Senior Fire Engineer

Location Manchester
Discipline: Fire Engineers
Salary: Up to £70,000
Contact name: Josh Turner

Contact email: josh@rotaterecruitment.com
Job ref: 33682
Published: 12 days ago

Our client is a growing fire-engineering consultancy who deliver full-life-cycle fire safety solutions across the built environment. They specialise in complex, high-profile projects spanning new build, refurbishment, remediation, tall buildings, mixed-use, residential, commercial, education and healthcare sectors.


They place clients at the heart of delivery, offer pragmatic and innovative fire-safety design, and are committed to regulatory excellence, collaboration and technical development.
They operate across the UK (with offices in Manchester & London) and support clients through fire strategy, performance-based design, external-wall fire safety, building safety cases and more.

Role Summary

As Senior Fire Engineer you will lead and deliver key fire-engineering workstreams from concept through to construction/completion. You will take charge of technical design, performance-based analyses, client and design-team engagement, mentor more junior staff, and help shape the technical direction of the consultancy.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead and manage fire-engineering workstreams from early design (feasibility/concept) through detailed design, construction and handover.

  • Develop fire strategies, performance-based designs, means-of-escape analysis, smoke-control systems, structural fire engineering, external-wall fire safety & façade risk assessments.

  • Conduct or oversee advanced fire-engineering analyses such as CFD (computational fluid dynamics), evacuation modelling, structural fire behaviour, external fire spread modelling.

  • Review third-party designs, perform peer reviews, ensure compliance with UK fire safety regulation, guidance (Building Regulations, Approved Documents), British/Euro standards and other relevant codes.

  • Undertake or supervise fire safety audits, site inspections (passive & active fire protection), third-party assurance during construction and post-occupancy checks.

  • Prepare or support building safety cases, fire risk assessments, fire safety statements, expert witness reports and associated documentation for clients, regulators and stakeholders.

  • Engage proactively with clients, architects, structural and MEP engineers and other project stakeholders to integrate fire safety design into the overall project delivery.

  • Mentor, coach and develop junior and mid-level fire engineers; review their work, support training and nurture technical growth.

  • Contribute to business development activities: preparation of proposals, client presentations, CPD seminars, technical papers, knowledge sharing.

  • Stay up-to-date with fire-safety industry developments, regulations (e.g. the Building Safety Act 2022), research and modelling tools; lead internal technical initiatives and continuous improvement.

Candidate Profile & Requirements

Essential:

  • Chartered (or near-chartered) Fire Safety Engineer (or equivalent) such as CEng, MIFireE (or comparable).

  • Substantial consultancy experience (typically 7+ years) in fire engineering, including delivery of complex projects.

  • Hands-on experience with performance-based fire engineering: CFD, evacuation modelling, structural fire engineering, external-wall fire safety assessments.

  • Strong knowledge of UK fire-safety regulation, codes and guidance (Building Regulations, BS/EN Standards, PAS documents).

  • Excellent technical judgement, problem solving and critical thinking.

  • Very good communication skills – able to present technical information clearly to clients, design teams and regulators.

  • Proven mentoring or leadership of less-experienced engineers; ability to run workstreams, meet deadlines, manage client expectations.

Desirable:

  • Experience developing building safety cases under the Building Safety Act.

  • Experience in external-wall remediation / façade fire safety risk appraisal.

  • Prior involvement in expert-witness work or dispute resolution.

  • Familiarity with sustainable construction materials (e.g. engineered timber, modern methods of construction) and associated fire issues.

  • Track record of presenting in conferences or publishing technical papers.

Benefits & Working Pattern

  • 9-day fortnight: Work nine days every two weeks (i.e. every other Friday off) to support your work-life balance and productivity.

  • Flexible hybrid working: a mix of remote and office-based work, depending on project and team needs.

  • Competitive salary plus performance bonus/incentive scheme.

  • Pension scheme with employer contribution.

  • Professional membership subscriptions paid (e.g. IFE, SFPE or equivalent).

  • CPD/training budget: support for external training courses, conferences and professional development.

  • Enhanced holiday entitlement and flexible holiday buy/sell options.

  • Death in service / life assurance.

  • Employee Assistance Programme (well-being support).

  • Relocation support (if applicable).

  • Clear career progression path: opportunity to move into senior leadership or director role as the business grows.

Why Join?

This is an excellent opportunity to join a technically ambitious, growing fire-engineering consultancy at a senior level. You will work on challenging, high-profile projects across sectors — from tall buildings and education to healthcare, retrofit and façade remediation. You’ll have real influence on the technical direction of the practice, mentor and develop talented engineers, and enjoy a strong balance between autonomy, flexible working and team-support. If you want to make a meaningful difference in fire safety consultancy, this role offers exactly that.