Assistant Vice President – Fire and Life Safety Engineering

This Opportunity

WSP is currently initiating a search for a Full-Time Assistant Vice President – Fire & Life Safety for our Irvine, CA office. Other locations considered include Boise ID, Denver CO, Honolulu HI, Los Angeles CA, Portland OR, Riverside CA and San Diego CA. This search is for a dynamic and experienced Engineering Group Leader and will play a crucial role within our group.

This position will be responsible for providing strategic direction, technical expertise, and managerial guidance to ensure the highest quality of fire protection and life safety solutions. The successful candidate will lead the development and execution of fire protection and life safety strategies, foster a culture of technical excellence, drive innovation, attract top talent, and uphold our high standard of care, particularly in the context of building and fire code consulting.

Your Impact

Technical Leadership

Lead and guide a team of fire protection and life safety engineers in the design and implementation of state-of-the-art fire protection and life safety systems.

Provide expert technical guidance and oversight to ensure compliance with industry standards, building codes, and regulations.

Drive continuous improvement in design methodologies and technological advancements to enhance the quality of fire protection and life safety solutions.

Team Development

Recruit, mentor, and retain top-tier fire protection and life safety talent.

Foster a culture of learning and professional development within the team.

Provide regular performance feedback, set goals, and conduct performance evaluations.

Building Code Consulting

Lead building code consulting efforts, providing expert guidance to clients and project teams to ensure compliance with local, state, and national building codes and regulations.

Stay current with evolving building codes and contribute to the development of company-wide strategies for code compliance.

Experience with a wide range of complex projects and occupancy types (high-rise buildings, large campus arrangements, mixed use developments, healthcare facilities, governmental facilities, etc.)

Project Excellence

Collaborate with project managers and cross-functional teams to ensure the highest quality of fire protection and life safety solutions for a diverse portfolio of projects.

Review and approve project designs, calculations, and documentation to ensure accuracy and adherence to standards.

Maintain a deep understanding of industry best practices, codes, regulations, and emerging trends in fire protection and life safety engineering.

Ensure that the fire protection and life safety practice consistently meets and exceeds the established standard of care for all projects.

Contribute to the overall business development of the company.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

Bachelors degree in Fire Protection Engineering, or related field.

Professional Engineering (PE) license required; additional certifications (such as CFPS, PMP) are advantageous.

Proven experience (10 years) in the industry, the last 5 of which should be as a team leader or staff manager.

Proven leadership skills with a demonstrated ability to lead, develop and inspire high-performing engineering teams.

A passion for innovation, continuous learning, and staying updated with industry advancements.

A deep understanding of Building and Fire Codes, Standards, and Regulations (IBC, NFPA, UFC, OBO, etc).

Must be flexible to a variety of schedules to meet business needs and able to prioritize responsibilities and quickly adapt to change in a pressure work environment.

Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s Degree in Engineering.

Basic First Aid and Adult CPR training desired.

WSP Benefits

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.

Compensation

Expected Salary (all locations): $133,400- $183,000

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

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