Public and Personal Safety Team Leader

Sussex Police; Lewes; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career progression

Contributory pension (LGPS)

Generous annual leave

On-site gym

Sports clubs

Parental leave

Wellbeing guidance

Discounted healthcare

Job summary

Sussex Police in Lewes is seeking a senior training leader to supervise the Public and Personal Safety Training team and ensure high standards of delivery. You will guide training aligned to force priorities, manage resources, and provide expert advice on Use of Force matters.

The role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and excellent reporting skills, with a focus on learning effectiveness and staff development. A proactive, resilient candidate is essential.

Qualifications

• Proven experience of leading, managing, and developing teams within policing or training environments.
• Recent policing training experience with operational understanding.
• Knowledge of diverse training delivery methods and learning technologies.
• Strong people development, coaching, and performance management skills.
• Ability to delegate while maintaining accountability and quality.
• Customer-focused approach and excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Proven capability to plan and lead complex projects across departments.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and well-organised with adaptability.
• Experience representing Learning and Development at strategic meetings.
• Strong report-writing skills and evaluation capability.
• Understanding of equality and inclusion in training provision.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and lead trainers within PPST, ensuring performance and quality.
• Provide leadership to meet local, regional, and national training requirements.
• Act as lead adviser on Use of Force issues for the Forces.
• Coordinate development and delivery of training interventions.
• Oversee urgent Personal Safety Training to support recruitment and priorities.
• Ensure compliance with internal processes for lesson plans and materials.
• Deliver programmes aligned to Force priorities and strategy.
• Produce evaluation reports for sponsors and stakeholders.
• Research learning theories and technologies to keep training effective.
• Apply National Decision Model and risk principles in resource planning.
• Attend governance meetings as a Subject Matter Expert.
• Monitor Use of Force forms and assist investigations where relevant.
• Undertake other duties commensurate with the grade.

Skills

Team leadership

People development

Performance management

Training delivery

Use of Force advisory

Strategic decision making

Project leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Policy compliance

AnalyticalReading of trends

Report writing

NDM & risk principles

Resilience under pressure

Job description

Division / Department - People Services
Grade - Grade 11
Status - Full Time
Contract Type - Permanent
Salary Grade Range - £41,487 - £45,765
Working Hours - 37.0 Hours per Week
Shift Allowance - No
Politically Restricted - No
Location - Lewes

The starting salary for this role will usually be at the bottom of the salary range and will be pro-rata if the working hours are less than full time.

Chief Constables' Message

We really welcome your interest in joining our Police Force. It is a privilege to lead the teams in Surrey Police and Sussex Police who continuously work selflessly and tirelessly in order to keep people in our counties safe.

We are looking for talented and inspirational people who put the needs of the public at the heart of everything that they do and who want to make a difference. If you feel you are that person then we want to hear from you.

We wish you all the very best with your application.

The Role & Key Responsibilities

From your first day with us you will be part of a policing family making a real difference.

It is our mission to identify and protect vulnerable people, prevent and respond to harm and keep people safe.

In this role you will;

• Supervise and lead trainers within the Public and Personal Safety Training (PPST) team, ensuring effective performance management, compliance with professional training standards, and a commitment to the continuous improvement and development of training services.
• Provide leadership, guidance, and support to the team, ensuring that local, regional, and national training requirements are met and that training programmes are designed to effectively support frontline operational delivery.
• Act as a lead advisor to both Forces on matters relating to Public and Personal Safety Training, including the provision of specialist advice on Use of Force issues. Working in partnership with the Training Delivery Manager, analyse emerging issues, recommend appropriate solutions, and coordinate the development and delivery of training interventions.
• Oversee the delivery of urgent Personal Safety Training requirements, including responding to short-notice requests arising from recruitment activity, operational priorities, or organisational demands.
• Ensure compliance with all internal processes and protocols, conducting regular reviews in line with departmental and Force direction. This includes the management, retention, archiving, and disposal of lesson plans, training materials, and associated resources.
• Ensure that Public and Personal Safety Training programmes are delivered in accordance with Force priorities, Workforce Plans, the People Services Delivery Plan, and the wider People Strategy.
• Produce comprehensive evaluation reports based on professional expertise and robust analysis, providing clear feedback to training sponsors and stakeholders to assess whether intended learning outcomes and organisational objectives have been achieved.
• Research and evaluate contemporary learning theories, methodologies, and technologies in collaboration with Learning and Professional Development colleagues, ensuring training provision remains effective, evidence-based, and aligned to organisational and strategic priorities set by Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners.
• Apply sound decision-making skills, utilising the National Decision Model (NDM) and Threat, Harm and Risk principles to effectively balance competing priorities and manage resources, including staffing, finances, facilities, and operational demands. Provide appropriate advice to the Training Delivery Manager and Business Partners as required.
• Attend regular governance and stakeholder meetings, including Use of Force and Stop and Search forums, acting as a Force Subject Matter Expert (SME) alongside the Learning and Development Service Delivery Lead.
• Monitor and evaluate a representative sample of Use of Force forms each month to ensure compliance, identify trends, and provide constructive feedback to support organisational learning and continuous improvement.
• Review referrals and submissions from Professional Standards Departments (PSD) relating to potential Use of Force misconduct matters, providing specialist advice and expert opinion in support of both internal and external investigations.
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade and nature of the post, including responsibilities associated with comparable or lower‑graded roles where reasonably required.

Skills & Experience

• Proven experience of leading, managing, and developing teams comprising of individuals with a diverse range of skills, knowledge, and experience.
• Recent experience within a policing training environment or frontline policing role, with a sound understanding of operational policing requirements.
• Comprehensive knowledge of a variety of training delivery methods, including the effective use of innovative and emerging learning technologies.
• Strong understanding of people development, including performance management, objective setting, coaching, and the achievement of individual and team goals.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively delegate responsibilities, ensuring resources are utilised efficiently whilst maintaining accountability and quality standards.
• Highly developed problem‑solving skills, with the ability to work autonomously or collaboratively with colleagues and managers to identify, develop, and implement strategic solutions.
• Consistently adopts a customer‑focused approach, ensuring that service delivery meets the needs and expectations of stakeholders and end users.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and influencing skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Proven ability to plan, coordinate, and lead complex projects involving multiple contributors across departments and Force areas, ensuring objectives are delivered within agreed timescales.
• Self‑motivated, proactive, and highly organised, with the flexibility to respond effectively to changing priorities and challenging deadlines.
• Confident in representing the Learning and Development function at strategic meetings, providing professional advice, updates, and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrates resilience, professionalism, and sound judgement when operating in high‑pressure environments and managing competing demands.
• Ability to complete the JRFT to maintain level 5.4 on a yearly basis along with CPD reaccreditation as mandated by the College of Policing.
• Strong report‑writing skills, with the ability to produce concise, accurate, and evidence‑based reports, often within tight timescales and for internal and external stakeholders, including HMICFRS.
• Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of equality, diversity, and inclusion principles, with the ability to embed inclusive practices throughout learning and development programmes to support organisational values and workforce needs.

Why Work With Us?

Policing is an exciting 24/7 business and we all have commitments outside work. We’re invested in supporting people to balance their life with work and we encourage flexible working. We are open to conversations about job shares and part time working. We encourage agile working, giving you the opportunity to manage your own diary and work wherever you give the best service to the public. This may include flexi‑time and home working.

We take pride in looking after our people and offer a variety of benefits;

• career progression
• contributory pension scheme (LGPS)
• generous annual leave allowance
• discounts for everyday spend
• on‑site gyms and a range of sports clubs
• generous and supportive parental leave
• financial and mental wellbeing guidance and support
• discounted contributory healthcare scheme

For more information about the role, please contact either:

We are only as good as our people. It's important that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we know that as an organisation we'll grow from the variety of thinking, approach, and the skills that diversity brings; all of which help us to deliver a better policing service. We strive to ensure how we deliver our services, provide information and how we recruit is open and accessible to all.

We have multiple staff support groups who help to improve our understanding of minority issues and ensure they are reflected in our work. We are proud members of Disability Confident, hold Race Equality Matters Trailblazer status, and are a signatory of the Race at Work Charter and are aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.

We are committed to being an anti‑racist police service. We promise to challenge injustice, ensure fairness and to uphold anti‑racist principles in both our organisation and our communities. For more information, you can read our full anti‑racism statement here .

We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities. Regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status, or religious belief, we would love to hear from you.

Following submission of your application you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application attached. Occasionally emails from this address can fall into spam/junk folders so please ensure this is checked regularly. You may wish to consider adding [e-mail] to your address/contact list to ensure you receive all communications.

This post is being advertised in parallel with Force redeployment processes. Any redeployees who are identified will be given preference. This may result in the post being withdrawn at any point during the recruitment process.

Please note that not all jobs are available for internal candidates across both Forces, the current agreed recruitment principles are;

• vacancies in collaborated units are available to all officers and staff across both Forces
• vacancies in non‑collaborated units are only available to officers and staff within the Force with the vacancy unless it is advertised externally
• if the vacancy is advertised externally and an officer or member of staff from the other Force is successful it will result in a transfer of employment

Surrey Police and Sussex Police Special Constables, Volunteers and Agency Staff (excluding self employed workers) covered under the Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) are eligible to apply for internal advertised posts.