Principal Consultant - Fire and Life Safety

At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. You can experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.

WSP Middle East are hiring a Principal Consultant - Fire and Life Safety to join our team in the UAE.

We're looking for a skilled Principal Consultant to lead fire and life safety designs, ensuring compliance with all relevant codes, regulations, and client specifications. This is an exciting opportunity to work with a dynamic, multidisciplinary team while influencing key design decisions and directly liaising with clients and regulatory authorities.

The ideal candidate will have a strong engineering background, with the ability to balance multiple codes and integrate design solutions. You'll need excellent communication skills—both verbal and written—as well as the ability to prepare high-quality reports and present confidently to clients and AHJs.

• Lead designs to meet with the requirements of the relevant building codes. Where this is not possible or unfeasible, develop performance-based design solutions.
• Experience undertaking onsite inspections of projects under construction to ensure the fire strategy is adopted within the construction project life cycle.
• Arrange and present projects to approving authorities to demonstrate compliance to standards.
• Undertake material submittals and shop drawing reviews for both architectural and fire protection requirements, clearly communicating the requirements to the project team.
• Lead multidisciplinary projects, incorporating the requirements within the design via other disciplines.
• Able to understand and interpret CFD modelling results (1D and 3D).
• Undertake CFD modelling of proposed engineering solutions using 1D/3D software as necessary.
• Able to develop fire strategy report to an exceptional standard. Articulate performance-based design solutions to the project team and document within reports with knowledge of performance-based design codes such as International Fire Engineering Guidelines (IFEG) and Society of Fire Protection Engineering Guide (SFPE).
• Able to undertake reviews of proposed designs in BIM, utilising appropriate software such as Autodesk Construction Cloud and Revit.
• Mentor and support junior staff.
• Able to communicate efficiently design requirements in a timely manner with the multidisciplinary design team.
• Able to work on multiple projects at the same time.
• Ensure compliance to QMS policies and procedures.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Ability to work effectively with people at all levels in an organisation, internally and externally.
• Ability to communicate complex ideas effectively, both verbally and in writing, in English and Arabic is a plus.

TECHNICAL

• Focus on the delivery of high-quality technical design reports to the required regulations and client requirements.
• With the assistance of the junior staff, develop comprehensive fire and life safety drawings.
• Lead and contribute to technical work groups.
• Undertake reviews of architectural, fire protection, electrical or mechanical shop drawings in accordance with the relevant codes and the fire strategy.
• Undertake reviews of materials submittals for compliance to the fire strategy and relevant statutory requirements.
• Experienced with the International Building Code, International Fire Code, Saudi Building Codes, and NFPA Standards.
• Ability to work in BIM.

PROJECT LEADERSHIP

• Able to manage fire and life safety projects and multidisciplinary projects with minimal input from the team.
• Commercial agility, delivering projects on time and in budget.
• Able to forecast project costs and expenses.
• Ensure statutory and regulatory requirements are met. Where necessary, develop performance-based design solutions.
• Ensure project programs are met and advise on any foreseen delays.
• Participate and lead internal multi-discipline knowledge sharing initiatives.

• Degree in Fire Safety Engineering from an accredited education establishment.
• Ideal candidate would have or have in progress Chartered or Professional Engineering qualification.
• 8 years experience in the field of fire and life safety engineering.
• Experience of MS Office Suite of Applications.
• Previous experience delivering projects in BIM.
• Able to use AutoCAD and Bluebeam.

• Communication skills, written and verbal, are critical.
• Excellent report writing skills.
• Ability to understand multiple code requirements, communicate these and integrate into a design.
• Ability to present complex designs to clients and AHJs.
• Excellent liaison skills with authorities.
• Good knowledge of the Saudi Building Code, NFPA standards and International Code Council (ICC) codes.
• Excellent presentation skills.

What's in it for you?

What if we can have work-life balance? What if we can be rewarded in ways that support our individual needs? What if we can be accepted for who we are? Here at WSP – we can!

WSP recognizes that work is only one part of our lives and making time for the other things in our life is important – be that our families, our friends or ourselves. So, if working from home, working part-time or having flexible start and finish time will help with this, let us know as part of your application.

As well as rewarding you with competitive pay, WSP offers standard benefits including first-class medical cover, generous days of annual leave, and paid professional subscriptions.

Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.

Join our close-knit community of talented individuals who share your passion for making a positive impact. Our global team includes more than 69,000 employees, working together to make a difference in communities both close to home and around the world.

With us, you can. Apply today.

Future Ready at WSP

From net zero to climate change, from the needs of future societies to new ways of travelling we know that the future is very different to today. With Future Ready we see the future more clearly and challenge everyone in WSP to advise and design for this future as well as today. It’s a programme that’s having huge impact in WSP – it’s helping us grow, it’s giving us purpose and it’s the title of our global growth strategy. Learn more about Future Ready at Future Ready | WSP!

Job Reference: WSPME04608