Director - Fire Engineering job in London - 110,000 - 130,000

Establish a new fire engineering department, Board-level support, Competitive bonus scheme

Job Summary

Director and Service Lead – Fire Engineering job London offers leadership of a new department within a multidisciplinary consultancy. The appointment sits within Fire Engineering & Fire Safety and covers existing buildings, refurbishment, and remediation projects. You will also oversee new development and higher-risk building work, primarily across Greater London. Reporting to the Head of Building Safety and Compliance, you will shape departmental strategy and technical standards.

Board-level support underpins business planning, recruitment, commercial performance, and integration with wider consultancy services. The service will provide fire strategies, regulatory advice, technical governance, and leadership on complex instructions. You will establish delivery processes, implement proportionate quality controls, and develop a sustainable departmental workload.

Existing operational and marketing resources support the service, alongside established client relationships and multidisciplinary expertise. The appointment requires Chartered Fire Engineer credentials and substantial leadership experience across demanding building projects. Projects may also require travel elsewhere in the UK and occasional overseas assignments.

About the Company

The hiring organisation is a multidisciplinary consultancy covering building surveying, project management, cost consultancy, and compliance services. Headquartered in London, the practice serves UK clients and undertakes occasional overseas projects. Its Chartered Building Surveyors are RICS-qualified, while project managers belong to the Association for Project Management.

Recent service expansion includes quantity surveying, development monitoring, and building safety and compliance. The consultancy supports teams through established administrative, operational, and coordinated marketing resources. Board Directors remain involved in departmental strategy, resourcing, technical controls, and market positioning. Public-sector procurement systems also support potential work through frameworks, dynamic markets, and competitive tenders.

Role & Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver the departmental business plan, annual budget, recruitment strategy, and service development roadmap
• Establish technical standards, peer review routes, quality assurance, competency controls, and documented project records
• Lead complex fire engineering instructions and provide evidence-based advice against applicable legislation and guidance
• Manage fee proposals, project delivery, change control, billing, debt recovery, and agreed commercial targets
• Build a sustainable pipeline through new clients, repeat commissions, and cross-selling across existing consultancy services
• Recruit, manage, mentor, and develop technical colleagues while delegating appropriate delivery and retaining oversight
• Report departmental performance, resourcing, profitability, technical risks, and opportunities to senior leadership and the Board
• Represent the fire engineering service through client CPD, professional networks, public-sector tenders, and technical publications

Skills & Experience Required

• Hold Chartered Fire Engineer status with the Institution of Fire Engineers, with IFSM accreditation preferred
• Bring at least ten years of relevant professional experience and a strong complex fire engineering portfolio
• Demonstrate knowledge of the Building Safety Act 2022, Building Regulations 2010, and relevant industry guidance
• Understand higher-risk buildings, fire strategies, building regulations compliance, and Building Safety Regulator submission processes
• Show evidence of securing new clients, generating repeat commissions, and developing sustainable commercial pipelines
• Have experience recruiting, leading, and supporting technical staff through reviews, development, and professional accreditation
• Produce clear technical reports, fee proposals, fire strategies, and recommendations for clients and design teams
• Use Microsoft 365 and digital project, document, and information management systems with structured records

Salary & Benefits

• 110,000 – 130,000 depending on qualifying criteria
• Full-time Director-level appointment with travel to project sites as required
• Competitive company bonus scheme linked to individual billing and applicable scheme rules
• Professional-body membership support and training for competence, registration, and leadership development
• Season-ticket loans, volunteering days, and access to group health insurance for eligible professional staff
• Discretionary flexible working applications after probation, with up to two home-working days weekly subject to requirements
• Business generation rewards linked to new-client activity, subject to applicable arrangements

Who Is This Role Ideal For?

This appointment suits an established Chartered Fire Engineer seeking to create and lead a new practice. You can pair technical judgement with business planning, client development, and team leadership. You have secured commissions beyond inherited relationships and can maintain a sustainable departmental pipeline. Your experience covers complex fire strategies, higher-risk buildings, compliance, and multidisciplinary project teams.

You understand the need for appropriate peer review, quality assurance, and proportionate risk management. You are comfortable reporting commercial performance and resourcing to senior leadership and Board Directors. You can lead priority instructions while progressively transferring routine delivery to experienced colleagues.

About Hunter Dunning

Hunter Dunning is a specialist property and built environment recruitment consultancy established in 2004, focused on quality and long-term partnerships in the UK and Ireland property and construction market.

We specialise in full lifecycle property recruitment, covering architecture, interior design, surveying, land and planning, fire safety and wider construction roles. We offer informed and confidential discussions for both clients and candidates and welcome conversations about this opportunity and your wider career plans within the built environment.

Apply

If you meet the criteria above, send us your CV and portfolio. We receive a large number of applications so if you do not hear back within 7 days consider your application unsuccessful this time.

We will keep a copy of your details on file for future vacancies. In accordance with GDPR, by applying for this position you give us your consent to process your data in-line with our Privacy and Data Protection Policies which can be read on the privacy policy page on our website.

Referral

Did you know we run a referral scheme? We pay a 1000 referral bonus if you introduce us to anyone who we then successfully place into a new job role. Just send us their information and we’ll do the rest.

Terms: A candidate is deemed to have been successfully placed once they have started a new job as a result of an introduction made by Hunter Dunning and when they’ve successfully completed the probation period. See website for full terms & conditions.

Director and Service Lead – Fire Engineering job in London – Your Property Recruitment Specialists ( Job Ref: ) #LI-Hybrid

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