Fire Safety & Compliance Lead – Hybrid (Housing)

Benefits

• Competitive salary of £43,900 per annum.
• 32 days annual leave plus bank holidays, totaling 40 paid holiday days (8 weeks).
• Salary finance: access to short‑ and long‑term loans plus a savings facility.
• Opportunity to increase annual leave through service or the holiday purchase scheme.
• Immediate entry to our pension scheme with matched contributions up to 10%.
• Flexible working environment with family‑friendly policies.
• Health cash plan with financial benefits and optional family coverage (dental, optical, physiotherapy, 24HR private GP access, and more).
• Paid leave for sickness, maternity, paternity, and adoption.
• Up to £150 annually through the ‘Learning for Life’ scheme.
• Wide range of discounts and cashback offers (retail, automotive, holidays, cycle‑to‑work).
• Career development support with training and qualifications.

Purpose of Role

To lead the effective management of Fire Safety compliance across our properties, ensuring all fire detection, alarm, and associated life safety systems are fully compliant, maintained to a high standard, and reduce risk to customers, colleagues, and third parties.

Working Arrangements

This hybrid role requires working from our Liverpool office on Mondays and Tuesdays, with travel across North West properties as needed. Regular site visits will be made to oversee inspections, servicing, and remedial works.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee contractors to ensure all fire safety systems are tested, maintained, and fully operational.
• Manage remediation actions on a risk‑prioritised basis.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date certification, logbooks, and records.
• Set and monitor performance standards and KPIs for fire safety contractors.
• Challenge performance to ensure compliance and value for money.
• Maintain robust audit trails supporting regulatory compliance.
• Translate fire safety strategy into clear objectives and KPIs.
• Produce management information and reports for Boards and Committees.
• Support the development of Fire and Landlord Compliance strategies.
• Coordinate fire safety with Repairs & Maintenance teams for responsive and planned works.
• Ensure full compliance with all relevant fire safety legislation.
• Support delivery of fire safety training and awareness across the organisation.
• Promote a strong safety culture across teams and contractors.

Fire Servicing, Testing & Inspection

• Fire alarm systems and control panels – ensure correct operation and accurate information display.
• Detection systems – test smoke, heat, and other detectors to confirm activation and signalling.
• Manual call points – verify alarms trigger upon activation and report correctly by location/zone.
• Alarm devices – check sounders and visual alarms for audibility, visibility, and effectiveness.
• Power supplies and backup systems – ensure continued operation during power failures.
• Associated safety systems (cause & effect) – confirm fire alarms correctly trigger linked safety features such as:
• Fire door releases
• Smoke ventilation systems
• Lift grounding (where applicable)
• Monitoring and communications – ensure signals are transmitted correctly to any monitoring systems.

Essential Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Experience managing fire safety servicing, testing, or compliance programmes.
• Strong understanding of fire detection, alarm systems, and associated safety equipment.
• Experience managing contractors and driving performance.
• Knowledge of housing regulation and compliance requirements.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret data and inform decisions.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Knowledge of construction contracts and commercial drivers.
• Understanding of CDM Regulations 2015.
• Experience of housing / asset management systems.
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.

Desirable

• Intermediate IT skills (Microsoft Office).
• Qualifications: NEBOSH General Certificate / IOSH Managing Safely. BOHS P402, P405 or P406. NEBOSH Fire Safety / IFE Fire Risk Assessment.

About Onward

Onward Homes is one of the largest registered providers of social housing in the Northwest, operating 35,000 properties. We are committed to building 500 new homes each year and to creating a positive and inclusive work environment. We embrace diversity and strive to build inclusive teams. Reasonable adjustments are available to meet recruitment needs.