Lead Fire Safety Engineer

National Grid plc; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Pension scheme with company match

Share incentive plan

Flexible benefits (car/tech)

Employee assistance

Matched charity giving

Job summary

National Grid plc is seeking a Lead Fire Safety Engineer to oversee fire risk management across high voltage substations and infrastructure in the UK. The role requires leading fire strategies, policy development and compliance with Building Regulations, standards and best practices.

You will mentor teams, ensure robust fire modelling and risk assessments, and work across assets and projects to improve safety outcomes. Hybrid working and a competitive package accompany this challenging position.

Qualifications

• A degree in engineering, science or fire safety, MSc preferred.
• Chartered Engineer status or working toward Chartership.
• Strong knowledge of fire engineering and safety design.
• Familiarity with fire modelling tools and risk assessments.

Responsibilities

• Act as SME for fire safety and risk management across NGET substations and infrastructure.
• Lead development and implementation of fire strategies, policies and risk assessments.
• Own technical policy and specifications for fire risk management.
• Provide expert advice on fire design and regulatory compliance.
• Support design assurance, including reviews of fire strategy documents and evidence.
• Build and maintain relationships with internal teams and external stakeholders.

Skills

Fire safety knowledge

CFD modelling

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Regulatory compliance

Education

Engineering or fire safety degree

MSc in Fire Engineering

Chartered Engineer

Tools

CFD modelling tools

Fire risk assessment methods

Building Regulations knowledge

Job description

At National Grid, we keep people connected and society moving. But it’s so much more than that. National Grid supplies us with the environment to make it happen. As we generate momentum in the energy transition for all, we don’t plan on leaving any of our customers in the dark. So, join us as a Lead Fire Safety Engineer and find your superpower.

National Grid is recruiting for a Lead Fire Safety Engineer - Flexible locations accross UK - Hybrid Working

Job Purpose

In this role, you will act as the subject matter expert for fire safety and fire risk management across National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) high voltage substation and infrastructure assets.

You will lead development and implementation of fire safety strategies across England and Wales, ensuring that assets, projects, policies, specifications and risk assessments remain aligned to relevant legislation, technical standards, regulatory requirements and good industry practice.

You will provide expert technical advice to projects on fire design, own and maintain key technical policy and specifications, support design assurance activities, and help shape the way fire risk is managed across both new infrastructure and the legacy estate.

What you'll do

• Act as the subject matter expert for fire safety, fire engineering and fire risk management across NGET high voltage substations and associated infrastructure.
• Lead the development, review and implementation of fire strategies, policies, technical specifications, risk assessments and compliance reviews.
• Own and maintain relevant technical policy and specifications for fire risk management
• Provide expert advice to projects on fire design, fire safety requirements and compliance with Building Regulations, standards, codes of practice and good industry practice.
• Support design assurance activities, including review of fire strategy documents, fire engineering assumptions, Technical Deviation requests and project compliance evidence.
• Develop a clear understanding of fire risk across the legacy estate, including risks associated with third-party activities and adjacent land uses.
• Lead and support the asset management approach for fire safety systems, including deluge systems, fire barriers, suppression systems and associated inspection and maintenance requirements.
• Specify, interpret and challenge fire and smoke modelling outputs, including CFD, zone models and other fire dynamics studies.
• Support consistent fire risk assessment outputs and action management across sites, projects and operational teams.
• Feed fire risk insights into wider resilience planning, emergency planning and long-term asset management strategies.
• Build strong relationships with internal teams, delivery partners, designers, contractors, operational colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Support effective communication with Fire and Rescue Services and other external bodies where fire safety risks, mitigations or emergency response arrangements need to be understood.
• Keep up to date with changes in regulation, fire safety standards, industry practice, emerging technology and innovation in fire engineering.
• Represent National Grid on relevant industry groups, technical forums, committees and external working groups.
• Mentor and support colleagues across Asset Management, Engineering, Operations and project teams to improve fire safety capability and decision-making.

About you

• A degree in a relevant engineering, science or fire safety discipline, ideally supported by an MSc in Fire Engineering or equivalent specialist experience.
• Chartered Engineer status, ideally through the Institution of Fire Engineers, or evidence that you are actively working towards chartership.
• Strong technical knowledge of fire engineering, fire safety design, performance-based fire engineering and relevant national frameworks.
• Experience working across both building and infrastructure projects, ideally in a complex operational or safety‑critical environment.
• Knowledge of UK fire safety regulations, Building Regulations, standards, codes of practice and relevant international guidance.
• Experience reviewing fire strategies, fire risk assessments, compliance evidence and technical design submissions.
• Familiarity with fire and smoke modelling tools, such as CFD, zone models or evacuation models, and the ability to interpret modelling outputs and assumptions.
• Experience with DSEAR assessments and/or fire incident investigations would be beneficial.
• The ability to communicate complex technical issues clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including the ability to influence internal and external stakeholders and develop effective working relationships.
• The ability to work to challenging deadlines, manage competing priorities and provide confident technical judgement in areas of ambiguity or complexity.
• A proactive approach to continuous improvement, knowledge sharing and mentoring others.

What you'll get

A competitive salary between £55,000 – £78,000 – dependent on capability

As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus based on personal and company performance and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. You will also have access to a number of flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, salary sacrifice car and technology schemes, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving to name a few.

More Information

The closing date for this vacancy is 18th August. However, we encourage candidates to submit their applications as early as possible and not to wait until the published closing date. National Grid’s recruitment periods can and may vary. We reserve the right to remove this advert or close it to further applications at any point during the recruitment process.

DE & I statement:

At National Grid, we work towards the highest standards in everything we do, including how we support, value, and develop our people. Our aim is to encourage and support employees to thrive and be the best they can be. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds, offering flexible and tailored support, at home and in the office.

Our goal is to drive, develop, and operate our business in a way that results in a more inclusive culture. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, the innovation from diverse teams & perspectives, and business need. We are committed to building a workforce that can represent the communities we serve and have a working environment in which each individual feels valued, respected, fairly treated, and able to reach their full potential.

Safety, Health, Environment and Resilience

National Grid operates in both the UK and US, with a broad portfolio of energy businesses dedicated to providing safe, reliable, and sustainable power.

From electricity and gas transmission to advancing clean energy and modernising grids, our work covers every aspect of the energy system.

Our energy flows through absolutely everything we do

Life here at National Grid is more than just our purpose or our values, it’s everything we put into everything we do. It’s our commitment to diversity and inclusion; how we help our employees learn and grow; and how we partner and support the communities where we live and work. It’s all this, and so much more.

We leverage our collective strengths to do meaningful BIG work so that we can be at the heart of a fair and affordable energy future.

Your salary is reviewed each year against the market for your role, skills, knowledge and experience.

Incentive

Annual performance plan or bonus (depending on your role) rewards your contribution to our success each year.

Retirement

Generous pension plan with company contributions up to 12%.

Private medical insurance for self and family.