Fire Alarm Engineer

UKRI; East Hagbourne; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research organization in the UK, UKRI is looking for a Fire Alarm Engineer at their Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. This role involves ensuring the safety and compliance of fire alarm systems, working closely with various teams to maintain high safety standards across the campus. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in fire safety, technical proficiency, and excellent fault-finding skills.

Benefits

30 days annual leave

10.5 public and privilege holidays

Flexible working hours

Workplace nursery

Exceptional pension scheme

Subsidised restaurant

Qualifications

• Considerable experience in the fire industry required.
• Proven experience of installing, testing, and commissioning fire alarm systems.
• Good communication and strong organizational skills necessary.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical support and ensure compliance with fire standards.
• Manage fire alarm service contract and PPM scheduling.
• Assist with audits and conduct building surveys.

Skills

Diagnostic skills

Fault-finding skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Education

FIA Advanced Commissioner

Experience in fire industry

Tools

Drax AMX monitoring system

Job description

Science and Technology Facilities Council
Salary: £44,982 to £49,480 (depending on skills and experience)
Contract Type: Open-ended (Permanent)
Hours: Full-time
Location: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX
Closing date: 18th June 2025

Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business support team explore the unknown and turn what they find into work that changes the world around us. Whether it’s sending probes into space or finding new ways to treat cancer, everyone here plays a vital role in making a positive difference to society.

Come and discover how much you can achieve when you’re surrounded by world-leading experts, encouraged to constantly learn and empowered to explore your curiosity.

Key accountabilities

The Fire Alarm Engineer reports directly to the Fire Systems Engineering Manager, and will assist with the upkeep and maintenance of the fire safety infrastructure.

The post-holder will be required to:

• Provide specialist technical support and assistance.
• Ensure that all related works meet or exceed the relevant industry standards (BS 5839 part 1) and comply with STFC’s Safety, Health and Environment Codes.
• Ensure that all works, in-house and contracted, are scheduled and planned through the Estates CAFM system.

Additionally, the Fire Alarm Engineer will actively contribute to and assist the site-wide fire team, fostering a culture of preparedness, response and continuous improvement in fire safety protocols. This role presents a unique opportunity for an experienced professional to make a significant impact on our organisation’s safety landscape, ensuring the well-being of our workforce and safety of our buildings and assets.

Role Responsibilities

• To assist with management of the Fire alarm service contract (currently Drax 360). To ensure that all PPMs are scheduled and booked in with building users and to carry out audits that KPIs are being achieved, and that all servicing meets the relevant industry standards (BS 5839 part 1).
• To assist with the day-to-day management of the Drax AMX site-wide monitoring system, to assign any faults generated through STFC’s CAFM system, to ensure that any building adaptations are uploaded to represent a true graphical reflection of the site layout, and that all devices are identified and sited correctly.
• To undertake building surveys to ensure that point detection is correctly addressed and zone demarcation mirrors the Zone drawings.
• To collaborate closely with the design and project teams, to ensure all projects align fire safety practices with overarching safety standards, to ensure the highest safety standards across the RAL campus.
• To carry out any fire alarm system remedial/fault rectification flagged by service engineer’s reports where necessary or arrange external contractors for anything which would need a larger team, keeping in mind which is best value for money to STFC.
• To assist/undertake works, to aid the progress of project work, including isolations, re-cabling, removing/adding detectors and panel modifications.
• To help train compliance staff to assist them with their day-to-day isolation requests.
• To provide an enthusiastic approach to fire safety across the estate, ensuring that all best practices are adhered to, and to give technical advice on how we can improve our existing infrastructure.

Estates and Corporate Responsibilities

As a member of STFC’s Estates Services, proactively support the Estates remit to deliver flexible, customer-focused and efficient services that support the delivery of STFC’s vision, values and objectives.

The Estates Services team needs to be agile and able to adapt to the ever-changing needs of our diverse customer base; therefore, it is expected that the post holder will demonstrate a flexible and adaptable approach.

Essential shortlisting criteria

• Considerable experience in the fire industry.
• Proven experience of installing, testing, and commissioning fire alarm systems.
• Excellent diagnostic and fault-finding skills, with the ability to resolve by elimination or technical recommendation.
• Experience with Drax AMX monitoring system.
• FIA Advanced Commissioner (new).
• Good communication skills.
• Sound organisation skills and able to prioritise tasks.
• The ability to be part of an out-of-hours on-call team.

STFC values their employees by offering a benefits package designed to provide an excellent work/life balance including 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege holidays, flexible working hours, a workplace nursery, exceptional average salary pension scheme, social and sporting activities and societies and a subsidised restaurant.

As one of Europe’s largest research organisations, this is a place where there’s always something new to learn about the world around us, about your career, but most of all, about yourself. Join us and discover what’s possible by submitting your CV and covering letter, which outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified, along with your motivation for STFC and the role.

About The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)

As one of Europe’s largest research organisations, we ask the biggest questions in the universe to find answers that change the world around us. We seek understanding. We’re proud of the impact we make. And we’re committed to helping build a globally competitive, knowledge-based UK economy. Being part of all this means contributing to work that pushes boundaries and creates possibilities. You’ll work with, and learn from, true experts. Whatever your role, you’ll be free to question, and encouraged to share ideas. And, in a positive and supportive culture, you’ll discover just what a difference you can make when you’re equipped and inspired to excel.

We’re a place where curious minds thrive. Not bound by profit, we explore ideas that others don’t, ask questions that others won’t, and discover answers that others are not equipped to find. And, alongside Mars landings and black holes, we also explore diverse, international projects in everything from science and engineering to computing and technology. Whether it’s at the cutting edge or behind the scenes, our work is intellectually challenging. It’s very often ground-breaking. And it’s endlessly, irresistibly fascinating.

For more information about STFC please visit https://stfc.ukri.org/

You can also visit our careers site https://www.stfccareers.co.uk/

About UK Research Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org.

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.