eugenie Rodriguez, HR advisor on telephone number:+599-7954680, or by email at: Eugenie.rodriguez@rijksdienstcncom

Digital applications

You can send your Curriculum Vitae and letter of application to: vacature@rijksdienstcn.com.