Sr. Fire & Life Safety Program Specialist

SR. FIRE & LIFE SAFETY PROGRAM SPECIALIST

Reporting to Facilities/Maintenance, the Sr. Fire & Life Safety Program Specialist owns the full lifecycle of fire detection and suppression systems for our industrial and aerospace manufacturing campus - from the maintenance and reliability program for existing fire alarm infrastructure to the design, permitting, and installation of new fire suppression and sprinkler systems. This is primarily a program and project management role: you will be the site's single point of accountability for fire protection strategy, contractor and vendor performance, code compliance, and AHJ engagement.

Your deep technical background in fire alarm design and programming enables you to review vendor work critically, direct troubleshooting, and step in hands-on during emergencies and critical impairments. You will partner closely with EHS to identify and mitigate emerging fire hazards ranging from lithium-ion battery storage to aerospace vehicle integration.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage the maintenance, reliability, and upgrade program for existing industrial fire alarm systems across the site, including inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) per NFPA 72 and NFPA 25
• Provide project management for new installations of fire suppression and sprinkler systems, ranging from small-scope tenant improvements to multi-million-dollar capital projects, including scope development, budgeting, scheduling, bid packages, and contractor selection
• Serve as the site's technical authority for fire alarm design and programming: review and approve fire alarm, suppression, and sprinkler designs, submittals, and shop drawings from vendors and engineering firms; perform in-house design and panel programming for small-scope modifications where faster or more cost-effective than contracting out
• Direct troubleshooting and repair of fire alarm and suppression systems through service contractors, owning scope, quality, response time, and cost accountability; provide hands-on diagnosis and repair during emergencies, critical impairments, or when contractor response is inadequate
• Identify existing and emerging fire hazards - including lithium-ion battery storage and charging, energetic materials, flammable liquids, and aerospace vehicle integration operations - and drive engineering and administrative controls to mitigate them
• Partner with EHS to drive emergency response readiness, impairment management (fire watch), pre-incident planning, and post-incident investigation support
• Ensure compliance with applicable building and fire codes (IBC, IFC, NFPA standards) and company standards; maintain system documentation, as-builts, and ITM records
• Engage and maintain relationships with the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), fire marshal, and insurance carriers; manage permitting, plan review, acceptance testing, and inspections for fire protection projects
• Develop and manage annual operating and capital budgets for fire protection systems; forecast end-of-life replacements and reliability upgrades
• Support Alternate Means & Methods (AM&M) and performance-based design proposals to the AHJ where prescriptive code compliance is impractical
• Develop training for facilities technicians, security, and emergency response teams on fire system operation and impairment procedures

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school diploma or equivalency certificate
• NICET Level III or IV certification in Fire Alarm Systems
• 7+ years of experience in fire alarm and/or fire suppression system design, installation, programming, or maintenance
• 3+ years of experience in project or program management of fire protection or facilities construction projects

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• NICET Level IV in Fire Alarm Systems; additional NICET certification in Water-Based Systems Layout or Inspection & Testing of Water-Based Systems
• Bachelor's degree in fire protection engineering, engineering technology, construction management, or a related field
• Factory certification and programming experience on major fire alarm platforms (e.g., Notifier, Simplex, EST/Edwards, Siemens, Fire-Lite)
• Working knowledge of NFPA 13, 25, 72, 855, and 30, and the International Building and Fire Codes
• Experience with special hazards suppression (clean agent, water mist, deluge, foam) and hazardous material occupancies
• Experience managing fire protection in industrial, manufacturing, aerospace, or high-hazard environments
• Experience with lithium-ion battery energy storage system (ESS) fire protection and code requirements (NFPA 855, UL 9540A)
• Direct experience with AHJ negotiation, permitting, plan review, and acceptance testing
• Experience managing contractors and vendors, including bid evaluation, contract administration, and performance management
• PMP certification or equivalent project management training
• Proficiency with AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam, and CMMS platforms

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to respond to after-hours system troubles, impairments, and emergencies; participate in on-call rotation as needed
• Position may require extended hours and weekends to support outages, acceptance testing, and critical project milestones
• Ability to climb ladders, work at heights, work in industrial environments, and lift up to 25 lbs. unassisted
• This is a fully on-site position at a single campus; occasional travel for training or vendor factory acceptance testing (less than 5%)