How to hire a lead fire protection engineer

How to hire a lead fire protection engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step lead fire protection engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a lead fire protection engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new lead fire protection engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

Post a lead fire protection engineer job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the lead fire protection engineer you need to hire. Certain lead fire protection engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A lead fire protection engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, lead fire protection engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of lead fire protection engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Lead Fire Protection Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Fire Protection Engineer	Health and safety engineers develop procedures and design systems to prevent people from getting sick or injured and to keep property from being damaged. They combine knowledge of systems engineering and of health and safety to make sure that chemicals, machinery, software, furniture, and other consumer products will not cause harm to people or damage to buildings.	$30-61
   Fire Sprinkler Designer	A fire sprinkler designer is in charge of designing and developing sprinkler systems to prevent or aid fire. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis, utilizing feedback from customers and other experts, producing prototypes or samples, and coordinating with engineers and technicians... Show more	$19-38
   Engineer	Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more	$31-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Fire Protection
   • NFPA
   • Plumbing
   • Fire
   • Emergency Response
   • Safety Analysis
   • Code Compliance

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead and manage PSM elements and insure compliance for each element.
   • Develop training and facilitate implementation of first EHS web base e-tool for online accident investigation, corporate metrics, and reporting.
   • Search burning buildings to locate fire victims.Administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to injure persons.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your lead fire protection engineer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A lead fire protection engineer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, lead fire protection engineers' average salary in georgia is 43% less than in new mexico.
   • Seniority. Entry-level lead fire protection engineers 50% less than senior-level lead fire protection engineers.
   • Certifications. A lead fire protection engineer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a lead fire protection engineer's salary.

   Average lead fire protection engineer salary

   $91,363yearly

   $43.92 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead fire protection engineer salary

   $64,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing a lead fire protection engineer job description

   A good lead fire protection engineer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a lead fire protection engineer job description:

   Lead fire protection engineer job description example

   At UL, we know why we come to work.
   
   Thousands of us around the world wake up every day with a common purpose: to make the world a safer, more secure and sustainable place. Science is in our DNA; we are endlessly curious and passionate about seeking and speaking the truth. We take delight in knowing that our work makes a meaningful contribution to society, and we are proud that our culture is centered on integrity, collaboration, inclusion and excellence. UL stands at the forefront of technological advancement, and we are continually challenged to find new ways to foster innovation and positive change. Satisfying? Yes. Exciting? Absolutely!
   
   Built Environment provides the highest level of technical knowledge, expertise and testing, inspection and certification, advisory and commissioning services to support our customers
   
   globally throughout the entire life cycle of their products and buildings. UL plays a critical
   
   role and acts as a trusted partner to various stakeholders in the built environment and
   
   building products industry by knowing everything about every building, building regulation
   
   and requirement, fire equipment services and personal protective equipment by providing
   
   proactive insights on safe, secure and sustainable buildings, risk management solutions and tenant wellness and safety validations.
   
   What you'll learn & achieve:
   
   The Engineering Leader effectively manages the day to day activities of team, supporting and guiding decisions on projects and project management. Drives a high performing team by managing the performance, development and engagement of team members. Builds relationships with customers and supports the commercial team by ensuring workload balance, providing technical support needed and translating the customer's voice into specific needs and ensures alignment with UL's goals.
   
   * Implements and executes capacity and capability management.
   * Ensures effective workflow by engaging with cross functional leads and customers in order to understand scope of projects and technical needs to assign resources effectively.
   * Responsible for driving process improvements and efficiencies. Embraces and promotes change, demonstrating resilience and overcoming obstacles as needed. Adopts new technologies, digitalization and work processes that lead to stronger results.
   * Defines goals and performance objectives and metrics to execute strategy, with a focus on financial goals and metrics (revenue, profit, enterprise value, etc.)
   * Drives a high performing team by managing the performance and development of team members. Holds team and self accountable for results. Develops and coaches by providing, training, career counseling, feedback and guidance to drive high performance and morale. Ensures understanding of and compliance with all established policies and requirements.
   * Increases customer loyalty, anticipates customer needs and provides proactive solutions by coordinating with Primary Responsible Engineers and Product Managers as appropriate. Gathers, shares and responds to customer feedback. Coaches and mentors employees to do the same. Builds relationships with customers, understands customer demand, obtains feedback on how UL can do better, what is working well and identifies actions and solutions.
   * Leads and participates in discussions to drive business initiatives through brainstorming discussions with Primary Responsible Engineers and Product Managers. Empowers and holds team accountable to find new opportunities to effectively drive growth & financial goals (revenue, profit, enterprise value, etc.).
   
   What makes you a great fit:
   
   * University degree (equivalent to a Bachelor degree) in Business Administration, Management, Engineering or related field plus generally five years directly related experience. Lean Sigma Green Belt or Lean Leadership Training
   * Ability to travel up to 10%
   * UL has COVID-19 protocols and policies in place to ensure the safety of our employees, customers and clients. Effective November 1, 2021, the company mandates that employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment (except where prohibited by law), subject to reasonable accommodation as required by law.
   
   What you'll experience working at UL:
   
   * Mission: For UL, corporate and social responsibility isn't new. Making the world a safer, more secure and sustainable place has been our business model for the last 125 years and is deeply engrained in everything we do.
   * People: Ask any UL employee what they love most about working here, and you'll almost always hear, "the people." Going beyond what is possible is the standard at UL. We're able to deliver the best because we employ the best.
   * Interesting work: Every day is different for us here as we eagerly anticipate the next innovation that our customers create. We're inspired to take on the challenge that will transform how people live, work and play. And as a global company, in many roles, you will get international experience working with colleagues around the world.
   * Grow & achieve: We learn, work and grow together with targeted development, reward and recognition programs as well as our very own UL University that offers extensive training programs for employees at all stages, including a technical training track for applicable roles.
   * Total Rewards: All employees at UL are eligible for bonus compensation. UL offers a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Additionally, we invest an additional 4% into your retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. We provide Healthcare Reimbursement Accounts and Health Savings Accounts that UL contributes to twice per year! Depending on your role, you can work with your manager on flexible working arrangements. We also provide employees with paid time off including vacation, holiday, sick and volunteer time off.
   
   Learn More:
   
   Working at UL is an exciting journey that twists and turns daily. We thrive in the twists and revel in the turns. This is our every day. This is our normal.
   
   Curious? To learn more about us and the work we do, visit UL.com

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find lead fire protection engineers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any lead fire protection engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level lead fire protection engineers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your lead fire protection engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit lead fire protection engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting lead fire protection engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new lead fire protection engineer

   Once you've found the lead fire protection engineer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new lead fire protection engineer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a lead fire protection engineer?