Fire Protection Engineer

About the role

Savannah River National Laboratory is seeking an experienced Fire Protection Engineer to serve as a technical authority for fire protection engineering in support of nuclear facilities, high hazard operations, and national security missions. This role provides advanced technical leadership to ensure rigorous compliance with DOE O 420.1C and related DOE safety directives.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical support and oversight to ensure compliance with DOE O 420.1C and related DOE directives governing fire protection for nuclear and high-hazard facilities.
• Develop and review Fire Hazard Analyses (FHAs) consistent with DOE O 420.1C requirements, including identification of credited fire protection features and safety controls.
• Support Safety Basis development by identifying fire-related hazards, evaluating potential accident scenarios, and contributing to hazard analyses, DSA updates, and TSR development.
• Evaluate facility fire risks and determine the adequacy of the fire protection program, including detection, suppression, life safety, and passive fire protection features.
• Review and approve engineering design packages and facility modifications to ensure compliance with NFPA codes, DOE standards, and applicable building/safety codes.
• Conduct system performance assessments and engineering calculations, such as fire modeling, hydraulic calculations for suppression systems, and evaluations of fire barriers and structural integrity under fire conditions.
• Participate in documented safety analysis reviews, unreviewed safety question evaluations, and change control processes.
• Provide technical expertise in support of fire investigations, occurrence reporting, and corrective action implementation.
• Interface with facility operations, nuclear safety engineers, design engineers, and emergency management to ensure integrated safety approaches across SRNL operations.
• Provide a wide breadth of fire protection engineering input suitable to the ever-expanding and diverse scopes of a research laboratory.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Fire Protection Engineering or another engineering discipline with relevant fire protection experience. Minimum 4 years of engineering practice, three of which in responsible charge of diverse fire protection engineering work.
• For ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, US Citizenship is Legally Required.
• Working knowledge of DOE O 420.1C, NFPA codes, and life safety standards.
• Experience with Fire Hazard Analyses, fire protection system design, or facility safety evaluations.
• Strong technical writing ability with experience producing defensible engineering documentation.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Fire Protection Engineering or related field.
• 8 years of engineering practice in responsible charge of diverse fire protection engineering work.
• Professional Engineer (PE) in Fire Protection or ability to obtain PE within a reasonable timeframe.
• Experience working within DOE nuclear facilities, commercial nuclear, or other high-hazard regulated environments.
• Familiarity with nuclear safety concepts, including DSAs, TSRs, and hazard categorization.
• Experience with fire modeling tools, performance-based design methods, or assessment of passive fire protection systems.
• Ability to maintain positive relationships with stakeholders when communicating and enforcing complex requirements.