Senior Fire Safety Officer – Group Schemes Officer

NHS; Manchester; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare institution in Manchester seeks a dedicated individual to assist the Fire Safety Manager across various fire safety projects. This role demands experience in managing fire safety in a hospital context and requires significant knowledge of fire safety legislation. Responsibilities include overseeing fire safety projects, ensuring compliance, and supporting daily fire safety operations. Exciting opportunity for a professional ready to make an impact in healthcare.

Qualifications

• Experience managing fire safety in a hospital environment at senior level.
• Experience in performing Fire Risk Assessments in various premises.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and prioritize tasks.

Responsibilities

• Assist Fire Safety Manager in fire safety matters across the Trust.
• Oversee fire safety projects including new builds and renovations.
• Ensure compliance with fire safety proposals across the Trust.

Skills

Management experience

Fire safety legislation knowledge

Interpersonal and communication skills

Ability to analyze reports

Education

Degree in science or engineering

Health & Safety qualification (NEBOSH)

Membership of professional organization

Job description

Job summary

The post holder will assist the Fire Safety Manager in all fire safety matters across the Trust (including community properties). They will be responsible for overseeing fire safety projects including new build, alterations, extension and renovation works and supporting the day‑to‑day supervision of the fire safety teams located across the Trust. They will also provide support to the Fire Safety Manager in relation to improving I.T. systems detailing compliance across the Trust.

Main duties of the job

Assessing and commenting on all fire safety proposals across the Trust and ensuring compliance with appropriate standards including HTM, HBN and ADB. Research and implement new developments in information technology to achieve improvements to current systems monitoring building compliance and fire team performance. Working alongside other Senior Fire Safety Officers, supervise and prioritise the workload of the fire team and report to the Fire Safety Manager on all fire related matters. Survey fire safety installations and research new developments in fire technology to achieve improvements where necessary. Meet with other responsible parties on a regular basis to ensure actions from risk assessments are dealt with appropriately. Advise the Trust Management in their responsibilities regarding fire safety. Ensure that contractors working within the Trust are aware of fire safety requirements prior to them commencing work on site. Ensure that there are regular inspections of work sites to ensure that fire safety is being maintained. Liaise with building managers to ensure there is a fire risk assessment process in place for community properties and a suitable process for dealing with resulting actions. Investigate and prepare reports including recommendations for incidents of fire across the Trust.

About us

MFT is one of the largest NHS Trust In England with a turnover of over £3bn & is on a different scale than most other NHS Trusts. We're creating an exceptional integrated health & social care system for the 1 million patients who rely on our services every year.

Bringing together 10 hospitals & community services from across Manchester, Trafford & beyond, we champion collaborative working & transformation, encouraging our 30,000 workforce to pursue their most ambitious goals. We set standards that other Trusts seek to emulate so you'll benefit from a scale of opportunity that is nothing short of extraordinary.

We've also created a digitally enabled organisation to improve clinical quality, patient & staff experience, operational effectiveness & driving research, and innovation through the introduction of Hive; our Electronic Patient Record system which launched in September 2022.

We're proud to be a major academic Research Centre & Education provider, providing you with a robust infrastructure to encourage and facilitate high‑quality research programmes. What's more, we're excited to be embarking on our Green Plan which sets out how MFT continues to play its part in making healthcare more sustainable.

At MFT, we create and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, provide equal opportunities for career development that are fair, open, and transparent, protecting your health and wellbeing and shaping the future of our organisation together.

Details

• Date posted: 27 October 2025
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: 7
• Salary: £47,810 to £54,710 a year per annum (pro rata)
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time
• Reference number: 349-EST-7577610C-RL4
• Job locations: Oxford Road Campus, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL

Diversity Matters

MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating, and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, e‑mail our team at [e-mail].

Person Specification – Essential qualifications

• Science or engineering-based education to degree level or equivalent or practical experience of managing fire safety in a hospital environment at senior level.
• Membership of a professional organisation (i.e. Institute of Fire Engineers IFE; Institute of Fire Prevention Officers IFPO).
• Health & Safety qualified (ie NEBOSH general certificate).

Person Specification – Desirable qualifications

• Successful completion of HTM Fire Safety management course or equivalent.
• Management qualification (CMS or equivalent).

Knowledge & Experience – Essential

• Significant experience working at a Management level within Estates & Facilities Management Environment.
• Experience of working within a multidisciplinary E&F management team.
• Experienced in working with colleagues from Hard FM and clinical services.
• Thorough knowledge of fire safety legislation, in particular RRO and HTM guidance documents, acquired through a degree in fire engineering or attendance at equivalent courses.
• Experience in carrying out Fire Risk Assessments on a wide range of premises including a hospital environment.
• Experience in analysing and reducing unwanted fire alarms activations.
• Able to work with minimal supervision and prioritise work to meet deadlines.
• Ability to undertake fire safety audits.
• Make own judgments having considered the relevant legislation and guidance.
• Have strong interpersonal and communications skills to be able to negotiate and exchange specialist information with enforcement agencies, contractors, suppliers and other specialist and non‑specialist agencies.
• Able to analyse, compare and interpret complex reports.
• Possess keyboard skills to produce periodic reports.

Knowledge & Experience – Desirable

• Experience of Private Finance Initiative related contracts and monitoring procedures.
• An understanding of contract law relating to outsourced services.
• Understanding of PFI contract payment mechanism.
• Holds a current driving license.
• Undertaken research to become familiar with how fire safety is dealt with in hospitals and be familiar with the guidance and legislation that is applicable to them.
• Experienced in dealing with fire related incidents in complex buildings.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Oxford Road Campus, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL

Website: https://mft.nhs.uk/careers/