Specialist design recruitment

Hire the designers behind safer buildings.

Sprinkler and fire alarm design call for different technical strengths. We help fire and life safety employers define the role, then search for people who have delivered that kind of work.

Discuss a design hire Explore the roles

What we recruit for

Two distinct design disciplines.

A system designer is not interchangeable with a general fire engineer. The best shortlist starts with the precise outputs, responsibilities, and system experience your project needs.

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Sprinkler & suppression design

The right designer connects layout, calculations, coordination, and a buildable set of drawings - not just a line on a CV.

Experience to discuss

System layout and coverage for the project and its applicable standards
Hydraulic calculations, pipe sizing, and design documentation
Coordination with architectural, structural, and other building services teams
Clear handover from design through submittals and installation

Sprinkler designers · suppression designers · senior design leads

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Fire alarm & detection design

A strong alarm designer thinks beyond device placement to the full system logic and the way it interacts with a building.

Experience to discuss

Detection, notification, and system architecture appropriate to the brief
Cause-and-effect or sequence-of-operations documentation
Interfaces with other fire and life safety systems
Design coordination, documentation, and responses to review comments

Fire alarm designers · detection specialists · design leads

Start with the brief

The details that change the search.

A designer may excel at producing coordinated drawings, leading design reviews, or resolving field changes. Tell us which of those outcomes matters most, and we can focus the conversation on relevant experience.

See UK & US salary benchmarks

The work

New build or retrofit? Contractor-side or consultancy? Concept design, detailed design, or review?

The jurisdiction

Tell us where the work will be delivered so we can discuss the relevant codes, approvals, and credentials.

The tools & outputs

CAD, BIM, calculations, drawings, schedules, and submittals - what must this person actually own?

The level

A production designer and a person who leads complex projects are different hires. We align on seniority and compensation first.

Our approach

From technical brief to relevant shortlist.

Define the design scope

We discuss the system, jurisdiction, project types, design outputs, compensation, and working arrangements before searching.

Look for delivered work

We focus on candidates whose project experience and level of design responsibility relate to your actual brief.

Discuss a fit, not just a CV

You remain responsible for your technical assessment; we help you reach a more relevant starting pool.

Illustrative hiring brief · not a client placement

What a more focused search might look like.

This hypothetical example shows the questions we would ask; it does not describe a real client, candidate, or completed hire.

The initial request

“We need a designer for sprinkler layouts on commercial retrofit projects, with some fire alarm coordination.”

That could mean one lead sprinkler designer who coordinates with an alarm specialist - or a genuinely multidisciplinary design role. The distinction matters.

What we would clarify before searching

01
Who owns hydraulic calculations, drawings, and design changes?
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Does “alarm coordination” mean reviewing interfaces, or designing the alarm system itself?
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Which jurisdiction, credentials, design tools, and on-site commitments does the role require?

The aim: a brief that attracts the right specialty, not a vague “fire systems” title.

Hiring questions

Before you start the search.

Do you recruit both sprinkler and fire alarm designers?

Yes. Both disciplines sit within our fire and life safety recruitment focus, but we treat them as distinct searches. Your brief determines whether you need deep expertise in one system or experience coordinating across both.

Does a designer need NICET certification or a PE licence?

That depends on the role, jurisdiction, and responsibility for the final design. In the US, NICET certification is relevant to many system-design positions, while a PE may be needed for engineering or sign-off responsibilities. We agree the actual requirement before beginning the search rather than treating every credential as interchangeable.

Can you help us benchmark compensation before hiring?

Yes. We can discuss the role and market against the ranges in our fire protection salary guide, then refine the brief to reflect location, level, credentials, and the scope of design ownership.

A more precise design hire

Tell us the system. We’ll help define the search.

Pay on successful hire only. Start with a confidential conversation about your brief.

Tell us what you need