Head of Fire & Building Safety
Job Description
Head of Fire and Building Safety
Remote position: National Travel required
Full time / Permanent
Salary up to 96,900 per annum
About the Role
The Head of Fire and Building Safety will lead a newly established division, delivering compliance and safety services across all Mears clients, portfolios, and service streams. This role is pivotal in ensuring adherence to fire and building safety regulations while driving operational excellence, growth, and business development opportunities in the sector.
The post-holder will oversee compliance delivery across diverse portfolios, aligning with legislative requirements, including the Building Safety Act 2022 and Fire Safety Act 2021, while meeting client expectations. A key focus of the role is to enhance operational efficiency, foster client trust, and position Mears as a leader in fire and building safety compliance.
This role requires strategic planning to build and scale a new division, while maintaining operational oversight across diverse portfolios and client services. The post-holder will balance long-term objectives, such as team development and service scalability, with the need to address immediate compliance and operational challenges. It requires both long-term planning to achieve strategic objectives and the ability to respond promptly to immediate compliance or operational needs.
Benefits
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Leading pension scheme
- Annual Mears Fun Day - Our annual Fun Day is organised as a massive thank you from the Executive team for all the hard work!
- Volunteering Leave - Mears supports employees to undertake paid volunteering in the community, in support of our social value commitment
- Staff perks with Mears Rewards - discounts of up to 10% weekly groceries, holidays, eye test vouchers, Share save scheme, plus much more
- Family friendly policies
Responsibilities
Principal Accountabilities
- Strategic Leadership: Develop and deliver a comprehensive fire and building safety strategy that addresses client needs, aligns with Mears' objectives, and ensures compliance with all relevant legislation and standards.
- Growth and Business Development: Identify and pursue opportunities to expand fire and building safety services, leveraging Mears' existing client relationships and exploring new markets. Develop proposals and partnerships to attract new clients, retain existing ones, and position Mears as an industry leader in compliance services.
- Operational Oversight: Lead the delivery of a comprehensive suite of fire and building safety services across all Mears portfolios, ensuring compliance with contractual obligations, client expectations, and legislative requirements. Key areas include oversight of FRAs, building condition inspections, structural and emergency systems compliance, and remedial works, supported by the implementation of Building Safety Management Plans and rigorous performance monitoring.
- Team Development: Build and lead a high-performing team, recruiting, training, and mentoring staff to deliver consistent, high-quality compliance services across all regions and portfolios
- Service Integration: Work collaboratively with Mears branch leaders and operational teams to integrate fire and building safety compliance into all service streams, ensuring alignment with internal objectives and client requirements
- Client Engagement: Act as the primary point of contact for fire and building safety services, maintaining strong relationships with clients, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies to ensure trust and transparency
- Data Management and Reporting: Ensure compliance data is accurate, accessible, and effectively utilised to inform decision-making. Produce detailed reports for internal and external stakeholders, highlighting performance, compliance status, and opportunities for improvement
- Continuous Improvement: Identify and implement opportunities to enhance service delivery, leveraging best practices and innovative approaches to maintain Mears' competitive advantage
- Budget and Resource Management: Oversee budgets related to fire and building safety compliance, aligning resource allocation with operational delivery and strategic growth objectives
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure full compliance with all applicable fire and building safety legislation, standards, and codes of practice, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of relevant regulatory developments
- Setting priorities for compliance activities to meet client needs, compliance deadlines, and organisational goals
- Allocating resources effectively to address operational, compliance, and growth requirements
- Developing and implementing policies and procedures to standardise and improve fire and building safety practices
- Identifying and pursuing growth opportunities in fire and building safety compliance services
Job Requirements
Key Criteria
- NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety or equivalent recognised qualification. Level 4 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment or an equivalent advanced certification. Demonstrated expertise in building safety compliance, including structural safety requirements
- Extensive leadership experience in compliance, fire safety, or building safety within housing or property management. Proven track record of developing and implementing compliance strategies for building and fire safety. Experience managing teams and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration
- Strong understanding of statutory compliance requirements, including fire safety and building safety regulations. Ability to manage large teams, oversee budgets, and deliver against operational and strategic objectives. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- Full, clean driving licence. Ability to work independently while fostering collaboration across diverse teams
