Regional Fire & Life Safety Manager

SOCOTEC•Austin, TX

About The Position

The Regional Fire & Life Safety Manager will launch and grow SOCOTEC Life Safety’s fire protection engineering division in the region. The role combines technical fire protection expertise, business development, operational and financial management, and team leadership. The manager will establish the regional market presence, build and develop a team, create scalable operating processes, and secure client relationships and projects. The position includes full P&L ownership for the Service Line in the local area and responsibility for delivering high-quality, compliant fire protection solutions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Fire Protection Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
Professional Engineer (PE) license in Fire Protection Engineering, or ability to obtain one within a reasonable time frame.
7–10 years of experience in fire protection engineering, including at least 3 years in a leadership or managerial role.
Strong understanding of fire protection systems design, building codes, and safety regulations, including NFPA, IBC, and UBC.
Experience managing or starting up a business unit, particularly in a technical or engineering-based environment.
Proven track record in business development, client relationship management, and project acquisition.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.
Ability to think strategically, solve problems, and work effectively in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.

Responsibilities

Define and execute regional market-entry and growth strategies for SOCOTEC Life Safety, aligned with regional and national strategies.
Identify and secure new client opportunities, drive market penetration and revenue growth, and pursue decision-makers in private and public sectors.
Build and maintain senior client relationships with owners, developers, contractors, engineers, and other local industry stakeholders.
Drive cross-selling of SOCOTEC’s integrated service offerings in collaboration with other regional Business Unit General Managers.
Serve as the primary local contact for major Service Line clients and represent SOCOTEC through industry involvement, thought leadership, and participation in local professional organizations.
Oversee fire protection engineering projects from inception to completion, ensuring budgets, schedules, and quality standards are met.
Provide technical leadership in project design, analysis, and implementation, including guidance on fire suppression, life safety, fire alarm systems, and building code compliance.
Keep current with fire protection technologies, codes, and regulations, and ensure projects comply with applicable local, state, and federal requirements.
Own the Service Line’s local-area P&L, including budgeting, forecasting, utilization management, margin optimization, and cash flow.
Establish and improve operational processes, quality management systems, and safety protocols for the Service Line.
Implement KPIs and performance metrics to support accountability, continuous improvement, utilization, and billable-hour targets.
Manage project execution, resource allocation, billing, collections, contract tracking, and budget monitoring.
Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain a high-performing technical, commercial, and operational team.
Set and communicate goals and priorities, define and monitor staff objectives and key results, and align them with regional and business targets.
Develop future leaders, support succession planning, and foster a collaborative, accountable, safety-focused culture of continuous improvement and professional excellence.