Principal Fire Engineer

Arcadis; Leeds; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in the UK is seeking a Senior Consultant or Principal Consultant to join their Fire Engineering team. The role involves undertaking Fire Safety Engineering work, including supporting design projects, conducting risk assessments, and developing safety strategy reports. Candidates should possess a relevant engineering degree and experience in fire safety principles. The position is excellent for those who are passionate about supporting diverse engineering projects and aspire to advance in their careers.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in fire safety engineering.
• Must have a relevant engineering degree from a recognised university.
• Aspire for full membership of a professional engineering body.

Responsibilities

• Develop Fire Safety Strategy reports.
• Conduct Means of Escape analysis.
• Assess and interpret British Fire Safety Regulations.
• Attend design team meetings with clients.

Skills

Fire safety engineering skills

Hazard Identification

As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) understanding

Understanding of fire dynamics

Basic knowledge on fire modelling simulation

Education

Degree in Fire Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering or related fields

Tools

CFAST

FDS

Pyrosim

SMARTFIRE

Job description

Role description

We are actively recruiting for a Senior Consultant and/or Principal Consultant to join our growing Fire Engineering team in the UK. The position is for undertaking Fire Safety Engineering work, to include supporting design projects within and outside the UK. This will mainly involve desktop reviews of design projects on the initial stages and supporting the fire safety discipline Arcadis.

The applicant will work predominantly within the building sector, although opportunities to support other sectors may arise from time‑to‑time, including rail projects and others considering the multidisciplinary nature of Arcadis as well as the range of services Arcadis deliver to its clients.

Role accountabilities

• Development of Fire Safety Strategy reports;
• Means of Escape analysis (including calculations of evacuation times; escape routes and exit widths; assessment of travel distances; development and assessment of evacuation strategy plans);
• Assessment and understanding of the main British Fire Safety Regulations and Standards applied to buildings, such as Approved Document B (AD B), BS9999, BS7974, BS9991, BB100, HTM 05 etc.;
• Assessment and understanding of the main British fire safety legislation and standards applied to rail projects, such as the London Underground fire safety standards, the Network Rail standards, e.g., LUL – S1371, Railway Safety Principles and Guidance (RSPG), BS9992;
• Risk‑Based Interpretation and Application of these fire safety documents as well as other Codes of Practice such as international documents such as NFPA standards (e.g., NFPA 101, NFPA 130);
• Third‑Party Review/Design Verification;
• Attendance of internal design team meetings;
• Attendance of external design team meetings with clients with initial supervision;
• Supporting on the development of Fire Risk Assessment reports for both the building and rail sectors.

Additional skills and expertise

• Hazard Identification;
• As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) understanding;
• Knowledge of PAS 9980, EWS1 forms and Façade Engineering;
• The Building Safety Act 2022;
• Fire Risk Assessment principles;
• Understanding of fire dynamics, heat transfer and smoke behaviour principles in enclosed environments (particularly in undergrounds and tunnels);
• Basic understanding on Active Fire Protection (AFP) systems and Passive Fire Protection (PFP) measures;
• Basic knowledge on fire modelling simulation (using zone models such as CFAST and CFD‑based models such as FDS, Pyrosim, SMARTFIRE).

Qualifications & Experience

• Strong experience of fire safety engineering skills.
• The candidate must have a suitable engineering (e.g., Fire Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, etc.), Architecture, scientific or other numerate degree (e.g., Physics, Chemistry, Maths) from a recognised university.
• Qualifications should be recognised by a professional engineering body and the candidate should aspire to full membership of this.
• Ideally a Chartered Engineer or working towards the Chartership.
• The successful candidate should work independently on some set tasks and also contribute to a team environment.
• We are looking for candidates who can take on challenges and work to support other experts within our team when the need arises.
• The role will also require helping to prepare proposals and marketing material in relation to our Fire Safety capabilities.
• CSCS Card – desirable.
• Ability to obtain Security Clearance – desirable.

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