Overview
Fire Safety Manager – Reading, Berkshire, RG1 8DB
Contract: Permanent
Salary: Competitive salary offering up to £72,000 per annum, depending on experience
As Fire Safety Manager, you will lead, develop, and embed a robust fire safety framework within Thames Water’s water and wastewater operations. Use Fire Safety expertise, rooted in HOP (Human & Organisational Performance) principles, to reduce fire risk, strengthen resilience, and support continuous learning and operational safety.
What you’ll be doing as a Fire Safety Manager
- Develop and deliver a fire safety strategy aligned with Thames Water’s “Zero harm” vision and broader HSW Strategy.
- Ensure compliance with statutory fire safety legislation. (Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, BS standards, local authority requirements)
- Maintain and enhance fire risk registers across operational sites, integrating into the Asset Lifecycle Management System.
- Design and implement a comprehensive Fire Safety Management System: policy, standards, procedures, assurance tools, and KPIs.
- Lead periodic and risk-based audits & site inspections to assess and validate fire safety controls.
- Champion Incident Investigation driven by HOP: focus on systemic contributors, normal work systems, recurring challenges, and learnings—not just blame.
- Apply HOP mindset to fire incidents—describe normal variations, explore why processes usually succeed, and identify organisational factors that contribute to incidents.
- Drive Safety II thinking: shift from “what went wrong?” to “what goes right?” in fire safety performance. Embed principles of Learning from Work-as-Done, Error Wisdom, and Local Rationality.
- Facilitate robust post-incident / near-miss reviews using HOP language: “Who made sense of the work?”, “How did the system influence decisions?”.
- Build strong collaborative relationships with operational leaders, contractors, site HSW teams, and regulators. Communicate fire risk and assurance outcomes clearly.
- Support cross-functional teams (e.g., engineering, maintenance, design) to integrate fire safety early in capital and operational planning.
- Develop fire safety awareness, competence and training programs. (e.g. fire marshal training, evacuation drills)
- Promote a Just Culture—one where issues are openly discussed and reported without fear, and workers are trusted to contribute to safety decisions.
- Establish fire safety KRIs/KPIs and dashboards to track performance and gaps.
- Monitor industry trends, learn from incidents across utilities/infrastructure, and update Thames Water standards accordingly.
- Lead or support fire-related projects, roll out fire detection/maintenance upgrades, and embed HOP-informed initiatives.
Base location: Reading – Hybrid
Working pattern: 36 Hours
What you should bring to the role
To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need are:
- NEBOSH Fire Certificate or Diploma. (or equivalent fire-specific qualification)
- Proven Fire Risk Assessment and Safety Management experience in complex, multi-site environments.
- Strong operational understanding of utilities, water or similar critical infrastructure.
- HOP-certified practitioner or demonstrable knowledge of HOP principles and application in safety investigations.
- Bachelor’s degree in Fire Science, Fire Engineering, Occupational Safety, Fire Protection, or equivalent.
- NEBOSH Fire Certificate or Diploma, or equivalent fire safety-specific qualification.
- Professional certification. (e.g. CFPS, NFPA Fire Inspector, IFE Graduate/Member grade)
- In-depth knowledge of UK fire regulations: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, BS standards, Local Authority requirements.
- Competent with fire risk management systems, compliance dashboards, and inspection/audit reporting tools.
- Proficiency in planning evacuation strategies, conducting drills, and delivering fire safety training.
- Clear communication, report writing (inc. executive reports), and stakeholder presentation skills.
What’s in it for you?
- Competitive salary offering up to £72,000 per annum, depending on experience.
- Annual Leave – 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (plus bank holidays)
- Private Medical Health Care.
- Car Allowance.
- Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets
- Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
- Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.
Find out more about our benefits and perks
Who are we?
We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.
Learn more about our purpose and values
Working at Thames Water
Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.
If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.
Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.
We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we’re here to help and support.
When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.
Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
