Paul Smith
Blairgowrie,Perth and Kinross
Summary
Motivated, credible, people leader with a proven track record of delivering operational excellence, driving continuous improvement, and leading meaningful organisational change.
I bring experience managing both Wholetime and On-Call multi-pump stations, consistently achieving high standards in safety, training, operational readiness, and performance while developing resilient, capable teams.
I am recognised as an influential leader who encourages collaboration, builds strong partnerships, and champions prevention, protection, and community wellbeing. I design and lead multi-agency safety initiatives, delivering measurable improvements in community outcomes, and represent SFRS at local, regional, and national levels.
My leadership style is visible, values-led, and focused on inspiring, developing, and supporting others while embedding accountability, innovation, and high standards.
As a confident and experienced Incident Commander, I have led multi-pump and specialist rescue incidents up to Level 3, maintaining a clear focus on firefighter safety and operational effectiveness. I am driven by a commitment to continuous improvement, organisational learning, and delivering lasting benefits for the service and the communities we serve.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
Work history
Watch Commander (Rostering Project)
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
01.2025 - Current
- Project Delivery Lead, responsible for planning and delivery of a national wholetime rostering system, replacement of 5 legacy On-Call Availability systems and national On-Call Payroll system.
- Created full end-to-end project plan including development, testing, training, communications, cut over and go-live, applying Agile methods and establishing governance tools to drive accountability and delivery.
- Built, structured, and led project workstreams, assigning leads and defining ‘Ways of Working' to support consistent, high-performance delivery across a complex national change programme.
- Ensure alignment with organisational aims and directorate priorities while managing risks, GDPR compliance, internal and external strategic assurance reviews.
- Manage relationship with system supplier (Gartan), overseeing milestone delivery, issue resolution, and reporting progress to external and internal governance structures including Scottish Government, Project Board, DAF, CPPG and Portfolio Office.
- Lead organisational collaboration by gathering requirements, sharing progress and lessons learned across major projects and programmes (PPFT, SSRP, SDR, NMS), and led engagement with other Fire and Rescue Services, FBU and FRSA on emerging technology and policy changes, supporting innovation.
- Regularly deputise for Senior Project Manager, providing strategic oversight and updates. Chairing project meetings and making critical decisions to maintain delivery momentum across all workstreams.
Watch Commander
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Blairgowrie Fire Station
05.2020 - Current
- Lead a multi-pump On-Call station, managing development, availability, and competence of 23 personnel, with a track record of strong audit performance and operational effectiveness.
- Designed and delivered a structured, year-by-year youth engagement strategy ensuring children from P1 to S6 received progressive input from the Fire Service, covering fire, water, and road safety, CPR, dangerous buildings, and resilience through initiatives like Young Firefighters and Street Sports. Contributing to long-term behavioural change and risk reduction across the community recognised by Perth and Kinross Community Planning Partnership Board.
- Represent SFRS at council scrutiny meetings and have a key role in the local resilience group, securing funding and providing strategic input to multi-agency emergency planning.
- Led a multi-agency response to issues with dangerous buildings through coordinated community engagement, public education, and youth outreach, ensuring joined-up risk mitigation.
- Designed and scaled the first 'Coffee with the Crew' into a national engagement model, collaborating with Local Councils, Third Sector Organisations and Police Scotland to introduce Warm Space and Coffee with a Cop scheme during the cost-of-living crisis.
- Recruited and developed 12 firefighters and 3 Crew Commanders to competence during periods of significant change, ensuring resilience and sustainable operational capacity.
- Raised over £20,000 through high-profile community charity initiatives, building trust and visibility of the Fire Service locally.
Watch Commander
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Perth Fire Station
07.2023 - 01.2025
- Lead a team of 13 personnel at a multi-pump, specialist rescue station, ensuring operational readiness and competence through visible leadership, training, and performance management aligned with local and station priorities.
- Delivered a multi-agency water safety programme informed by decade-long data trends, producing operational intelligence for SFRS and partners, directly contributing to multi-agency incident preparedness and community safety.
- Initiated and led a major community gift appeal, coordinating third-sector engagement, business sponsorship, volunteer management, and media recognition, supporting over 450 vulnerable individuals.
- Strengthened station performance by designing a watch-led community engagement model, holding each team accountable for measurable outcomes aligned to P&K LOIP tracker, later adopted in other LSO areas.
- Participated in Crew Commander promotion process by sifting, interviewing, and providing structured feedback, supporting succession planning and leadership development.
- Actively supported the Station Commander in administrative duties, performance review, and strategic planning, enhancing alignment with the Station and Local Area Plan and delivering measurable improvements in station outcomes.
Crew Commander
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Kingsway East Fire Station
11.2021 - 07.2023
Skills
- People & team leadership
- Project management
- Stakeholder engagement
- People development
- Performance improvement
- Emotional intelligence
- Political & organisational Awareness
- Assurance & compliance
- Effective communication
- Incident command
Personal Development
- ICL1
- IOSH
- Lifelines courses
- Crisis Management (Civil Contingencies and Preparing for Scotland)
- LEAN Process Improvement
- SVQ Assessor (Pathway)
- SFRS Supervisory Leadership Development Programme
- Agile Mindsets (Scottish Digital Academy)
- Digital Scotland Service Standard (Scottish Digital Academy)
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Watch Commander (Rostering Project)
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
01.2025 - Current
Watch Commander
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
07.2023 - 01.2025
Crew Commander
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
11.2021 - 07.2023
Watch Commander
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
05.2020 - Current
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