Principal Fire Engineer

ABOUT CDC 

Cahill Design Consultants is a privately owned engineering consultancy based in Colchester, delivering fire engineering and acoustic design services for over 12 years. We are not beholden to external investors and we are not chasing growth for its own sake. The focus is on quality work and building a team that can sustain it. 

We have held Flexa Careers accreditation for three consecutive years, with an 88% employee-led score. We are ISO 9001:2015 registered and in 2025 donated 1% of turnover to charity, with 118 hours of team volunteering. 

WHAT YOU WILL DO 

The role combines technical delivery, project leadership, and team development: 

• Lead fire engineering commissions across residential, commercial, mixed-use, healthcare, education, and other sectors from concept to handover 

• Develop and sign off fire strategies for complex buildings, including performance-based approaches using qualitative and quantitative methods 

• Oversee or conduct fire and smoke modelling (FDS, SmartFire or similar) and evacuation modelling (Pathfinder or similar), and interpret outputs for design teams and clients 

• Review and quality-assure technical work produced by colleagues, providing structured, developmental feedback 

• Lead client relationships and represent CDC in meetings, workshops, and discussions with approving authorities 

• Contribute to bids, proposals, and the commercial success of your projects 

• Help shape CDC’s internal processes, standards, and knowledge-sharing culture 

We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Requirements are split into Essential and Desirable. Apply if you meet the essential criteria, even if some desirable criteria are not yet there. 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR 

ESSENTIAL 

• Substantial experience in fire engineering consultancy - we would typically expect around 7 or more years, but we're interested in the quality and depth of your experience, not just the number of years. 

• Degree in Fire Engineering or a closely related engineering or science discipline 

• Strong, current knowledge of UK fire safety legislation applied to complex buildings 

• Proven experience writing fire strategies across at least one sector 

• Experience liaising with clients, design teams, and approving authorities 

• Quality review and technical oversight of others’ work 

• Excellent written and verbal communication, including for non-specialist audiences 

• CEng status via the Engineering Council, or actively working towards it 

• MIFireE or equivalent professional body membership, or near to it