Principal Fire Engineer - London or Manchester

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Up to 10% pension

24 days + 10 bought holidays

Medical and income protection

Job summary

Jacobs is seeking a Principal Fire Engineer to lead fire safety across major infrastructure and complex buildings in the UK, based in Manchester or London. You will guide technical delivery, mentor a team, and shape fire safety strategies while engaging with clients and authorities.

You’ll drive performance-based design, oversee project programmes, and contribute to bid leadership in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment, with a strong focus on safety and sustainability.

Qualifications

• Chartered professional with IFE (CEng/MIFireE) or near Chartership.
• Design and operational knowledge of fire safety engineering on large, complex buildings.
• Strong leadership track record with experience in complex projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of fire engineering solutions across major infrastructure and complex buildings.
• Provide technical leadership, review fire strategies, guide performance-based design.
• Build client relationships and act as trusted advisor with contractors and authorities.
• Manage programmes, quality, and delivery while mentoring junior engineers.
• Support business growth through client engagement, proposals, and bid leadership.

Skills

Fire engineering

Leadership

Client relationships

Mentoring

Technical leadership

Codes knowledge NFPA IBC/IFC

Chartered professional CEng/MIFireE

Tools

NFPA/IBC/IFC Codes

MEP knowledge

Job description

Principal Fire Engineer - London or Manchester

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

Lead the future of fire safety—and shape the way we design, build, and protect.

At Jacobs, we’re not just meeting fire safety standards—we’re setting them. As Principal Fire Engineer, you’ll bring strategic vision and operational expertise to help grow a centre of excellence in Manchester or London, driving superior building performance across our global portfolio.

This is a leadership role where you’ll be at the heart of major programmes, guiding technical delivery and integrating fire safety into some of the most complex and high-impact projects in the UK and internationally. Your work will shape how we design for safety, resilience, and sustainability—making a difference for clients, communities, and the next generation of engineers.

You’ll will be a big part of growing fire safety hub in Manchester or London , and support the leading of fire life safety strategy across diverse sectors, and mentor a high-performing team of junior engineers. As a trusted advisor, you’ll build and strengthen client relationships, raise the profile of Jacobs’ UK fire team, and drive business growth through bid leadership and strategic work allocation.

What you will be doing:

• Leading the delivery of fire engineering solutions across major infrastructure and complex building projects.
• Providing technical leadership, reviewing fire strategies and guiding project teams on performance-based design solutions.
• Building strong relationships with clients, contractors and approval authorities, acting as a trusted technical advisor.
• Managing project programmes, quality and technical delivery while mentoring and developing junior engineers.
• Supporting business growth through client engagement, proposals and winning new opportunities across a diverse portfolio of work

Your leadership will leave a lasting impact—not just on the projects you deliver, but on the people you inspire and the standards you help redefine..

This is an opportunity to work on major infrastructure and design & build projects, contributing specialist fire engineering expertise within multidisciplinary teams.

So if you have a background in Fire Engineering consultancy, experience delivering fire engineering design on major infrastructure or complex building projects, and enjoy working in multidisciplinary environments, this could be the perfect opportunity and we look forward to hearing from you!

Here's what you'll need

• Be a Chartered professional with the Institute of Fire Engineers (CEng MIFireE) or close to achieving Chartership is essential.
• Design and operational knowledge of fire safety engineering, construction fire safety and fire safety management on large complex buildings or building portfolios.
• A strong track record of leadership.
• Substantial experience working on large, complex projects requiring fire engineering solutions.
• Experience of leading fire engineering in projects, with good negotiation, client communication and mentoring skills.
• Strong technical knowledge with a corresponding track record of assurance in MEP environment.
• Organisation, team leadership and execution of site inspections, audits, and fire risk assessments preferred with a good working knowledge of UK, Saudi, NFPA, IBC/IFC Codes.

Our colleagues enjoy project diversity and global reach within collaborative and innovative work environment as well as opportunities for professional growth and development.

We are committed to sustainability and cutting-edge technologies that will enhance your skills whilst also offering competitive compensation and benefits package including :

Up to 10% pension

24 days (+10 days bought) holidays

Free medical and income protection insurance and many more!

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well-being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals – all at a single global company. Find out more about life at Jacobs .

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging.Find out more about ourJacobs Employee Networks here .

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. For greater online accessibility please visit https://www.vercida.com/uk/employers/jacobs to view and access our roles.

As a disability confident employer, we will interview disabled candidates who best meet the criteria. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support .