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Principal Fire Scientist/Engineer (Band 2/Grade 7)

Health and Safety Executive

Buxton

On-site

GBP 69,000

Part time

Yesterday

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Job summary

The Health and Safety Executive is seeking a Principal Fire Scientist/Engineer to enhance fire safety research and policy development. The role involves leading a team, producing quality scientific material, and engaging in various fire-related projects across industries, contributing to the safety standards within the UK civil service.

Benefits

Civil Service pension contributions

Flexible working options

Family-friendly policies

25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 after 5 years

Qualifications

Extensive knowledge of fire science principles.
Experience leading technical teams.
Ability to convey technical information to diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

Lead projects in fire safety research and testing.
Develop evidence-based policies and guidance.
Support junior team members in skill development.

Skills

Technical competence in fire science

Clear communication skills

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Education

Degree in fire science or engineering

Chartered membership of a professional institution

Principal Fire Scientist/Engineer (Band 2/Grade 7)

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Principal Fire Scientist/Engineer (Band 2/Grade 7)

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Job Summary

The Science Division (SD) of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are looking for experienced scientists or engineers, to take a senior role in our Fire Safety Team within the Major Hazards Group. The teams main focus is supporting HSE in understanding a variety of combustion-related topics through the delivery of theoretical and practical research (both lab-based and large-scale). Outputs are used to develop evidence based policy and guidance.

Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 9JN

Job Summary

The Science Division (SD) of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are looking for experienced scientists or engineers, to take a senior role in our Fire Safety Team within the Major Hazards Group. The teams main focus is supporting HSE in understanding a variety of combustion-related topics through the delivery of theoretical and practical research (both lab-based and large-scale). Outputs are used to develop evidence based policy and guidance.

Examples of recent work include the safe use of hydraulic fluids in mines, fire spread in insulation foams, evaluation of fire detectors and combustion hazards related to the use of bio-digesters. The team also supports HSE in its regulatory function by providing scientific support to HSE inspectors, often following industrial incidents. In recent years these have included tunnel and mines fires, warehouse fires, fork lift truck fires and timber frame fires.

The team also works closely with the Building Safety Regulator, delivering research and providing support to this important area of HSE's remit. Our work is not limited to supporting HSE's policy and regulatory functions. You can expect to contribute to a diverse range of projects in the health and safety sector including research projects, consultancy or delivery of training for commercial customers and other government departments.

To see a short video highlighting some of the work of the Major Hazards Group, please copy and paste the link below into your browser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE2mnZRMHB4

Job Description

We are looking an experienced scientist or engineer to represent Science Division in a number of fire related matters and have leadership role within our Fire Safety team. You will have a solid understanding of the science underpinning fire studies and have the ability to apply this to a number of industrial sectors and research topics.

As an excellent communicator, you will have the ability to convey scientific information to a variety of audiences in person and in written work to represent HSE/Science Division at senior levels. The role will require the production of high quality written material, ranging from proposal and bids, detailed scientific reports, peer-reviewed publications, incident investigation reports through to training guides or presentations. You will also technically review the work of others in the team.

The Fire Safety Team conduct practical research, testing and analysis programmes concerned with fire safety and protection measures across industry and the built environment, including construction, , transport, energy and manufacturing sectors. There will be opportunity to help shape these programmes, working directly with external clients and with colleagues in HSE or more widely across government. For some of the more complex and technical programmes, you will be involved with the delivery of projects, from designing experimental programmes, drafting/reviewing risk assessments, interpreting data and presenting results.

The posts will involve providing support and advice to more junior members of the team, helping develop their skills and competencies. There will be opportunity to contribute to work of the wider Major Hazards Group. This includes projects concerning the safe development of new energy technologies and achieving safe net zero, primarily hydrogen and battery technologies. Several of the larger projects are high profile collaborations with other scientific organisations/government departments, which offers opportunity to publish work and present at conferences, as well as giving you opportunity to collaborate with technical experts across many other disciplines, including material scientists, risk experts, structural engineers and human factors specialists.

On the planned retirement of the current Fire Safety Technical Team Lead in c. March 2026, you will assume those responsibilities in full as part of this appointment, with the months prior to that enabling an effective hand-over transition period.

The post will involve occasional travel in the UK and potentially overseas, including some overnight stays from home.

Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 32 hours per week.

We are looking an experienced scientist or engineer to represent Science Division in a number of fire related matters and have leadership role within our Fire Safety team. You will have a solid understanding of the science underpinning fire studies and have the ability to apply this to a number of industrial sectors and research topics.

As an excellent communicator, you will have the ability to convey scientific information to a variety of audiences in person and in written work to represent HSE/Science Division at senior levels. The role will require the production of high quality written material, ranging from proposal and bids, detailed scientific reports, peer-reviewed publications, incident investigation reports through to training guides or presentations. You will also technically review the work of others in the team.

The Fire Safety Team conduct practical research, testing and analysis programmes concerned with fire safety and protection measures across industry and the built environment, including construction, , transport, energy and manufacturing sectors. There will be opportunity to help shape these programmes, working directly with external clients and with colleagues in HSE or more widely across government. For some of the more complex and technical programmes, you will be involved with the delivery of projects, from designing experimental programmes, drafting/reviewing risk assessments, interpreting data and presenting results.

The posts will involve providing support and advice to more junior members of the team, helping develop their skills and competencies. There will be opportunity to contribute to work of the wider Major Hazards Group. This includes projects concerning the safe development of new energy technologies and achieving safe net zero, primarily hydrogen and battery technologies. Several of the larger projects are high profile collaborations with other scientific organisations/government departments, which offers opportunity to publish work and present at conferences, as well as giving you opportunity to collaborate with technical experts across many other disciplines, including material scientists, risk experts, structural engineers and human factors specialists.

On the planned retirement of the current Fire Safety Technical Team Lead in c. March 2026, you will assume those responsibilities in full as part of this appointment, with the months prior to that enabling an effective hand-over transition period.

The post will involve occasional travel in the UK and potentially overseas, including some overnight stays from home.

Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 32 hours per week.

Person specification

Essential Skills And Criteria

Extensive technical competence in the topic area of fire science.
Experience of writing clear concise technical documents.
Experience of working with stakeholders to define and agree research needs, and planning projects or programmes to meet these requirements.
Experience of leading technical teams and projects to deliver complex research and/or consultancy effectively.
Knowledge and experience of the hazards and risks associated with such work, and ensuring others in your team are competent for the tasks assigned to them
Good communication and influencing skills that would allow you to represent effectively at a senior level with stakeholders from a wide range of backgrounds.

Licences

Full driving license that permits driving within the UK.

Qualifications

A degree level qualification in a science or engineering subject that is directly related to fire science e.g. fire engineering, chemical engineering, physics, etc.

However qualifications in other fields of experimental research may be considered if they involved concepts, techniques and skills that can be directly applied to large scale fires, in combination with relevant work experience.

Memberships

Chartered membership of a relevant professional institution, or clearly holding sufficient experience to successfully apply (please tick yes in this instance and provide detail elsewhere in the application)

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Working Together
Seeing the Big Picture
Communicating and Influencing
Leadership

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

A strong understanding of the science underpinning fire studies.
Experience of leading large and/or complex technical projects.

Alongside your salary of £68,381, Health and Safety Executive contributes £19,809 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Learning and development tailored to your role
An environment with flexible working options
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

We invest in our people with;

Competitive rates of pay
Access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 28.97%, far more than in the private sector.
Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
Carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave
Parental leave benefits
As a member of HSE you will gain access to a wide range of fantastic benefits that you can take advantage of such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards and Vouchers via our partner EdenRed.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Application Information

As part of your application, you will be invited to complete an anonymised CV which should include your career history, experience, and qualifications.

You will also be asked to complete an anonymised Personal Statement, of no more than 1000 words which demonstrates how you meet the essential skills and criteria listed in the person specification.

Within your Personal Statement, please present as much evidence as you can demonstrating your skills, knowledge and experience that relates to the criteria described in the person specification. Use of examples is welcomed (see STAR method).

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a personal statement https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

Sift Information

At sift, we will assess you on your CV and Personal Statement.

The sift will take place during the week commencing 7th July 2025.

Interview Information

We will assess you against the advertised Behaviours and Technical Skills listed in the job advert. Please be prepared with examples to illustrate your knowledge and experience.

You will also be asked to complete a presentation, more details will be given at the interview stage.

The interviews will take place during the week commencing 21st July 2025.

The interviews will be held face to face at our Buxton site Harpur Hill Buxton, Buxton SK17 9JN.

AI Tools & Platforms

During the application process candidates are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) platforms and Tools to support them in writing their Behaviours, CVs and Personal Statements. However, all information submitted must be factually accurate. This includes presenting the ideas and experience of others, or those generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. All presented information will be assessed at the Interview Stage.

Sponsorship

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.

Further Information

Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months. There is no guarantee you will be offered a role from our reserve lists, so if you see a vacancy on Civil Service Jobs that you are interested in, we recommend you apply.

HSE reserve the right to conduct additional checks, including Google and social media checks, when recruiting candidates into a role within HSE. These checks will be carried out in line with the Civil Service Commission Principles and, if used all candidates will be subject to these additional checks.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.

HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.

We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for all disabled applicants who provide evidence of meeting the minimum requirements necessary for the post.

If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example, if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk

If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE.

Any move to HSE from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility here

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further; Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact

Name : Edwina de Lewandowicz
Email : edwina.lewandowicz@hse.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email : hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk

Further information

If you believe that Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition have not been met, you can raise a complaint by emailing: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk or by writing to HSE at the following address: HR Resourcing Team, 2.3 Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 7HS. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact Civil Service commissioners: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/code/civilservicecodecomplaints/

Seniority level

Seniority level
Mid-Senior level

Employment type

Employment type
Part-time

Job function

Job function
Research, Analyst, and Information Technology
Industries
Government Administration

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