Associate / Associate Director – Fire & Life Safety

WSP in the Middle East; Dubai; On-site; AED 600,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP in the Middle East is seeking an Associate Director – Fire & Life Safety in Dubai to lead and grow our specialist team. You will deliver complex FLS strategies across major infrastructure and buildings, ensuring compliance with local and international standards.

You will oversee design efforts, CFD analysis interpretation, BIM integration, and QA/QMS adherence, while mentoring junior staff and coordinating with authorities and clients.

Qualifications

• 15+ years’ experience in fire & life safety.
• At least 5 years in a leadership capacity.
• Extensive knowledge of regional and international codes (SBC/UAE Fire Code, NFPA, IBC, BS/EN).
• Proven track record delivering large-scale GCC projects.
• Professional certification (CFPS, CEng, PE) is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Fire & Life Safety team on multidisciplinary projects.
• Lead design efforts to ensure compliance with building codes and standards.
• Conduct onsite inspections during project construction.
• Coordinate and present projects to approving authorities.
• Review material submittals and shop drawings for fire protection requirements.
• Lead multidisciplinary design teams, integrating fire and life safety with other disciplines.
• Interpret CFD modeling results (1D/3D) to assess proposed solutions.
• Develop comprehensive fire strategy reports aligned with IFEG and SFPE guidelines.
• Review designs in BIM (Autodesk Construction Cloud, Revit) for fire safety integration.
• Mentor and manage junior staff; foster a growth-oriented team environment.
• Communicate design requirements effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
• Manage multiple projects while ensuring QMS compliance.
• Demonstrate leadership and collaboration across the organization and with external partners.

Skills

Leadership

Fire engineering

Client management

Project management

CFPS

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Fire Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline

Job description

Job Description

WSP in the Middle East is seeking an experienced Associate Director – Fire & Life Safety to lead and grow our specialist team in Dubai, UAE. The role will focus on delivering complex Fire and Life Safety strategies and solutions across major infrastructure and building projects, ensuring compliance with local and international standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Fire & Life Safety team on multidisciplinary projects.
• Lead design efforts to ensure compliance with relevant building codes and standards, developing performance‑based design solutions where necessary, in collaboration with senior staff.
• Conduct onsite inspections during project construction to ensure adherence to the fire strategy throughout the project lifecycle.
• Coordinate and present projects to approving authorities, demonstrating compliance with established standards.
• Review material submittals and shop drawings, ensuring fire protection requirements are communicated clearly to the project team.
• Lead multidisciplinary design teams, integrating fire and life safety requirements with other disciplines.
• Interpret and analyze CFD modeling results (1D/3D) to assess proposed engineering solutions.
• Develop comprehensive fire strategy reports, ensuring exceptional quality and documenting performance‑based design solutions in line with standards such as the International Fire Engineering Guidelines (IFEG) and the Society of Fire Protection Engineering Guide (SFPE).
• Review designs in BIM (Autodesk Construction Cloud, Revit) to ensure integration of fire safety principles into the design.
• Mentor, support and manage junior staff, fostering a collaborative and growth‑oriented team environment.
• Communicate design requirements effectively and in a timely manner with multidisciplinary teams.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously while ensuring compliance with Quality Management System (QMS) policies and procedures.
• Demonstrate strong leadership and effective collaboration across all levels of the organization and with external partners.

Technical Expertise

• Take commercial and technical leadership for FLS projects, owning client relationships and winning work through the delivery of technical excellence.
• Hold a leadership position within the Specialist Services division to support the combined implementation of strategic goals for the business.
• Maintain the highest standards of quality assurance and lead by example for others to follow.
• Deliver high‑quality, technically accurate design reports that align with client and regulatory requirements.
• Lead the development of fire and life safety drawings, with the assistance of junior staff.
• Lead technical workgroups, reviewing architectural, FLS, fire protection, and mechanical/electrical drawings for compliance with fire strategy and relevant codes.
• Review material submittals to ensure compliance with fire strategy and regulatory standards.
• Be proficient in the International Building Code, International Fire Code, Saudi Building Codes, and NFPA standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Fire Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 15 years’ experience in fire & life safety, with at least 5 years in a leadership capacity.
• Extensive knowledge of regional (SBC/UAE Fire Code) and international (NFPA, IBC, BS/EN) codes.
• Proven track record delivering large‑scale buildings or infrastructure projects in the GCC.
• Professional certification (CFPS, CEng, PE) is an advantage.
• Excellent communication and client‑facing skills.