Group Head of Fire Engineering

PM Group; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player seeks a Group Head of Fire Engineering to lead strategies and manage projects across the UK and Ireland. This senior role involves liaising with clients, insurers, and project teams to define fire engineering deliverables. You will be responsible for developing strategies, ensuring compliance with local codes, and managing relationships with sub-consultants. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in fire engineering, excellent communication skills, and the ability to multitask effectively. Join a dynamic team dedicated to delivering safe and efficient engineering solutions in various sectors, including life sciences and advanced manufacturing.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in a lead role in Fire Engineering, Project Engineering, or Architecture.
• Chartered status preferred; ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Define Fire Engineering strategies and manage sub-consultants on projects.
• Liaise with clients and authorities to ensure compliance with regulations.
• Document best practices and promote safety culture across projects.

Skills

Fire Engineering

Project Management

Building Compliance

Communication Skills

Time Management

Education

Level 8 qualification in Engineering, Fire Engineering or Architecture

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Overview

PM Group is a leading International engineering, architecture, project and construction management firm. With a network of offices in Europe, Asia and the US and a multi-discipline team of 3,500 people, we deliver complex, capital projects in the life sciences, food and beverages, mission critical/ICT, advanced manufacturing, energy and environmental sectors.

To support the business needs and continued growth of PM Group Design Projects across the globe, we wish to appoint a Group Head of Fire Engineering who will report to Group Head Design Health and Safety, which supports all PM Group operations.

This is a Senior Role where you will define Strategies, interface with sub-consultants, insurers, Design houses and operator to ensure the designs adhere to local and project requirements. You should be self-driven and capable of managing numerous projects at one time. You should be passionate about building and driving the growth and capabilities of the overall Fire Engineering within PM Group.

This role will be located within the UK or Ireland.

Responsibilities

• Liaise with the clients, insurers and project team to determine the Fire Engineering deliverables and responsibilities on a project.
• Initiate the pre-consultation meeting with the Fire Certificate permitting Authority.
• Understand the Building Function for compliance and the additional risks associated with the process activities. Translate this into the Strategy Document.
• Develop a Fire Engineering Strategy for the Project using engineering principles and write technical reports.
• Use national and international standards examples include Technical Guidance Document (TGD) B (Ireland) BS, ADB (UK), NFPA and IBC codes to carry out work.
• Understanding and implementation of client insurer requirements and integration of these requirements with the local codes and regulations.
• Define the RACI for Fire Compliance delivery on the project and translate this to the Basis of Safety for the Project. The Fire Engineering Co-Coordinator / Project Managers will execute this.
• Have oversight over the compliance to the Building Regulations / Codes of the region.
• Manage and Develop relationships and contracts with sub-consultants and regional bodies.
• Manage fire engineering sub-consultants and ensure that they perform their scope of services.
• Liaise with and meet with Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ’s) or equivalent on particular projects where applicable / as necessary.
• Leading Fire Reviews and project meetings and liaising with design teams to ensure a full end-to-end project life-cycle approach.
• Promoting the Living Safety Culture across PM Group projects.
• Fostering and developing relationships with Sub-consultants and within client teams.
• Supporting the Design Teams globally by ensuring that all projects have the Fire Engineering aspects covered, including Managed Services projects.
• Documenting best practice for all regions in this discipline.
• Visit and work from client or project offices and travel as and when required, locally and internationally.

Core Competencies

Because the job role for Group Head for Fire Engineering has a wide remit – A general knowledge of Fire Protection core competencies and its connection to Engineering Design and Building Compliance is expected.

Typical Fire Engineering Specialism includes an understanding of:

• Codes and regulations
• Compartmentation
• Fire resistance
• Flame Spread
• Fire Fighting requirements (e.g. Hydrants, access for fire brigade etc)
• Clean Agent Suppression
• Egress
• Explosion Protection
• Fire Alarm, Detection, and Signaling
• Passive Fire Protection
• Performance-based Design and Analysis
• Process Fire Safety
• Smoke Control Systems
• Structural Protection
• Sprinkler systems (wet, dry, Preaction, foam etc)

There will be a requirement to work on projects, where your natural competencies lie i.e. Fire Engineering, Project Engineering, Architectural or Engineering Design. The role is a global role and focused on Strategy and Risk on PM Group Designs.

Fire Engineering is one of the seven Workstreams that PM Group identify for Safe Asset delivery. These streams are as follows:

• Technical Integrity
• Process Safety
• Fire Engineering
• Construction
• Commissioning
• Operable and Maintainable
• Decommissioning

Qualifications

• Hold a Level 8 qualification in Engineering, Fire Engineering or Architecture.
• Have 10+ years’ experience in a lead role in one of these areas.
• Chartered status preferred but not essential.
• Be able to multi-task and work on several projects simultaneously.
• Have proposal / commercial management experience (advantageous).
• Be able to work on / manage resources for multiple projects on the go at the same time.
• Have good communication, management & people skills.
• Be a self-starter and decision maker with a strong work ethic.
• Be a good time manager with the ability to balance multiple priorities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft suite of software (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, etc.).