Fire Fighting Foam Engineer

Buckeye Fire Equipment; Kings Mountain (NC); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) with company match

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Buckeye Fire Equipment in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, is seeking a Fire Fighting Foam Engineer. This role involves leading technical work on foam concentrate product lines, focusing on development and testing. Candidates should have a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and over 5 years of relevant experience.

Responsibilities include formulation improvement, performance testing, and regulatory compliance. The position offers competitive salary and benefits, along with a focus on hands-on work in both lab and production environments.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience with foam concentrates or fire suppression chemistry.
• Working knowledge of NFPA 11, NFPA 18, and UL 162.
• Comfort in both lab and production settings.

Responsibilities

• Develop and improve foam concentrates across various product lines.
• Run formulation work and scale to production.
• Design and execute performance testing.

Skills

Hands-on experience with fire fighting foam concentrates

Strong experimental discipline

Direct communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or related field

Job description

Buckeye Fire Equipment Company

Kings Mountain, North Carolina Full-time | On-site (this is not a remote role)

About Buckeye

Buckeye Fire Equipment has been manufacturing fire suppression products for over a century, supplying portable extinguishers, foam concentrates, and pre‑engineered systems to distributors and end users across the globe. Our Kings Mountain facility is where our products are engineered, formulated, filled, and tested.

The Role

We are hiring a Fire Fighting Foam Engineer to lead the technical work behind our foam concentrate and foam‑based suppression product lines. This is a working engineering position—you will spend meaningful time in the lab and on the production floor, not just at a desk. You will own foam formulation, performance testing, listing and approval work, and continuous improvement of the products we ship.

The industry is in the middle of a generational transition away from fluorinated foams toward fluorine‑free (F3) chemistries, and our customers are looking to us to lead them through it. This role sits at the center of that work.

What You'll Do

• Develop, reformulate, and improve foam concentrates across Class A, Class B, AR‑AFFF, and fluorine‑free (F3) product lines
• Run bench‑scale formulation work and scale promising candidates through pilot and full production
• Design and execute performance testing to UL 162, NFPA 11, NFPA 18, and applicable military and international specifications
• Manage the listing and re‑listing process with UL, ULC, FM, and other approval bodies
• Partner with production, quality, and supply chain on raw material qualification, surfactant sourcing, and batch troubleshooting
• Support customer technical inquiries, field issues, and application engineering for distributors and AHJs
• Track regulatory developments (PFAS restrictions, state‑level bans, EPA actions, international equivalents) and translate them into product roadmap decisions
• Contribute to capital projects involving foam proportioning, mixing, filling, and discharge testing equipment

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Fire Protection Engineering, or a closely related field
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience with fire fighting foam concentrates, fire suppression chemistry, or surfactant/specialty chemical formulation
• Working knowledge of NFPA 11, NFPA 18, UL 162, and the broader regulatory landscape around PFAS and fluorine‑free foam
• Comfort moving between lab bench, production floor, and outdoor fire test pad—this is not a desk job
• Strong experimental discipline: you design tests that answer the question, document properly, and can defend the data
• Direct communicator who works well with operators, technicians, QA, and outside listing agencies

Nice to Have

• Experience taking a foam product through UL or FM listing
• Background with mil‑spec foam (MIL‑PRF‑24385 / MIL‑PRF‑32725) or international equivalents
• Familiarity with foam proportioning hardware (balanced pressure, around‑the‑pump, bladder tanks)
• Prior work in a regulated manufacturing environment with statistical process control

What We Offer

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and holidays

Buckeye Fire Equipment is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.