Salary details: £50,000 – £65,000

Hours: Full time – 35 hours per week (Monday – Friday)

Reporting to: Group Chief Executive Officer

Location: BAFE Group Head Office (Bedfordshire) and remote/hybrid working by agreement

BAFE Holdings Limited provides strategic leadership for all of its companies. BAFE Holdings owns and operates BAFE (BAFE Limited) and FireQual (BAFE FireQual Ltd). BAFE is the independent registration body for UKAS Accredited Third-Party Certificated Fire Safety Organisations across the UK. FireQual is the Awarding Organisation for the Fire Safety Sector providing Qualifications Scotland and Ofqual Regulated Qualifications.

BAFE Holdings Group Finance Manager is a new senior corporate role reporting directly to the Group Chief Executive Officer. We are seeking a proactive, commercially minded finance professional to take ownership of financial management, reporting and controls across a growing group of companies, including newly formed subsidiaries. This broad, hands-on role combines technical accounting, practical business partnering, systems improvement and senior stakeholder support.

The successful candidate will need to be a fully qualified accountant, ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent, with substantial relevant experience in a finance management, management accounting or financial reporting role. The Group Finance Manager will lead the month end reporting cycle, maintain accurate financial records across group entities, manage budgeting and forecasting, and help build scalable processes as the business grows.

As a member of the BAFE Group Management Team, you will work closely with Directors, Senior Managers and Team Members to provide clear financial insight, report on fiscal activity and key performance indicators, support process improvement, and implement agreed financial policies, procedures and associated arrangements. The postholder will contribute to the BAFE Group’s strategic objectives, support delivery of the annual operating plan, manage cash management activity and help ensure compliance as the Group expands.

Please email your CV and covering letter to Yvonne Williams at: info@bafeholdings.com

Closing date for applications: 9th November 2026

The post Job Posting – BAFE Group Finance Manager first appeared on FireQual | Fire Safety Qualifications & Certification.

As part of BAFE Holdings, FireQual provides nationally recognised qualifications regulated by Ofqual and accredited by Qualifications Scotland, to support the professional development of individuals and organisations working across fire safety and compliance. Through its partnership with Surpass, FireQual has modernised its assessment delivery to enhance efficiency, flexibility and scalability for both learners and Approved Training Centres (ATCs).

Surpass is currently being used to deliver both in-centre examinations and online assessments through its record-and-review functionality. The platform provides FireQual with a streamlined and robust way to assess practical skills while maintaining the rigor expected of regulated qualifications. Full integration with FireQual’s Salesforce CRM also helps ensure that information moves smoothly between systems, providing greater visibility throughout the assessment process.

Dr Justin Maltby-Smith, CEO of BAFE Holdings, commented: “Confidence in the fire safety sector starts with competence, and recognised qualifications are the cornerstone of that competence. We are delighted to partner with Surpass as the system gives us the flexibility and control we need to deliver high-quality, regulated qualifications across the fire sector, while enhancing the experience for our ATCs and learners.”

Sonya Whitworth, Co-CEO at Surpass Assessment, added: “We’re proud to support FireQual as they modernise their assessment delivery. Their commitment to quality and innovation aligns perfectly with our own, and we’re delighted to help enable a more efficient, scalable and future-ready assessment experience for their ATCs and candidates.”

This partnership reflects a shared commitment to delivering secure, high-quality digital assessments and supporting continued growth across the fire sector.

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Darren began by explaining that new BS 8674 standard, announced in August 2025, introduce a clear, tiered competency framework for those carrying out fire risk assessments in occupied buildings.

The three levels (Foundation, Intermediate, and Advanced) each reflect different levels of knowledge, skill, and responsibility.

The good news is that FireQual’s new qualifications are mapped exactly to these tiers, ensuring learners meet the specific requirements set out in the standard.

He went on to reflect on the influence of Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review, which placed competence and mandatory accreditation at the centre of UK fire safety reform. Darren emphasised that FireQual’s regulated, Ofqual- and SQAA-approved fire risk assessment qualifications, aligned with recognised schemes such as BAFE’s SP205 Scheme requirements and other relevant standards, provide a trusted route for assessors to gain verifiable, sector-recognised certification.

In discussing FireQual’s approach, Darren stressed the balance between strict regulatory governance and active engagement with industry stakeholders. As a regulated awarding organisation, FireQual follows rigorous quality assurance processes but also manages consultations, steering groups, and collaborative workshops. By working with fire and rescue services, consultants, training providers, and scheme operators, the organisation keeps its qualifications relevant and adaptable to emerging needs.

Darren also noted that, as a specialist awarding body, FireQual can often respond to market demands faster than some larger providers, and in this instance, has brought the new fire risk assessment qualifications and recognised training programmes to market as a priority and at pace.

Regarding transitioning to the new BS 8674 framework, Darren reassured listeners that experienced professionals will have a straightforward path forward. Existing qualifications have been mapped to the new framework. Where possible, Experienced Worker Pathways, along with Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), have been applied to help practitioners progress without unnecessary repetition, provided compliance requirements are met.

Sector support has been a key part of the development process. Darren explained that FireQual convened panels of experts, including fire risk consultants, UKAS representatives, scheme operators, and advisers from fire and rescue services, to ensure that the new qualifications are grounded in real-world expectations and have genuine credibility in the sector.

FireQual is delighted to announce that, since the podcast recording, the rollout of the new qualifications, planned from summer 2025, have in fact been launched on the 8th of September 2025. These include three fire risk assessor tiers, with further additional launches of regulated qualifications such as the revised and updated Fire Detection and Alarms suite (Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance, Non-Domestic and Domestic), Fire Wardens, Fire Strategy, Emergency Lighting, and Portable Fire Extinguishers, due later this year.

FireQual is already onboarding training provider partners, with full qualification specifications and enrolment pathways which are now published on the FireQual website:

Browse FireQual Qualifications

What do the new qualifications mean for employers and candidates?

For employers, the introduction of these new qualifications offers a clearer, standardised way to verify the competence of their teams.

For candidates, it provides a structured progression route that aligns directly with national standards. And for the fire safety sector, it represents a significant step towards embedding competence as a measurable, demonstrable, and universally recognised requirement.

The post FireQual discusses BS 8674 Fire Risk Assessment Qualifications on FSM Podcast first appeared on FireQual | Fire Safety Qualifications & Certification.

Unregulated providers may offer CPD or bespoke training but operate without formal oversight. Their programmes are unlikely to be recognised beyond their own organisation.

Our recommendation: At FireQual, we recommend checking whether the provider and their qualifications are listed by Ofqual or Qualifications Scotland Accreditation or recognised by a regulated awarding organisation. 2. Awarding Organisations A regulated qualification is delivered through a recognised awarding organisation (AO). These organisations must meet rigorous standards, including clear learning outcomes, fair assessment, and regular quality checks.

Our recommendation: Some unregulated AOs operate without these standards. Always ask who the awarding organisation is and whether it is regulated. 3. Credit and Levelling
Regulated qualifications are assigned levels and credits through frameworks like RQF (England/Wales) or SCQF (Scotland). This reflects both complexity and learning time.

This is not the same as a commercial credit rating, which relates to financial or internal quality ratings.

Our recommendation: If a course claims to be credit-rated, check whether it is formally part of a recognised national framework. 4. Quality Assurance and Oversight Regulated qualifications must meet robust quality assurance standards, including external verification of assessment and fair treatment of learners. Unregulated training may vary in quality and consistency.

Our recommendation: Ask what external checks are in place, how assessments are reviewed, and whether results are standardised. 5. Industry Recognition For staff working in regulated sectors or applying for industry cards or licences, qualifications need to be recognised. Regulated qualifications are more likely to be accepted by employers, trade bodies, and government schemes.

Unregulated training may not meet these standards.

Our recommendation: Check whether a qualification is recognised by relevant industry bodies or Third -party Schemes before committing. Summary When sourcing training for staff, choosing regulated qualifications through recognised awarding organisations offers greater credibility, transparency and long-term value.
If considering unregulated training, clarify the expected outcomes and quality assurance arrangements in advance.
Making informed decisions upfront helps avoid wasted time and resources later.
FireQual’s recommendation: If in doubt, consult the national registers or speak with the provider directly and ask those important questions.

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Click here to submit your entry/entries!

Further information concerning the Fire and Security Matters Awards 2025 is available online

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