What you’ll be doing
as a Fire Safety Manager
1. Develop and deliver a fire safety strategy aligned with Thames Water’s “Zero harm” vision and broader HSW Strategy.
2. Ensure compliance with statutory fire safety legislation. (Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, BS standards, local authority requirements)
3. Maintain and enhance fire risk registers across operational sites, integrating into the Asset Lifecycle Management System.
4. Design and implement a comprehensive Fire Safety Management System: policy, standards, procedures, assurance tools, and KPIs.
5. Lead periodic and risk-based audits & site inspections to assess and validate fire safety controls.
6. Champion Incident Investigation driven by HOP: focus on systemic contributors, normal work systems, recurring challenges, and learnings—not just blame.
7. Apply HOP mindset to fire incidents—describe normal variations, explore why processes usually succeed, and identify organisational factors that contribute to incidents.
8. Drive Safety II thinking: shift from "what went wrong?" to "what goes right?" in fire safety performance. Embed principles of Learning from Work-as-Done, Error Wisdom, and Local Rationality.
9. Facilitate robust post-incident / near-miss reviews using HOP language: “Who made sense of the work?”, “How did the system influence decisions?”.
10. Build strong collaborative relationships with operational leaders, contractors, site HSW teams, and regulators. Communicate fire risk and assurance outcomes clearly.
11. Support cross-functional teams (e.g., engineering, maintenance, design) to integrate fire safety early in capital and operational planning.
12. Develop fire safety awareness, competence and training programs. (e.g. fire marshal training, evacuation drills)
13. Promote a Just Culture—one where issues are openly discussed and reported without fear, and workers are trusted to contribute to safety decisions.
14. Establish fire safety KRIs/KPIs and dashboards to track performance and gaps.
15. Monitor industry trends, learn from incidents across utilities/infrastructure, and update Thames Water standards accordingly.
16. Lead or support fire-related projects, roll out fire detection/maintenance upgrades, and embed HOP-informed initiatives.
Base location: Reading – Hybrid
Working pattern: 36 Hours
What you should bring to the role
To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need are:
17. NEBOSH Fire Certificate or Diploma. (or equivalent fire-specific qualification)
18. Proven Fire Risk Assessment and Safety Management experience in complex, multi-site environments.
19. Strong operational understanding of utilities, water or similar critical infrastructure.
20. HOP-certified practitioner or demonstrable knowledge of HOP principles and application in safety investigations.
21. Bachelor’s degree in Fire Science, Fire Engineering, Occupational Safety, Fire Protection, or equivalent.
22. NEBOSH Fire Certificate or Diploma, or equivalent fire safety-specific qualification.
23. Professional certification. (e.g. CFPS, NFPA Fire Inspector, IFE Graduate/Member grade)
24. In-depth knowledge of UK fire regulations: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, BS standards, Local Authority requirements.
25. Competent with fire risk management systems, compliance dashboards, and inspection/audit reporting tools.
26. Proficiency in planning evacuation strategies, conducting drills, and delivering fire safety training.
27. Clear communication, report writing (inc. executive reports), and stakeholder presentation skills.
What’s in it for you?
28. Competitive salary offering up to £72,000 per annum, depending on experience.
29. Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (plus bank holidays)
30. Private Medical Health Care.
31. Car Allowance.
32. Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets
33. Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
34. Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.