Technical Director Fire Engineering

Aldersgate
7 months ago
Applications closed

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Technical Director

Laboratory Technician

QC Laboratory Technician

Technical Sales Manager

Group Senior Mechanical Engineer

HR Business Partner

We are currently partnered with a global leading firm of engineers, architects and material scientists as they look to appoint a Technical Director of Fire Engineering to their division in Central London.

In this role, you will be responsible for helping to lead the continued development of the consultancy's fire engineering practice presence throughout the UK market.

Ideally, the consultancy is searching for a seasoned professional who has a track record of working closely with developers, architects, and main contractors. The individual will have led teams, as well as provided strong mentoring to colleagues. You will also require first class communication, an established reputation, as well as being comfortable networking and developing new business.

As a Technical Director, you will be integral to the advancement of the consultancy's emerging fire engineering practice across the United Kingdom and Europe. This is a special opportunity to build a practice of your own, supported by the resources, reputation, and longevity of their team in London and our firm, consisting of over five hundreds engineers, architects, and materials scientists with extensive combined experience in facade engineering, building science, and the physics of building enclosure and whole building performance.

As a practice leader in their London office, you will provide technical expertise in the UK market, while collaborating with interdisciplinary project teams locally and company wide. You will apply your deep understanding of fire engineering principles, leverage advanced technologies and simulation capabilities, and interpret current and historic building codes to make sound judgments and deliver innovative yet practical fire strategies.

Specific areas of inquiry in this practice include rapid assessment and implementation of actionable, cost-effective solutions to address challenging new designs, existing building conditions, and sudden failures (including facade fires). Projects may include investigation, troubleshooting and repair design for existing buildings, design, detailing, peer review, and specialty consulting for new construction.

Responsibilities will extend beyond technical execution and management of project work, including opportunities for fostering new and existing client relationships, building and mentoring a team to meet the demands of your growing practice, contributing to in-house research and development initiatives, and establishing an industry presence through participation in professional organizations and committees.

The Candidate:

The ideal candidate is motivated to build up an emerging practice, intellectually curious and able to tackle complex assignments, committed to providing technically sound and practical solutions, independent and resourceful, and effective in team building and collaboration across skill levels.

Additional qualifications include:

Chartered Fire Engineer

Advanced degree in fire engineering or related field

10 or more years of relevant industry experience

Preference will be given to a proven leader, who has successfully developed and managed a small practice (or professional practice area within a larger firm) that is recognised within the local profession and industry at large.

Company benefits include market leading compensation, performance-based bonuses, private healthcare, and a generous annual leave entitlement with embedded flexibility in day-to-day work patterns.

This is a unique opportunity that is not to be missed. If you think your experience matches up well, please click apply or reach out to Jamie Will at Calibre Search.

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

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

How Many Materials Science Tools Do You Need to Know to Get a Materials Science Job?

If you’re navigating the materials science job market, it can feel like the list of tools, techniques and platforms you should learn grows every week. One job advert mentions electron microscopy, another mentions X-ray diffraction, yet another wants experience with thermal analysis, spectroscopy, simulation software, statistical packages, manufacturing QA systems and more. With so many specialised methods and instruments, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed — and to start thinking you need to know everything just to be considered. Here’s the honest truth most materials science hiring managers won’t tell you directly: 👉 They don’t hire you because you know every piece of equipment or software. They hire you because you can use the tools you do know to answer real questions, make reliable measurements and communicate results clearly. Tools are essential — no question — but they are secondary to problem-solving ability, scientific reasoning and experimental rigour. So the real question is: how many materials science tools do you actually need to know to get a job? The precise number depends on the role you want, but for most job seekers the answer is far fewer than you think. This article breaks down what employers really value, which tools are core, which are role-specific, and how to focus your learning so your CV and interviews stand out for the right reasons.

What Hiring Managers Look for First in Materials Science Job Applications (UK Guide)

Materials science is a broad, interdisciplinary field that spans academia, industry, research, engineering and manufacturing. Whether you’re applying for roles in R&D, process development, quality assurance, failure analysis, nanomaterials or product scale-up, hiring managers make key decisions within the first few seconds of scanning your application. In competitive job markets, simply listing skills or qualifications isn’t enough. Hiring managers are looking for signals of relevance, technical depth, problem-solving capability and real-world impact — and they expect those signals to be clear right from the top of your CV or portfolio. This guide breaks down exactly what hiring managers typically look for first in materials science applications, why they look for it, and how you can optimise your CV, cover letter and portfolio so your application stands out and gets past the first filter.

The Skills Gap in Materials Science Jobs: What Universities Aren’t Teaching

Materials science sits at the heart of innovation — from sustainable energy and advanced manufacturing to aerospace, electronics, healthcare and beyond. It is an interdisciplinary field combining physics, chemistry, engineering and applied science to design and improve materials that power modern technology. Despite the clear strategic importance of materials science, employers across the UK report persistent challenges hiring graduates who are truly job-ready. Organisations need professionals who can contribute immediately to research, development, manufacturing, quality control and product scale-up — yet many recent graduates struggle to bridge the gap between academic preparation and workplace demands. This gap is not caused by a lack of intelligence or enthusiasm. It is a growing skills gap between what universities teach and what real materials science jobs require. This article explores the materials science skills gap in depth: what universities teach well, what they often miss, why the gap exists, what employers want, and how aspiring professionals can bridge the divide to build successful careers in this vital UK industry.