Fire Engineering Associate Director or Director, London or Manchester

Location: London (Hybrid) or Manchester (Hybrid)
Type: Full-Time | Level: Associate Director or Director | Sector: Fire Engineering

Who are Atelier Ten?

Thank you for asking! Kindness and curiosity are some of Atelier Ten’s core tenets.

We are a team of environmental designers, building services and specialist engineers championing for a healthier planet by leveraging our vast, collective knowledge of sustainable spaces. We help bring elegance and efficiency to every building, and we work with architects, engineers, owners, and other stakeholders to accomplish their sustainable vision. We don’t just follow the trends of the industry, we trailblaze new paths to create high-performing, sustainable, and award-winning buildings.

Our London and Manchester offices combine deep technical expertise with a modern, flexible approach to work and life. We are proud of our friendly culture, our national network of industry-leading engineers, and a pipeline of climate-positive projects with signature Architects, Clients, and Design Teams.

What is this role on a high level?

We are seeking a dynamic candidate to build a Fire Engineering team in our London or Manchester office, supported by our existing Scotland-based Fire Engineering team. So – you’d be joining us as a team leader, technical innovator, and client champion. As a Director or Associate Director, you’d be delivering safe, efficient, high-performance buildings, and shaping the next generation of engineering talent in your local office.

You’d be responsible for leading a range of amazing projects with your team. You will also be responsible for leading and co-ordinating the internal efforts of junior staff, providing appropriate frameworks and tools, agreeing appropriate standards and co-ordinating delivery against these standards.

What your day-to-day looks like

We work across a variety of prestigious projects from museums to offices, labs to large masterplans. We promise to keep you challenged and never bored. Here are some regular tasks you may encounter:

Building strong client relationships and industry presence

• Using your existing contacts and Atelier Ten’s enviable network of clients and project history, bid and win for projects involving Fire Engineering
• Act as a key liaison for clients and external stakeholders, managing expectations, and developing trusted long-term relationships
• Represent Atelier Ten at industry events and professional forums, enhancing our visibility, and thought leadership
• Work closely with our wider UK network to share knowledge and elevate project outcomes

Growing and inspiring a high-performing team

• Based on your work winning efforts, recruit and develop a supporting team in your local office, around your vision and leadership
• Delivering Fire Strategy Engineering initially, consider adding skills in Fire Systems Design and Structural Fire Engineering if appropriate (noting we have existing routes to market for these)
• Provide mentorship, technical guidance, and leadership to your team
• Foster a motivated and collaborative team culture, & support high levels of engagement in line with our wider cultural aspirations to provide a modern, flexible and forward-thinking workplace
• Promote technical excellence and continuous learning within your team

Delivering technical excellence

• Ensure technical quality, compliance, performance, and consistency across all Fire Engineering design outputs
• Review and approve design deliverables including drawings, schematics, schedules, technical reports, and specifications
• Provide design guidance to our clients and collaborators including architectural competitions, always seeking to maximise safety and efficiency
• whilst minimising carbon and promoting climate-positive outcomes
• Lead multidisciplinary project teams through all design phases, from concept to completion with an awareness and understanding of other Atelier Ten disciplines
• Coordinate effectively between internal disciplines and with external consultants
• As an experienced engineer, take lead responsibility for co-ordination between the disciplines within the office and to external consultants

Leading climate-positive design

• Champion sustainable and climate-positive design outcomes
• Apply your Fire Engineering expertise to deliver safe, innovative, efficient, and environmentally responsible solutions
• Align all project outputs with our ethos of elegant simplicity, environmental sensitivity, and technical excellence

What we are looking for

Hopefully you’re on board so far and excited about what your days at Atelier Ten would look like. We do have a few items on our wish list for you to become the next great Atelier Tenner. We are looking for someone who is curious, proactive, and self-motivated. So, you ideally will possess:

• At least ten years of experience in a design consultancy or engineering practice
• The ability to think strategically and (working with existing Senior Fire Engineering leaders) plan an industry-leading future for Fire Engineering at Atelier Ten
• Chartership (CEng), or working towards chartership
• Deep technical knowledge in Fire Strategy Engineering, with a track record of delivering safe, sustainable, high-performance solutions
• Experience in delivering multidisciplinary projects, managing budgets, timelines, and design quality
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to inspire clients and team members alike
• Passion for sustainable design and alignment with our commitment to climate-positive outcomes
• A proactive and autonomous outlook – you are a doer, someone who thrives on making things happen, problem solving and taking ownership
• Ability to prioritise around the timing and way of delivering project information
• Ability to identify project resource requirements

What we offer

In return for your expertise, leadership, and commitment, we offer:

• A competitive salary and benefits package
• A flexible, modern working environment that supports work-life balance
• Access to a rich network of experienced engineers and technical mentors across our UK offices
• A diverse and exciting portfolio of projects with real-world impact
• Structured training and clear career progression opportunities within a growing and forward-thinking organisation
• Competitive salary
• Private healthcare benefits
• Generous paid time off from day one, with an additional four weeks of paid time off for long service
• Flexible and hybrid work schedule
• Emphasis on work/home balance
• Matched pension contributions
• Highly engaged co-workers with a shared hunger for knowledge
• Mutual respect and support from colleagues and leadership
• Freedom to contribute ideas and make a personal difference that is not always possible in a large corporate environment

Join us

If you are ready to lead a team, shape the built environment, and drive climate-positive outcomes across a portfolio of exciting and meaningful projects, we would love to hear from you.

Research shows that some people are less likely to apply for a role unless they tick every box on the job specification. But to us, your experience, skills and passion are what are important. So – feel free to get in touch to discuss the nature of the role and how you might fit. Tell us about your achievements, tell us about your journey, and about what you have learned.

To apply, please send a cover letter and your CV to eoghan.finan@surbanajurong.com. We can review expected duties for both our Director and Associate Director level staff at interview.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all candidates. If you require any reasonable adjustments or additional support—such as receiving the application form in an alternative format—please don’t hesitate to contact our recruitment team.

Your experience throughout the application process is important to us. We welcome feedback on how we can improve and are happy to provide any further information you may need to help you make an informed decision about joining us.

If there’s anything more we can do to support you, please let us know, we’re here to help.

Agency

Any unsolicited resumes/CVs submitted through our website or to Atelier Ten personal e-mail accounts, are considered property of Atelier Ten and are not subject to payment of agency fees. In order to be an authorised Recruitment Agency/Search Firm for Atelier Ten, there must be a formal written agreement in place and the agency must be invited, by the Recruitment Team, to submit candidates for review.