Head of Fire Safety

NHS; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust invites a strategic, senior fire safety leader as Head of Fire Safety. You will own the Fire Safety Management System, act as the Trust’s competent person for fire safety, and provide expert advice to the Board and executive leadership to ensure a safe environment for patients and staff across a large, multi-site estate.

The role requires substantial senior experience, delivery of statutory compliance, and leadership of a dedicated fire

Qualifications

• Fire engineering or science degree (or extensive equivalent experience).
• Fire Safety Management qualification such as IFSM/IFE or equivalent.
• Membership of a relevant professional organisation (IFE/NAHFO/IFSM).
• Significant senior-level experience in fire safety within a large complex organisation (preferably healthcare/public sector).
• Proven track record of compliance with statutory fire safety obligations and related regulations.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert leadership, strategic direction and professional assurance on fire safety to support a safe environment for patients, staff, visitors and contractors.
• Lead a high-skilled Fire Safety Team within the Estates and Facilities Directorate.
• Advise on legal and statutory fire safety requirements across the Trust’s multi-site estate and ensure adherence to current codes of practice.
• Develop and maintain an open, transparent Fire Safety Management System and related policies.

Education

Fire engineering/fire safety degree

Fire Safety Management qualification (IFSM/IFE)

Membership of professional organisation (IFE; NAHFO; IFSM)

Job description

Go back The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Head of Fire Safety

The closing date is 30 September 2026

The Estates and Facilities Directorate is seeking to recruit a diligent, skilled and highly motivated Trust Head of Fire Safety. This strategic role offers Board level visibility, ownership of fire safety assurance, regulatory engagement and the opportunity to lead and develop a specialist fire safety team.

The Head of Fire Safety will oversee the ongoing delivery of a comprehensive Fire Safety Management System across the Trust's estate. As the Trust's 'competent person' on all matters relating to Fire Safety, the post holder will ensure that the organisation complies with Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) legislation, HTM/HBN guidance and the Building Safety Act to ensure the provision of a fire safe environment for patients, staff and visitors.

The successful candidate will have significant senior-level experience managing Fire Safety in a large, complex organisation (preferably healthcare or public sector).

• Interview Date: 19 October 2026

Main duties of the job

The postholder will act as Fire Safety Adviser (Authorised Person (Fire)) and provide expert leadership, strategic direction, and professional assurance to the Director of Estates, Facilities and Strategic Partnerships, the Executive Team, and the Trust Board, to support a safe environment for patients, staff, visitors, and contractors across all Trust premises.

The post holder will lead a high-skilled, professional Fire Safety Team that forms an integral part of the Trust's Estates and Facilities Directorate.

As an autonomous lead on all matters of fire safety you will be the Trust's lead expert for fire safety, providing expert professional advice and taking responsibility for ensuring the Trust is compliant with their legal and statutory requirements and that all fire safety regulations under current statutes and codes of practice are addressed across a large complex and multi-site organisation.

By the provision of competent advice, the post holder will be able to provide assurance to the Trust Board, CEO, Director of Estates, Facilities and Strategic Partnerships and the Trust Fire Safety Manager on matters relating to Fire Safety.

The post holder will provide expert technical advice to the Trust Fire Safety Manager on the management of fire safety across the organisation and will be required to deputise for the Trust Fire Safety Manager as required.

About us

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, we deliver care from:

• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Freeman Hospital
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under 'Documents to download' or 'Supporting documents'.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Job responsibilities

The post holder will support the organisations capital and revenue projects through the provision of expert fire safety advice and work with senior leaders within the Estates Engineering and Building teams to ensure that the Trust estate complies with all fire safety best practice to provide a safe patient environment of the highest standard.

As the expert in Fire Safety you will develop and lead on policies and strategies related to the Trusts' fire safety management programme. Developing and maintaining an open and transparent Fire Safety Management System.

You will also identify any existing and potential vulnerabilities and opportunities for improvement across all Trust sites and advise on the management of Fire Safety and Risk in the workplace.

Be responsible for the effectiveness of comprehensive fire safety training programme, for all staff at all levels in the Trust.

• The post holder will support the organisations capital and revenue projects through the provision of expert fire safety advice and work with senior leaders within the Estates Engineering and Building teams to ensure that the Trust estate complies with all fire safety best practice to provide a safe patient environment of the highest standard.
• As the expert in Fire Safety you will develop and lead on policies and strategies related to the Trusts' fire safety management programme. Developing and maintaining an open and transparent Fire Safety Management System.
• You will also identify any existing and potential vulnerabilities and opportunities for improvement across all Trust sites and advise on the management of Fire Safety and Risk in the workplace.
• Be responsible for the effectiveness of comprehensive fire safety training programme, for all staff at all levels in the Trust.

Whilst Newcastle Hospitals are a forward thinking and highly innovative organisation, the use of Third-Party Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a risk to the integrity of our Recruitment & Selection processes. If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual application or to the recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Education

• Fire engineering/fire safety degree or other relevant engineering/science degree (or extensive equivalent experience)
• Fire Safety Management qualification such as Fire Safety Manager (IFSM/IFE) or equivalent
• Membership of professional organisation (e.g. the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE); National Association of Healthcare Fire Officers (NAHFO), Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM))

Knowledge & Experience

• Significant senior-level experience managing Fire Safety in a large, complex organisation (preferably healthcare or public sector)
• Proven track record of achieving compliance with statutory obligations
• Experience leading investigations, audits, and risk assessments
• Experience advising at Board level and working with regulatory bodies
• Expert knowledge of UK Fire Safety legislation, NHS HTM/HBN's, and Fire Safety Management Systems

Skills & Abilities

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.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust