Duty Commander - Derbyshire
The closing date is 16 August 2026

Job summary
We are hiring for 2 permanent and 1 6-month secondment.

Please note that interviews for this role are expected to take place over several days between 24th August and 4th September. We kindly ask applicants to ensure they are available during this period before applying. Unfortunately, if you are unavailable throughout these dates, we may not be able to progress your application further on this occasion.

At East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, we are committed to delivering excellent patient care and exploring opportunities for continuous service delivery improvements.

As part of our Reshaping Operations programme, a new role of Duty Commander has been established and we are now looking to recruit experienced operational and command focused leaders to the roles across all Divisions within EMAS. The role will be accountable to the Divisional Senior Manager (Planning) but also forms key relationships with the area management teams (Heads of Operations, Station Managers and Divisional Senior Clinical Leaders) and the Regional Operations Manager team.

Main duties of the job
As a Duty Commander you will be responsible for establishing and embedding a supportive, motivational and compassionate leadership culture across the station based operational teams. This is a key leadership role in supporting EMAS to deliver its vision and values.

About us
The Duty Commander will provide a daily 24/7 duty command and incident response role and will be responsible for the overall (on scene) duty command, coordination and performance of the Division.

This role will provide visible leadership, problem solving / decision making and assessment of risk in a live dynamic environment, effectively overseeing the daily Divisional duty plan. The Duty Commander will undertake the national major incident doctrine role and associated action cards of the 'Tactical Commander' or 'Operational Commander', dependent on the type of incident and command structure in place.

The role will also be the key link and interface with other Category 1 and Category 2 responders, jointly developing cohesive and dynamic plans with partner agencies, utilising the JESIP principles. This role will also take on the function of Ambulance Incident Commander at large-scale / multi-agency incidents and may be required to attend Tactical Coordinating Groups where appropriate, supporting the Trust's overall command structure.

Details
Date posted: 31 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 335-A-2057
Job locations: Raynesway Ambulance Station, Raynesway, DE21 7BR, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
The Duty Commander will act as a reactive leader supporting, supervising and signposting staff groups on an on shift basis. The Duty Commander will provide the 24/7 Divisional/area senior point of contact for system, CCG, hospital issues, turnaround and escalation, working closely with the Regional Operations Manager (ROM). The role will also work closely with other TCs within their area and the Trust, recognising the need for cross area and system working.

Operationally the role will work across 24 hours / 7 days (12 hour rota) with a requirement to work out of hours and weekends to support operational delivery.

Please refer to the job description and person specification for the specific, essential requirements for this role.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Operational or Duty Command qualification, or will complete Duty level within 12 months of commencement in role.
• On-going CPD around National Occupational Standards Major Incident Management
• Appropriate level registered clinical qualification, e.g. Paramedic, ECP and ability to act as a first responder
• Management diploma or equivalent demonstrable experience

Experience
Essential

• Minimum of 2 years supervising/managing a team
• Working on own initiative to deliver Trust and national polices and guidelines
• Full driving licence including the provision of emergency driving
• Completed NQP period within Ambulance sector

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Address: Raynesway Ambulance Station, Raynesway, DE21 7BR, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Divisional Senior Manager
Christopher Howley
Christopher.Howley@emas.nhs.uk