Senior Director - Handover and Commissioning (RD 4)

Job Summary

Lead FLS assurance for asset commissioning, readiness and handover into City Operations. Ensure fire and life safety systems, documentation, testing results, outstanding defects and operational requirements are fully reviewed and evidenced before assets are accepted for operation, with clear accountability for residual risks and post-handover actions.

Key Responsibilities

Core Responsibilities

• Lead FLS handover and commissioning assurance for assets transitioning into City Operations.
• Establish FLS acceptance criteria, stage gates, documentation requirements and readiness checks for asset handover.
• Review commissioning plans, testing procedures, integrated testing results, cause-and-effect verification and system performance evidence.
• Confirm that FLS systems and passive fire-protection measures are installed, tested, documented and suitable for intended operation.
• Lead review of FLS handover dossiers, certificates, approvals, as-built information, operation and maintenance manuals and training records.
• Identify deficiencies, incomplete evidence, defects and residual risks, ensuring they are assigned, tracked and escalated appropriately.
• Coordinate with project teams, contractors, FM, Asset Management, Operations, FRS and authorities to support controlled asset acceptance.
• Provide formal FLS readiness recommendations to City Operations leadership at defined handover stages.
• Ensure operational teams receive required system information, familiarization, training and emergency-response interfaces before handover.

Specific Responsibilities
• Develop and maintain FLS handover and commissioning procedures, checklists, stage-gate criteria and reporting dashboards.
• Participate in commissioning workshops, inspections, witness testing, integrated systems testing and readiness reviews.
• Maintain an FLS handover action and deficiency register with clear ownership, target closure and supporting evidence.
• Verify that approved deviations and residual risks are documented and accepted by the appropriate authority before operational acceptance.
• Coordinate post-handover defect monitoring and closure of outstanding FLS actions.
• Capture recurring handover and commissioning issues and feed lessons learned into design standards and future projects.

Generic Responsibilities

• Contribute to annual business planning, workforce planning and budget management for the function.
• Lead, coach and develop assigned teams and specialist service providers.
• Promote a culture of accountability, prevention, continual improvement and evidence-based decision-making.
• Maintain accurate records and provide timely reports, presentations and recommendations to City Operations leadership.
• Perform other related duties consistent with the role and business requirements.

Key Internal Interactions

• City Operations leadership and FLS & HSWW teams
• Asset Management and Facilities Management
• Operational Readiness, Operations and CCU
• Projects, Development and Engineering teams
• Governance, Risk & Controls
• Fire and Rescue Service stakeholders

Key External Interactions

• Developers, project-management consultants and delivery partners
• Main contractors and specialist FLS subcontractors
• Commissioning agents and independent testing bodies
• Civil Defence and other relevant authorities
• Fire-system manufacturers, suppliers and maintainers
• Technical advisors and certification bodies

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Fire Engineering, Fire Protection Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline.
• Master’s degree in a relevant engineering or asset-management field is desirable

Professional Certifications

• Chartered Engineer, Professional Engineer or equivalent professional registration is desirable.
• Relevant commissioning, fire-protection, testing or auditing certification is desirable

Skills

• Expert knowledge of FLS systems, commissioning, integrated testing, asset readiness and technical handover.
• Strong ability to assess testing evidence, documentation completeness, defects and residual operational risk.
• Strong stage-gate governance, action tracking, reporting and decision-support capability.
• Effective leadership and coordination across projects, contractors, FM, operations and emergency-response stakeholders.
• Strong technical communication, negotiation and problem-solving skills.