Fire Life Safety Manager

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

At Jacobs, we push the limits of what’s possible to make the world smarter and more connected. We are a key delivery partner on one of Saudi Arabia’s flagship giga projects and a central pillar of Vision 2030, located approximately 45 km southwest of Riyadh. Designed as the Kingdom’s future capital of entertainment, sports, and culture, this landmark development aims to diversify the economy and enhance quality of life through a mix of world-class attractions, residential communities, and natural landscapes, while generating significant employment and enabling long-term, sustainable growth.

About The Opportunity

The Fire & Life Safety Manager will support the end-to-end delivery of fire and life safety assurance across a diverse portfolio of city assets. The role covers the complete asset lifecycle, including design, construction, commissioning, handover, operational readiness, and buildings in use.

Providing competent technical and operational leadership, the Fire & Life Safety Manager will undertake fire risk assessments, deliver risk-based inspection and audit programmes, review fire strategies and life safety systems, and oversee the identification and close-out of fire safety deficiencies. The position will ensure compliance with Saudi Building Codes, Saudi Civil Defense requirements, relevant NFPA standards, and internationally recognised fire engineering practices.

The role also forms part of the Fire & Life Safety operational duty rota, undertaking tactical Silver command responsibilities during fire, evacuation, and other life safety incidents. This will include coordinating with the City Command Unit, Saudi Civil Defense, asset operators, contractors, consultants, and emergency response teams.

Role responsibilities

• Lead fire and life safety assurance across the full asset lifecycle, including design, construction, commissioning, handover, operational readiness, and buildings in use.
• Plan, undertake, and document fire risk assessments across operational assets, construction sites, event spaces, temporary facilities, and back-of-house environments.
• Maintain fire risk assessment programmes and risk registers, tracking residual risks, corrective actions, interim controls, overdue items, and risk acceptance decisions.
• Deliver risk-based fire and life safety inspections and technical audits, covering means of escape, compartmentation, fire stopping, structural fire protection, fire doors, smoke control, suppression, detection, alarm, emergency lighting, firefighting access, and fire water systems.
• Identify, risk-rank, and manage fire safety deficiencies, ensuring corrective actions are supported by clear technical evidence and verified before close-out.
• Review tenant, operator, contractor, event, and temporary fit-out proposals, and monitor compliance with hot work, fire watch, impairment management, permit-to-work, and construction fire safety requirements.
• Act as a rostered tactical Silver commander during fire, evacuation, and life safety incidents, establishing command arrangements and coordinating with the City Command Unit, Saudi Civil Defense, emergency services, and asset operators.
• Lead evacuation management, incident reporting, decision logging, operational debriefs, and lessons-learned activities following incidents, exercises, and major drills.
• Review fire strategies, engineering reports, performance-based designs, shop drawings, hydraulic calculations, cause-and-effect matrices, alarm zoning, and proposed alternative solutions.
• Witness and verify the commissioning and integrated testing of fire detection, alarm, voice alarm, suppression, smoke control, fire pump, and fire water systems.
• Assess asset readiness before handover, activation, and public opening, providing recommendations on outstanding deficiencies, interim mitigation measures, and go or no-go decisions.
• Investigate incidents and system failures, analyse performance trends, prepare technical reports and assurance dashboards, and support stakeholder engagement, training, exercises, and capability development.
  
  
  

Here's what you'll need

• Bachelor’s degree in Fire Safety Engineering, Fire Engineering, Building Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline; a relevant Master’s degree is preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years’ progressive experience in fire and life safety, fire engineering, fire safety inspection, or emergency response operations, including experience in a senior technical role.
• Demonstrable experience completing and signing off fire risk assessments for complex, high-occupancy, or high-consequence environments.
• Proven experience delivering fire and life safety inspection and audit programmes, managing deficiencies through to close-out, and supporting incident investigations.
• Practical emergency response experience with assessed competence at tactical or Silver command level, gained through live incidents, exercises, or major drills.
• Experience across the asset lifecycle, including design review, construction assurance, systems commissioning, handover, and operational readiness.
• Strong knowledge of SBC 201, SBC 801, Saudi Civil Defense requirements, and relevant international standards, including NFPA, IBC, IFC, BS 9991, BS 9999, and PAS 79.
• Experience within large-scale mixed-use developments, entertainment destinations, stadia, theme parks, major events, giga-projects, or similarly complex environments; Saudi Arabia or wider GCC experience is strongly preferred.
• Professional membership of the Institution of Fire Engineers, a NEBOSH Fire Safety qualification, recognised fire risk assessor certification, or an equivalent professional qualification is preferred.
• Strong technical reporting, stakeholder management, analytical, and communication skills, with the ability to exercise sound judgement and provide clear direction under pressure.
  
  
  

Jacobs. A world where you can. From our inclusive employee networks to our positive mental health champions, we’re committed to driving a culture of caring where you can be you. Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally, and together, our diverse perspectives and unique backgrounds power our collective strength.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means, and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities to do good too, from participating in our global giving and volunteering program to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place.

Start your Jacobs career with a company that inspires and empowers you to deliver your best work so you can evolve, grow, and succeed, today and into tomorrow.

From our inclusive employee networks to our positive mental health champions – we’re committed to driving a culture of caring where you can be you. Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally - and together, our diverse perspectives and unique backgrounds power our collective strength. We collaborate and share! By supporting one another, we all succeed.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits and opportunities to do good too – from participating in our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place.

No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture and achieve your goals – all at a single global company.

Onsite employees are expected to attend a Jacobs Workplace on a full-time basis, as required by the nature of their role.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.