Head of Major Projects - Fire Suppression

Head of Major Projects - Fire Suppression

About Johnson Controls For over 140 years, Johnson Controls has been at the forefront of innovation in thermal management, mission-critical building systems, energy efficiency, and decarbonisation. Our technology and expertise help customers operate with precision, resilience, and sustainability across rapidly growing sectors including data centres, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, and higher education. As a global leader backed by advanced technology and an industry-leading field organisation, we turn ambition into real-world results — elevating performance and helping move society forward. Due to continued growth within our Fire Suppression business, we are seeking an experienced and commercially focused Head of Major Projects to lead the delivery of some of the UK's largest and most complex fire suppression installations.

The Role

The Head of Major Projects will provide strategic, operational and commercial leadership for our Major Projects Fire Suppression business, overseeing the successful delivery of large-scale sprinkler and gas suppression installations across warehousing, logistics, distribution, healthcare, MOD and other critical environments. With full P&L responsibility for a £25m business, you will lead a team of Senior Project Managers and Project Managers, ensuring projects are delivered safely, profitably, on time and to the highest quality standards. You will oversee a portfolio of approximately 20 live projects, ranging in value from £500k to £20m+, while working closely with customers, contractors and key stakeholders to support both project delivery and future business growth. This is a highly visible leadership role requiring a strong blend of project delivery expertise, commercial acumen and people leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Lead the Fire Suppression Major Projects delivery team across the UK and Ireland.
• Oversee a portfolio of approximately 20 concurrent projects ranging in value from £500k to £20m+.
• Ensure projects are delivered safely, on time, within budget and to the highest quality standards.
• Provide leadership, direction and support to a team of approximately 7 direct reports and 5 indirect reports.
• Develop and implement project execution strategies to maximise operational efficiency, customer satisfaction and business performance.
• Drive consistency and best practice across all project delivery activities.
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex project, customer and operational challenges.
• Work closely with engineering, sales and service teams to ensure effective project execution and customer outcomes.

Commercial & Financial Management

• Hold full P&L responsibility for a £25m Major Projects business.
• Deliver revenue, profitability, margin and cash flow objectives.
• Lead commercial negotiations with customers, contractors, consultants and key stakeholders.
• Oversee contract management, commercial governance and project risk mitigation activities.
• Drive project profitability through effective forecasting, change management, cost control and resource planning.
• Support major bids, tender reviews and contract negotiations for high-value opportunities.
• Ensure robust financial reporting and portfolio performance management across all projects.

People Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop a team of Senior Project Managers and Project Managers.
• Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement and customer focus.
• Support talent development, succession planning and leadership capability within the project delivery team.
• Encourage knowledge sharing and best practice across the wider organisation.
• Promote employee engagement and the highest standards of health, safety and wellbeing.

Customer & Stakeholder Management

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key customers, consultants, contractors and end users.
• Provide executive-level engagement on strategically important projects and customer accounts.
• Drive customer satisfaction, retention and repeat business opportunities.
• Represent the business at senior customer and industry meetings where required.
• Collaborate with commercial and sales teams to support future growth opportunities.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Champion a safety-first culture across all project activities.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant industry regulations, standards and company policies.
• Monitor project governance, contractual obligations and risk management processes.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across project delivery, commercial performance and operational excellence.
• Ensure all projects are delivered in line with quality, environmental and regulatory requirements.

What We're Looking For

• Essential Proven experience in a senior project delivery, operational leadership or business leadership role. Experience leading teams of Project Managers, Senior Project Managers or Contract Managers. Demonstrable P&L responsibility within a construction, engineering or projects environment. Significant experience delivering large-scale installation projects. Experience within fire suppression, sprinkler systems or gas suppression systems. Knowledge of UK fire suppression regulations and standards Strong commercial acumen with experience leading contract and commercial negotiations. Proven ability to manage project risk, profitability and operational performance. Experience working with major contractors, consultants and end-user clients. Excellent stakeholder management, communication and leadership skills. Strong understanding of project controls, planning, resource management and project governance.

Desirable Experience working within warehousing, logistics, distribution, healthcare, MOD or mission-critical environments. Knowledge of NEC and/or JCT contracts. Degree or professional qualification in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management or a related discipline.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary.
• Annual bonus opportunity of up to 20%.
• Company car or car allowance.
• 25 days paid annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Matched pension contributions of up to 7%.
• Single cover private medical insurance.
• Life assurance.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Employee discount platform.
• Access to learning, development and leadership programmes.
• Career progression opportunities within a global organisation.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements.

Johnson Controls: Enhancing the Intelligence of Buildings

Your buildings have a purpose. They are places for people to live or work. Facilities for learning or healing. Venues for entertainment and shopping. Sites for the specialized storage of tangible goods or mission-critical data. Your buildings have a huge variety of functions; they are central to your mission. This is where Johnson Controls comes in, helping drive the outcomes that matter most. Through a full range of systems and digital solutions, we make your buildings smarter. A smarter building is safer, more comfortable, more efficient, and, ultimately, more sustainable. Most important, smarter buildings let you focus more intensely on your unique mission. Better for your people. Better for your bottom line. Better for the planet. At Johnson Controls, we've been making buildings smarter since 1885, and our capabilities, depth of innovation experience, and global reach have been growing ever since. Today, we offer the world’s largest portfolio of building products, technologies, software, and services; we put that portfolio to work to transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play.

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