Fire Safety Subject Matter Experts – Aviation & Infrastructure – PA/MD/NJ/DE

CMTS LLC•Philadelphia, PA

61d•$135,000 - $155,000•Onsite

About The Position

CMTS is seeking Fire Safety Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) specializing in Aviation & Infrastructure for roles in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware. These are full-time, on-site positions. The company, CMTS, has over 42 years of experience providing project and construction management services and values a culture of learning, professional development, collaboration, safety, integrity, and accountability, while supporting work-life balance. The roles involve technical leadership for the planning, design, review, testing, and commissioning of fire protection systems (Fire Protection SME) and fire alarm and life safety systems (Fire Alarm & Life Safety Systems SME) for airport facilities. Responsibilities include ensuring compliance with codes and standards, providing expertise in various systems, and supporting all phases of project delivery.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in civil, mechanical or electrical engineering with 10 years of experience OR 20 years of experience working with Fire Protection SME or Fire Alarm & Life Safety Systems SME
Professional Engineer (PE) license in Fire Protection Engineering or Mechanical Engineering preferred.
Minimum 10–15 years of experience in fire protection system design, review, and commissioning for large-scale facilities, preferably airports or transportation infrastructure.
Strong knowledge of NFPA codes and standards, including fire suppression, fire alarm interfaces, and life safety requirements.
Experience with fire suppression systems including wet/dry pipe, pre-action, deluge, foam systems, and special hazard systems.
Expertise in smoke control systems, pressurization systems, and building life safety integration strategies.
Experience performing hazard analysis, fire risk assessments, and code compliance evaluations.
Knowledge of integrated life safety systems and their coordination with mechanical, electrical, and building automation systems.
Experience supporting design reviews, submittal reviews, and construction administration for complex facilities.
Proven experience in system testing, commissioning, integrated systems testing, and operational readiness activities.
NICET certifications in Water-Based Systems Layout or Fire Alarm Systems preferred.
Airport terminal or other large, complex facility experience strongly preferred.
Strong communication skills with ability to coordinate across designers, contractors, authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), and airport stakeholders.
Minimum 10–15 years of experience in fire alarm, mass notification, and life safety system design, integration, and commissioning.
NICET Level III or IV certification in Fire Alarm Systems preferred.
Extensive experience with fire alarm systems including detection, notification, voice evacuation, and emergency communication systems.
Strong knowledge of mass notification systems and their integration with building life safety and emergency response systems.
Experience with smoke control system integration, sequencing of operations, and interface with HVAC and building automation systems.
Proven ability to develop and verify sequence of operations for integrated life safety systems.
Experience supporting large-facility or campus-scale integrated life safety systems, preferably airports, hospitals, or transit hubs.
Demonstrated expertise in system commissioning, integrated testing, and performance validation of life safety systems.
Ability to review and interpret technical specifications, drawings, cause-and-effect matrices, and control diagrams.
Experience coordinating with AHJs, fire marshals, airport authorities, and code compliance agencies.
Strong understanding of redundancy, reliability, and fail-safe design principles for life safety systems.
Excellent communication, documentation, and stakeholder coordination skills across multi-disciplinary project teams.

Nice To Haves

Professional Engineer (PE) license in Fire Protection Engineering or Mechanical Engineering
NICET certifications in Water-Based Systems Layout or Fire Alarm Systems
Airport terminal or other large, complex facility experience
NICET Level III or IV certification in Fire Alarm Systems

Responsibilities

Provides technical leadership for the planning, design, review, and commissioning of fire protection systems for airport facilities, including terminals, concourses, baggage handling facilities, maintenance buildings, and support infrastructure.
Ensures compliance with applicable fire and life safety codes, aviation requirements, and airport operational needs.
Provides expertise in fire suppression systems, fire water distribution networks, special hazard protection systems, fire risk assessments, and emergency response considerations throughout all phases of project delivery.
Serves as the technical authority for the planning, design, integration, testing, and commissioning of airport fire alarm and life safety systems.
Ensures compliance with fire codes, life safety requirements, emergency communication standards, and airport operational needs.
Provides expertise in fire detection, mass notification systems, emergency voice communications, smoke control interfaces, and system integration with airport operations and security systems to support occupant safety, emergency response, and regulatory compliance.
Lead the planning, design review, and technical oversight of fire protection systems for airport facilities and infrastructure.
Ensure fire protection designs comply with applicable NFPA codes, airport standards, and authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) requirements.
Review and approve design documents, technical specifications, hydraulic calculations, and fire suppression system layouts.
Provide technical oversight for fire suppression systems including wet, dry, pre-action, deluge, foam, and special hazard systems.
Evaluate smoke control systems, pressurization strategies, and integration with building mechanical and life safety systems.
Conduct and review hazard analyses and fire risk assessments for complex airport environments.
Ensure proper integration of fire protection systems with fire alarm, HVAC, electrical, and building automation systems.
Support design coordination across multiple disciplines to ensure cohesive life safety system performance.
Review contractor submittments, shop drawings, material selections, and installation methodologies.
Participate in factory acceptance testing (FAT), site acceptance testing (SAT), integrated testing, and commissioning activities.
Verify system performance, reliability, and compliance with design intent and safety requirements.
Provide technical support during construction, resolving field issues related to installation or system integration.
Support operational readiness, training, and transition to airport operations and maintenance teams.
Coordinate with AHJs, fire marshals, airport authorities, designers, contractors, and commissioning agents.
Lead the planning, design review, integration, and commissioning of fire alarm and life safety systems for airport facilities.
Develop and review system designs, cause-and-effect matrices, sequence of operations, and technical specifications.
Provide technical oversight for fire alarm detection, notification, voice evacuation, and emergency communication systems.
Ensure compliance with applicable NFPA codes, life safety standards, and airport regulatory requirements.
Coordinate integration of fire alarm systems with smoke control, HVAC systems, elevators, security systems, and building automation systems.
Review mass notification system designs and ensure proper coverage and emergency communication effectiveness.
Verify and validate sequence of operations for integrated life safety and smoke control systems.
Review contractor submittals, shop drawings, programming documentation, and system configurations.
Support system testing including pre-functional testing, functional performance testing, and integrated systems testing.
Lead commissioning activities to verify system operation, reliability, redundancy, and emergency response performance.
Identify and resolve technical issues related to system programming, integration, or operational sequencing.
Support AHJ coordination, fire marshal approvals, and regulatory compliance reviews.
Participate in operational readiness activities, training, and system turnover to airport operations teams.
Ensure life safety systems function cohesively during emergency scenarios and meet design intent across all airport environments.