Associate Director & Lead Fire Engineer

Vacancy No 5596

Vacancy Title Associate Director & Lead Fire Engineer

Salary: Competitive, DOE + professional body membership + training + bonus scheme

Reports to: Building Consultancy Director (Fire Safety & Compliance Lead)

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Department: Building Safety & Compliance (within Building Consultancy)

Location Central London, with occasional travel across the South of England

Why This Role

This is a green-field build, not a maintenance job. A well-established, multi-disciplinary property consultancy is launching a brand-new fire engineering service from scratch — and looking for the person to lead it from day one, with a clear route to Director and beyond.

If you're a Chartered Fire Engineer who's ready to stop building someone else's department and start building your own — with an established brand, in-house QS, PM and Development Monitoring teams behind you, and one of the industry's most competitive billings-linked bonus schemes — this is a rare seat.

Bring your own portfolio and relationships, shape the service your way, and build a team in your own image.

About the Firm

Our client is a well-established, multi-disciplinary property consultancy of Chartered Surveyors, Project Managers and Cost Consultants, based in Central London. Established for over 25 years, the firm has built a strong reputation as a customer-focused practice delivering professional, comprehensive and forward-thinking services across the UK, with the majority of its work concentrated in Greater London.

Its Chartered Building Surveyors are RICS-qualified and its Project Managers are members of the Association for Project Management (APM). Directors are directly and personally involved in every project, giving new joiners genuine exposure to senior expertise from day one. The firm has continued to grow year on year, building out an in-house QS team, a dedicated Development Monitoring department, and a newly launched Building Safety and Compliance team — all within a close-knit culture known for strong staff retention.

The Opportunity

This role sits within the firm's Building Safety and Compliance team, part of its wider Building Consultancy practice, which delivers the full suite of building surveying services with a strong lean towards project management and contract administration. Following the successful launch of the Building Safety and Compliance team, the firm is now expanding into fire engineering to complement its existing offering — and this role will set up that service stream from the ground up.

Work is predominantly based in Greater London, with occasional projects and travel across the South of England as the business requires. Fire engineering services are also expected to move the firm towards the long-term management and maintenance of buildings — an area not previously served alongside new-build construction work.

Building a Service from Scratch

You’ll lead the setup of a brand-new fire engineering service stream, including the full processes, procedures and QA framework behind it — backed by in‑house administration, finance, IT and marketing support. Prove the concept, and you’ll be positioned to lead the department’s expansion within the wider Building Safety & Compliance team. The service offering will include:

• FRAEW & PAS9980 risk assessments
• Due diligence technical assessments & expert witness work
• Building assessments, including Fire Risk Assessments under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, fire door assessments, and compartmentation assessments
• Fire Safety Management Plans, including evacuation procedures
• Fire strategy development, including design advice through RIBA Stages 1–6
• Complex fire engineering techniques, including fire and smoke modelling (CFD), evacuation modelling and structural fire engineering analysis
• Retrospective fire strategy development
• HRB application fire engineering advice and 'Part B' compliance assessments, covering both HRB and non‑HRB buildings
• Fire Statements (Planning Gateway One, London Plan Policy D12A and D12B)
• In‑house and external training delivery

Key Responsibilities

You’ll report directly to your team lead/director, supporting delivery of goals for both the team and the wider department. Much of your work will be self‑directed — from instruction through to billing — and you’ll be expected to competently manage every stage of an instruction.

You’ll work on larger projects alongside senior management, with work sourced through the senior team, your own leadership and existing client relationships — as well as work you generate yourself. A demonstrable track record in business development and client relationship management is expected.

What We’re Looking For

General

Driven, self‑starting candidates who want to progress within the business and demonstrate growth against high, aspirational KPI targets. The role demands strong technical and legal knowledge alongside genuine technical aptitude. You should be able to demonstrate the skills needed to build a dedicated service stream — people management, business generation, marketing and promotion, quality management and delivery of technical expertise — with the ambition to help establish the firm as a market leader in Building Safety and Compliance.

Strong sales instincts paired with excellent communication are essential: the team plays an active role in educating clients and the wider industry on the evolving regulatory regime, and this role will extend that into fire engineering. Candidates should be able to bring existing work and relationships with them, rather than relying solely on the firm’s client base.

Experience Required

Open to experienced, fully Chartered Fire Engineers (IFE). Candidates should have at least 10 years’ experience and be able to demonstrate a strong portfolio of previous work.

Application Process

Recruitment is based on up to three stages: an initial 45‑minute exploratory call (Microsoft Teams), a 60‑minute in‑person interview, and — where relevant — a third stage to discuss your business plan for the new service stream.

Rewards & Progression

• Training: ongoing support to maintain competence and professional body registration, and to build new skills.
• Flexible working: after probation (typically 3 months), up to 2 days per week from home, with the remainder based in the office or on‑site.
• Benefits package: includes season ticket loans, group health insurance (Chartered Surveyor level and above), volunteering days and more, available on request.
• Business generation rewards: an additional reward scheme linked to new client business generation, available to staff at all levels.
• Career progression: a clear promotion pathway — previous graduates have progressed through the business to board level, and progression is open to all.
• Bonus scheme: one of the industry's most competitive, billing‑linked bonus schemes, letting you earn based on your own performance.

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