Associate Director, Fire & Life Safety

WSP in the Middle East is seeking for an experienced Associate Director - Fire & Life Safety to lead and grow our specialist team in Dubai, UAE.The role will focus on delivering complex Fire and Life Safety strategies and solutions across major infrastructure and building projects, ensuring compliance with local and international standards.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Fire Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum 15 years’ experience in fire & life safety, with at least 5 years in leadership capacity.
• Extensive knowledge of regional (SBC/UAE Fire Code) and international (NFPA, IBC, BS/EN) codes.
• Proven track record delivering large-scale buildings or infrastructure projects in the GCC.
• Professional certification (CFPS, CEng, PE) is an advantage.
• Excellent communication and client-facing skills.

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• Lead and manage the Fire & Life Safety team on multidisciplinary projects.
• Lead design efforts to ensure compliance with relevant building codes and standards, developing performance-based design solutions where necessary, in collaboration with senior staff.
• Conduct onsite inspections during project construction to ensure adherence to the fire strategy throughout the project lifecycle.
• Coordinate and present projects to approving authorities, demonstrating compliance with established standards.
• Review material submittals and shop drawings, ensuring fire protection requirements are communicated clearly to the project team.
• Lead multidisciplinary design teams, integrating fire and life safety requirements with other disciplines.
• Interpret and analyze CFD modeling results (1D/3D) to assess proposed engineering solutions.
• Develop comprehensive fire strategy reports, ensuring exceptional quality and documenting performance-based design solutions in line with standards such as the International Fire Engineering Guidelines (IFEG) and the Society of Fire Protection Engineering Guide (SFPE).
• Review designs in BIM (Autodesk Construction Cloud, Revit) to ensure integration of fire safety principles into the design.
• Mentor, support and manage junior staff, fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented team environment.
• Communicate design requirements effectively and in a timely manner with multidisciplinary teams.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously while ensuring compliance with Quality Management System (QMS) policies and procedures.
• Demonstrate strong leadership and effective collaboration across all levels of the organization and with external partners.

Technical Expertise

• Take Commercial and Technical leadership for FLS projects, owning client relationships, and work winning through the delivery of technically excellence.
• Hold a leadership position within the Specialist Services division to support the combined implementation of strategic goals for the business. 
• Up hold the highest standards of quality assurance and lead by example for others to follow. 
• Deliver high-quality, technically accurate design reports that align with client and regulatory requirements.
• Lead the development of fire and life safety drawings, with the assistance of junior staff.
• Lead technical workgroups, reviewing architectural, FLS, fire protection, and mechanical/electrical drawings for compliance with fire strategy and relevant codes.
• Review material submittals to ensure compliance with fire strategy and regulatory standards.
• Proficient in the International Building Code, International Fire Code, Saudi Building Codes, and NFPA standards.