The posting
Job Description
At Heathrow, safety is at the heart of everything we do. As the Head of Fire Safety, 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.
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.
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.
#LI-Hybrid
About Us
There’s something so special about working at the world’s most iconic airport. Its sights. Its sounds. Its constant air of excitement. Heathrow is an amazing backdrop to a career filled with unique opportunities.
Every day, you’ll discover a world full of fresh possibilities and end the day buzzing with stories to tell, as you encounter people from all cultures, nationalities and experiences. A world full of pride for what we do and no end of exciting career prospects to explore.
It brings out the best in all of us. And inspires everyone to deliver on our ambitious plans. Together, we’re working to welcome millions more passengers while ensuring aviation can continue to be a force for good by leading global efforts in sustainability.
Join us on that journey and we'll help you achieve your ambitions too. Supporting you to learn, encouraging you to be yourself, backing you to achieve more than you might ever have imagined. Because there’s no place like Heathrow.
Our rewards
We offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits that will support you now and in the future. As well as performance-based annual bonuses and our longer-term Share in Success Bonus plans, we also offer generous annual leave allowances and market-leading pensions. With family friendly policies, access to private health insurance and a wide range of wellbeing tools, we’ll support you to be at your best inside and outside work. And of course, we’ll provide varied learning and development opportunities too. Here you’ll find everything you need for a fulfilling career journey that can take you in exciting directions.
Working Location
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. Working arrangements vary from team to team and will be confirmed during the recruitment process. You’ll need to be based in the UK and within a commutable distance to Heathrow.
Sustainable Travel to work
Heathrow’s Sustainable Travel Guide sets out easy and sustainable travel options that everyone can access.
Equal Opportunities
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. Heathrow is an accessible place to work. With five diversity networks, we champion inclusivity and celebrate individuality.
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. In the People team, we partner with people across our business to help to make Heathrow a place where everyone is accepted for who they are and can achieve their best.
We’re a community of human resources and health and safety professionals, encompassing all aspects of HR and wellbeing. Whether your passion is in business partnering, reward, learning and development, or any other specialist area, you’ll be part of a team creating and delivering Heathrow’s innovative People Strategy. We are committed to being a truly inclusive organisation that represents the diversity of the local community at every level.
There’s no place like Heathrow – for the buzz, for the variety, for the sense of belonging and for the chance to go on a really fulfilling career journey. We’re passionate about our colleagues’ experience, making Heathrow a great place to work and creating careers, not just jobs.
