Fire Safety Engineer (Saudi Arabia)

Fire Safety Engineer – Ensuring Comprehensive Compliance and Life Safety Excellence at KAUST

Join KAUST as a **Fire Safety Engineer**, where you will play a pivotal role in upholding the highest standards of fire and life safety across one of the world’s leading research universities. Reporting to the Fire Safety Engineering Lead, this position is critical in maintaining KAUST’s delegated Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) framework while ensuring full compliance with international, regional, and institutional regulations. As a key technical authority, you will drive proactive fire safety initiatives, conduct rigorous assessments, and deliver actionable recommendations to mitigate risks—ultimately safeguarding the well-being of students, researchers, and staff in a dynamic, high-hazard environment.

In this strategic role, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams to enforce stringent fire protection protocols, verify system performance, and support Civil Defense inspections. Your expertise will be instrumental in aligning KAUST’s facilities with the Saudi Building Code (SBC), NFPA standards, International Fire Code (IFC), and other regulatory requirements. By maintaining meticulous documentation and audit-ready evidence, you will ensure seamless compliance while addressing emerging risks with precision and foresight.

Key Responsibilities

Your work will span a broad spectrum of fire safety disciplines, including:

• Technical Reviews and Assessments: Conduct in-depth evaluations of fire safety designs, construction projects, renovations, and high-hazard areas to ensure adherence to regulatory and institutional standards.
• Compliance Verification: Perform inspections, risk assessments, and system verifications for fire protection systems, passive fire measures, and egress pathways, escalating critical findings to senior leadership.
• Documentation and Record-Keeping: Maintain comprehensive documentation—including technical drawings, test certificates, inspection records, and deficiency closure evidence—to support audit readiness and continuous improvement.
• Stakeholder Coordination: Partner with Projects, Facilities, contractors, consultants, and Fire & Emergency Services to resolve fire safety issues, ensuring alignment between technical requirements and operational execution.
• System Testing and Commissioning: Participate in the testing, commissioning, and functional verification of critical systems such as fire alarms, suppression systems, smoke control, and passive fire protection to guarantee reliability and performance.
• Incident Investigation: Lead post-incident analyses for fires, system failures, and unwanted alarms, conducting root cause evaluations and recommending corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• ITM Oversight: Provide technical assurance for Inspection, Testing & Maintenance (ITM) programs, monitoring corrective actions and ensuring long-term system integrity.
• Civil Defense Support: Assist in Civil Defense-related documentation and inspections, bridging compliance gaps between KAUST’s internal frameworks and Saudi regulatory expectations.

Why This Role Matters

As a Fire Safety Engineer at KAUST, you will contribute to a culture of safety excellence in a cutting-edge research environment. Your expertise will directly impact the protection of life, property, and critical infrastructure while supporting KAUST’s mission to advance scientific discovery. This is an opportunity to make a tangible difference in an organization that values innovation, accountability, and professional growth.

Qualifications and Experience

To excel in this position, you must possess:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Fire Engineering, Fire Protection Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 6 years of professional experience in fire protection engineering, fire systems engineering, fire prevention, or life safety compliance—preferably in complex environments such as universities, research facilities, or large campuses.
• Proven expertise in fire protection system inspection, testing, commissioning, and compliance, with a strong understanding of SBC, NFPA, IFC, and Saudi Civil Defense requirements.
• Experience reviewing technical drawings, specifications, inspection reports, and compliance records, with a track record in deficiency management and corrective action protocols.
• A valid Saudi/GCC driver’s license or equivalent, reflecting the operational nature of the role.
• Preferred certifications such as CFPS, CFPE, CFAITMS, CWBSP, NICET, or IFE, demonstrating advanced technical proficiency.

If you are a detail-oriented professional with a passion for fire safety and a commitment to excellence, we invite you to apply and help shape the future of safety at KAUST.