Fire Life Safety Specialist

About the role

The HSE Leader™ is looking for a senior Fire Life Safety Specialist to act as the technical authority on fire and life safety (FLS) matters. You will lead both performance‑based and prescriptive fire engineering strategies from concept design through commissioning for complex projects across the GCC.

Key responsibilities

• Develop prescriptive and performance‑based fire engineering strategies for all building types, including high‑rise towers, atriums, underground spaces and tunnels.
• Prepare fire strategy reports, safety concept documents and means‑of‑escape analyses in line with NFPA, UAE Fire & Life Safety Code and local authority requirements.
• Lead performance‑based design submissions to Civil Defence authorities and coordinate peer reviews.
• Advise design teams on fire compartmentation, fire‑rated construction, structural fire protection and façade fire‑spread mitigation.
• Manage Civil Defence approval submissions across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other GCC jurisdictions, tracking NOC applications and compliance certificates.
• Mentor junior engineers, develop internal design guides, calculation templates and specification documents.
• Support business development through technical proposals, fee estimates and client presentations.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Fire Safety Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years post‑graduate experience in fire and life safety engineering, with at least 5 years on Middle‑East projects.
• Proven experience on large‑scale, complex projects such as high‑rise (>100 m), hospitals, airports or tunnels.
• Relevant certifications such as CFPS or equivalent.

Required skills

• In‑depth knowledge of NFPA 1, 13, 14, 20, 72, 92, 101, 130, 502.
• UAE Fire & Life Safety Code of Practice.
• SFPE Handbook and International Fire Code (IFC).
• Performance‑based fire engineering and fire strategy reporting.
• Authority approval submission processes for Civil Defence bodies.
• Fire compartmentation, fire‑rated construction, structural fire protection and façade fire‑spread mitigation.
• Means‑of‑escape analysis.
• Coordination with MEP, structural, architectural and IT/Security disciplines.