Fire Protection Engineer

About the role

General Matter seeks a Fire Protection Engineer to own the end-to-end lifecycle of life safety and fire protection for our nuclear enrichment facilities. You will analyze complex hazards and design robust suppression, detection, and notification systems that protect personnel and critical infrastructure. This role requires you to serve as the primary regulatory and technical authority for fire safety, ensuring strict adherence to NRC, NFPA, and all relevant standards. You will lead system design, conduct rigorous testing, and validate that all implementations meet both performance and compliance objectives. The position demands close collaboration with operations, contractors, and senior management to align fire protection with facility uptime and safety goals. You will document every decision and procedure to maintain transparent and auditable safety records. If you are driven by a mission-critical environment where your work directly enables the nuclear renaissance, this role offers direct impact and ownership.

Key facts

What you'll do

Lead the development and execution of the Life Safety and Fire Protection program across all General Matter facilities.

Maintain comprehensive documentation for regulatory agencies and ensure readiness for audits and inspections at any time.

Perform detailed fire risk assessments and hazard analyses to identify potential scenarios and implement preventative controls.

Design and evaluate automatic suppression systems, fire detection, alarm, and mass notification systems for reliability and compliance.

Conduct site surveys and inspections to verify that fire protection systems are installed correctly and function as intended.

Apply first-principles engineering to assess fire and life safety code analysis, egress strategies, and fire resistant rated construction.

Develop smoke control designs and coordinate special inspections to validate performance under fire conditions.

Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to integrate fire protection systems with process, electrical, and operational systems.

Prepare technical safety evaluations, reports, and design specifications that communicate risks and mitigations clearly.

Provide expert guidance during installation, testing, and commissioning to ensure systems meet design intent and regulatory acceptance.

Monitor evolving fire protection technologies, standards, and regulations within the nuclear industry and recommend updates as needed.

Perform audits and reviews to confirm ongoing compliance and drive continuous improvement in fire safety performance.

Manage inspection, testing, and maintenance programs to ensure all life safety systems remain operational and documented.

Requirements

Demonstrate a strong understanding of engineering fundamentals and apply them to solve complex fire protection challenges.

Use first principles and engineering fundamentals to perform trade studies and make clear recommendations even with partial information.

Hold a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, or a related technical field, with a focus on fire protection or nuclear environments.

Show strong knowledge of NRC regulations, NFPA codes, and other relevant standards such as IEEE and ANSI.

Prove proficiency in fire modeling software and other engineering tools used for analysis and design.

Exhibit excellent verbal and written communication skills to interact effectively with internal teams, regulators, and contractors.

Have experience managing projects from conception through completion, including schedule and budget oversight.

Be able to work extended hours and weekends as necessary to support facility operations and regulatory deadlines.

Nice to have

Strong preference for candidates with experience in nuclear, radiological, and other higher-hazard industrial facilities.

Evidence of exceptional ability through prior projects, a portfolio of work, or completed safety-related products.

Experience in a fast-paced engineering environment or a highly technical role requiring a resourceful, entrepreneurial approach under tight timeframes or budget constraints.

Hands-on experience with major commercial, industrial, or nuclear facility fire protection systems, including Fire Alarm, Fire Suppression, specialty suppression, passive fire systems, inerting systems, and public address systems.

Demonstrated experience with the engineering design process and ongoing maintenance of fire protection systems.

Background in industrial construction projects related to fire protection integration.

Familiarity with codes and standards such as IBC, IEBC, NFPA, IFC, and UFC in previous assignments.

Possession of an Advanced degree in a relevant engineering discipline.

Hold a Professional Engineer (PE) license or show the ability to obtain one.

Practical notes

This role may require extended hours and weekend work as needed.

Travel is not expected as part of this position.

Employment eligibility verification and background checks will be required prior to starting employment.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship at this time.