Associate Director – Fire Engineering

Overview

In this role you lead a Fire Engineering team within a multidisciplinary consultancy, focusing on Defence projects and regulatory compliance. You drive large, complex engagements from a client-centric, quality-led perspective, shaping delivery across national and international scopes. You will mentor staff, develop plans for technical growth, and maintain strong client relationships. This is an opportunity to advance as a seasoned consultant in a respected fire safety practice while contributing to defence-focused designs and broader civil engineering work.

Pay / Benefits

• hybrid working model
• career development opportunities
• AECOM University
• volunteering days
• well-being programs
• industry-leading technology and thinking

Responsibilities

• Lead Defence workload management and project delivery for large, complex Defence projects
• Oversee timely, budget-conscious completion to regulatory and client standards
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and national leadership to ensure quality
• Manage SMART objectives and performance reviews for the team
• Develop professional development plans and mentor staff toward Chartership
• Provide specialised technical input to studies and designs across the portfolio
• Mentor junior staff towards chartership and technical growth
• Provide estimates for fire engineering budgets and schedules on large projects
• Lead project delivery on mid-to-large Defence projects, nationally and internationally
• Maintain client relationships and attract new work
• Ensure project quality meets client expectations and deadlines
• Act as Approved Lead Verifier and Approved Project Manager for projects
• Promote Fire Engineering business and contribute to marketing and strategy
• Support health & safety policies and client relationship management
• Contribute to the Fire Team Business Plan and marketing initiatives

Key requirements

• Extensive experience in a large, multi-disciplinary environment
• Strong knowledge of UK standards (ADB, BS 9991/9999/9992, HTM 05-02, BB100) and Defence standards (JSP 80, DIFS)
• Proficiency with FDS, SFE, and evacuation modelling software
• Membership in professional institutions (MIFireE) or NFPA certifications (CFPE)
• BEng/MEng or MSc in fire science/engineering or similar
• Good level of security clearance or ability to obtain
• Chartered Engineer (CEng) with IFE (preferred)
• PhD in a fire-related discipline (preferred)
• International standards exposure (IBC, SFPE, NFPA) (preferred)

• Strong leadership and mentoring abilities
• Strategic thinking and stakeholder management
• Excellent client relationship management
• FDS
• SFE
• evacuation modelling

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