Director of Fire Engineering

Director - Fire Life Safety

London | Hybrid / Flexible Working

Confidential Appointment

Some Director roles are about inheriting a team, maintaining what already exists and hitting somebody else's targets, this one is about building something.

I'm working confidentially with a rapidly growing international engineering and specialist consultancy looking to appoint a Director to lead the continued development of its UK Fire Life Safety business from London.

They already have the foundations: an established international business, a growing London operation, strong multidisciplinary capability, technical expertise and the resources to invest.

What they need now is someone who can take that platform and turn it into a significant UK Fire Life Safety business. This is a senior commercial leadership appointment with genuine ownership of the direction, growth and performance of the division.

The Business

The wider organisation is an established international consultancy operating across multiple global regions, delivering technically complex projects throughout the built environment, infrastructure and major development markets.

Fire Life Safety forms part of a much broader specialist offering, with expertise spanning building services, structures, façades, sustainability, environmental consultancy, acoustics, security, digital delivery, commissioning and strategic advisory.

That breadth gives the Fire team access to multidisciplinary projects, established client relationships and specialist expertise across the wider organisation.

The business has been expanding significantly internationally and sees London and the wider UK market as a major part of its continued growth.

This isn't a company dipping its toe into Fire Engineering to see whether it works. The capability exists, the wider platform is there and there is already an established team in London.

The ambition now is considerably bigger.

The Opportunity

As Director - Fire Life Safety, you'll take ownership of developing the UK business from London.

You’ll have responsibility for building and managing the P&L, growing revenue, strengthening existing client relationships, opening new ones and building the team required to support that growth.

London provides an obvious platform from which to do it.

You’ll be operating in one of the world's most active built-environment markets, working with Architects, developers, project managers, end users and multidisciplinary design teams across complex buildings and major developments.

You’ll be expected to understand that market and decide where the biggest opportunities sit rather than simply follow a predetermined plan.

There is a revenue target, naturally, but you’ll have considerable autonomy over how you achieve it and what the business ultimately looks like.

That could mean expanding existing relationships, developing new sectors, bringing additional services to established clients or using the wider international capability of the consultancy to create new opportunities.

Importantly, you’ll also work alongside dedicated senior technical leadership.

While you’ll retain strong technical credibility, you won’t be expected to personally carry every technical issue while simultaneously trying to grow the business.

There will be technical expertise around you, allowing you to concentrate much more heavily on the strategic, commercial and leadership side of the role.

What are they looking for?

You'll ideally be able to demonstrate:

• A strong background within Fire Engineering / Fire Life Safety consultancy.
• Chartered Engineer status.
• A proven track record of winning and developing work.
• Established relationships across the London and wider UK built environment.
• Experience working with Architects, developers, project managers, end users and multidisciplinary design teams.
• Commercial understanding, including revenue, forecasting and P&L responsibility.
• Experience building, leading and developing teams.
• The ability to represent a Fire Engineering business at senior client level.
• An entrepreneurial mindset and genuine appetite to build something. You may already be operating as a Director, Regional Director, Head of Fire Engineering or senior Associate Director within another London consultancy.
• Equally, you could be somebody sitting within a much larger organisation who has developed the relationships and reputation but feels there is limited scope to create something that is genuinely yours.

A Business You Can Shape

This is probably the biggest attraction.

They're not asking somebody to come in and rescue an underperforming division.

Nor are they handing you a finished business and asking you to keep it ticking over.

The foundations are already there, but there is still plenty left to build.

You’ll have the backing of an established international organisation, access to multidisciplinary expertise, an existing London client platform and the resources to recruit and develop the team around you.

You’ll have a genuine say in who you recruit, which relationships you develop, which areas of the market you pursue and ultimately what the UK Fire Life Safety business becomes.

For somebody who has spent years building another consultancy's Fire Engineering offering, there is an opportunity here to put your own stamp on one.

Beyond London

London will be your base and the immediate focus, but the opportunity extends considerably further.

The consultancy already operates internationally, providing access to overseas colleagues, clients and projects.

As the UK Fire Life Safety business develops, there will be opportunities to collaborate across regions, share expertise and influence how the discipline develops within the wider organisation.

For somebody who has already established themselves within the London market, it provides a platform to take that reputation and influence much further.

Why Consider It?

Because senior Fire Engineering opportunities with this combination of platform and freedom don't appear particularly often.

You’ll have:

• An established international consultancy behind you.
• An existing London operation and client platform.
• Dedicated technical leadership alongside you.
• The resources to build the team you need.
• Ownership of the P&L and growth strategy.
• The autonomy to decide how you develop the market.
• And importantly, you're joining at a point where your decisions can still materially influence what the business becomes.

The package will reflect the seniority of the appointment and the calibre of individual required, with a highly competitive salary and wider benefits.

This search is being handled on a strictly confidential basis. Further information on the consultancy, existing London team, growth plans, package and wider opportunity can be discussed privately.

Calibre Search promote equality in the workplace and we welcome applications from all suitably skilled or qualified candidates regardless of their sex, race, disability, religion/beliefs, sexual orientation or age. We act as both an employment agency and employment business