Head of Fire Safety

At Heathrow, safety is at the heart of everything we do. You will lead the strategic direction and operational delivery of fire safety across one of the world’s busiest and most complex airport environments. You will ensure that Heathrow remains a global benchmark for fire safety excellence, protecting millions of passengers, colleagues, and partners every year. Working closely with operational, engineering, and emergency planning teams, you will shape and implement fire safety strategies that support Heathrow’s vision of safe, sustainable, and world-class operations.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in fire safety management within a high-risk, complex operational environment such as aviation, transport, or large-scale infrastructure.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with a proven ability to inspire and develop multidisciplinary teams.
• Comprehensive knowledge of UK fire safety legislation, standards, and regulatory frameworks.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels.
• Chartered membership of a relevant professional body (e.g., Institution of Fire Engineers, Institute of Fire Safety Managers) or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage strategic programmes and deliver measurable safety improvements.

Ideally you'll also have:

• Experience working within an airport or similarly regulated environment.
• Strong understanding of emergency planning and resilience frameworks.
• Ability to engage effectively with regulators, local authorities, and industry partners.

Responsibilities

• Leading the development and implementation of Heathrow’s fire safety strategy, ensuring compliance with UK legislation and international best practice.
• Providing expert leadership and guidance to the Fire Safety team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and proactive risk management.
• Collaborating with Engineering, Operations, and Construction teams to integrate fire safety principles into design, maintenance, and operational processes.
• Overseeing fire risk assessments, audits, and investigations, ensuring findings are addressed effectively and lessons are embedded across the organisation.
• Representing Heathrow in external forums, regulatory discussions, and industry partnerships to influence and share best practice in fire safety management.
• Supporting emergency preparedness and response planning, ensuring robust coordination with the Airport Fire & Rescue Service and other key stakeholders.

People are at the heart of Heathrow. Not just the millions of passengers who travel, trade, shop, eat, connect and explore with us every year, but also the thousands of colleagues who go the extra mile to give every one of them the best airport service in the world. We’re a community of human resources and health and safety professionals, encompassing all aspects of HR and wellbeing. We are committed to being a truly inclusive organisation that represents the diversity of the local community at every level.

Our rewards include competitive salaries and excellent benefits that will support you now and in the future. We offer performance-based annual bonuses, generous annual leave allowances, market-leading pensions, family friendly policies, access to private health insurance, and a wide range of wellbeing tools.

Our Hybrid working approach offers the opportunity for colleagues in some roles to work from home for an average of two days a week, providing the flexibility to work in an agile way whilst ensuring we deliver for the operational needs of Heathrow. You’ll need to be based in the UK and within a commutable distance to Heathrow.

As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all. We believe that diverse talent makes us stronger – not least because we welcome passengers from all corners of the globe, every single day.