Fire Alarm Project Leader 1

Fire Alarm Project Leader I

At HV Talent Group, we help talented professionals connect with top employers nationwide. We focus on direct-hire placements that align with your career goals, values, and long-term growth.

We are currently supporting a nationwide leader in complex power, technology, and life safety systems in identifying a Fire Alarm Project Leader I to join their high-growth Life Safety division.

This role offers the opportunity to work on large-scale, mission-critical projects involving fire alarm detection, special hazard suppression systems, and integrated technology infrastructure. If you're driven by technical excellence, project leadership, and building systems that protect people and facilities, this is a strong next step.

Position Overview

The Fire Alarm Project Leader I is responsible for leading the design, implementation, and delivery of fire alarm and life safety system projects ranging from $500K to $3M in value. This role oversees engineering, scheduling, field installation teams, subcontractors, and customer communication from kickoff through commissioning.

Ideal candidates have deep fire alarm system expertise (NFPA, NEC, IBC), experience leading multi-million-dollar construction or technology projects, and the ability to coordinate complex workflows across engineering, installation, testing, and customer stakeholders.

This position requires strong communication skills, problem-solving ability, and a track record of successfully delivering projects on schedule and under budget.

Project & Contract Leadership

• Oversee multiple contracts ranging from $500K–$3M with annual volume up to $5M.
• Lead engineering and field personnel (5–10 team members) and coordinate with installation teams.
• Manage project planning, CPM scheduling, kickoff meetings, design reviews, and execution milestones.
• Interpret and explain drawings, specifications, and SOWs to internal teams and clients.
• Negotiate changes, revisions, and additions with customers, subcontractors, and consultants.

Technical Ownership

• Lead design, implementation, testing, and commissioning of fire alarm and special hazard systems.
• Ensure compliance with applicable codes (IBC, NEC, NFPA).
• Order equipment, plan fabrication, and oversee system pre-testing prior to site installation.
• Resolve engineering, operational, and installation challenges in real time.

Financial & Operational Management

• Develop cost estimates, pricing, and proposals.
• Monitor budgets, job cost updates, cash flow projections, and productivity reports.
• Maintain detailed project documentation, change orders, as-builts, and status updates.
• Identify process improvements and cost-saving opportunities.

Customer & Cross-Functional Communication

• Provide weekly project status updates to customers.
• Build strong relationships with client teams, addressing issues proactively.
• Coordinate permitting, access requests, inspections, and AHJ approvals.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of engineering applications experience, with 5+ years leading fire alarm or technical system projects.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (or related field).
• Strong understanding of NFPA, NEC, IBC, or demonstrated ability to rapidly learn.
• Proven experience managing multi-million-dollar projects with responsibility for budget, schedule, labor, subcontractors, and delivery.
• Experience with estimating, scheduling tools, and job cost reporting systems.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings and develop execution plans.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work directly with customers, vendors, and senior leadership.
• History of completing projects on time and under budget.
• Willingness to travel to project sites as needed.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with Accubid (or similar estimating software).
• Proficiency with Primavera P6 or CPM scheduling systems.
• Prior experience in Fire Alarm, Life Safety, Electronic Security, Building Automation, or Industrial Controls.

Physical & Cognitive Abilities

• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to analyze information, apply rules to solve problems, and interpret technical data.