Fire & Life Safety Manager recruiters who bring you a focused shortlist
Data Center Headhunters are Fire & Life Safety Manager recruiters for data center owners, operators and builders. Send us the open role and we find working Fire & Life Safety Manager candidates, qualify each one live and give you a short list to interview. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
A fire and life safety manager is responsible for the systems that must work on the worst day: alarms, suppression, egress, and the people who test them. We help you find someone who knows both the codes and the equipment.
This is what we do all day: recruit data center professionals.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Data centers only, construction to operations
- Local and 100% travel candidates
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
- Fire & Life Safety Manager
What does this hire really come down to?
The manager oversees fire alarm, suppression, smoke control, and egress programs for a building or portfolio. That includes inspection and testing schedules, impairment procedures, contractor oversight, and dealings with the local fire authority. They do not usually install systems, but they need to know when a vendor's report does not make sense.
Data centers raise unusual questions. Clean agent and pre-action systems, early smoke detection, and the cost of a false discharge all affect decisions. The manager must balance life safety against the risk of taking down a hall, and know when an impairment needs a fire watch, a notification, or a stop to the work.
The seat above and below it look different. A fire alarm technician tests and repairs under their own certification. NICET Fire Alarm Systems has Levels I through IV, built on exams, experience, and role-specific performance, and it is distinct from a state license. The manager coordinates these people, owns the program, and answers to the authority having jurisdiction.
What do we check before you see anyone?
We ask how the candidate managed their last impairment: how the system was disabled, who was notified, what fire watch was used and how it was restored. We ask how they review vendor inspection reports and handle repeat deficiencies. We verify NICET level and state licensing, and probe clean agent and pre action testing.
- Ask them to describe the last impairment they managed: how the system was disabled, who was notified, what fire watch was used, and how it was restored.
- Have them explain how they review a vendor's inspection report and what they do when a deficiency repeats.
- Verify credentials. Ask whether they hold NICET certification, what level, and what the certification covered, and check state licensing requirements in your jurisdiction.
- Probe their experience with clean agent or pre-action systems and what they know about the testing that avoids accidental discharge.
Where do we find these candidates?
Fire protection contractors' service and inspection staff, who know systems closely but may need exposure to owner-side program work. Facility fire life safety leads at hospitals, airports, or high-rise portfolios, who run formal programs and deal with fire authorities.
- Fire protection contractors' service and inspection staff, who know systems closely but may need exposure to owner-side program work.
- Facility fire life safety leads at hospitals, airports, or high-rise portfolios, who run formal programs and deal with fire authorities.
- Fire service and fire marshal backgrounds, who know code enforcement well and will need to learn mission critical continuity.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Do not treat a technician's certification as evidence of program management. Do not ignore the local fire authority's role when you define the position. Do not choose a code expert who has never faced an impairment on a live hall.
- Treating a technician's certification as evidence of program management.
- Ignoring the local fire authority's role when you define the position.
- Choosing a code expert who has never faced an impairment on a live hall.
Your search in 3 steps
- Describe the systems
Tell us the alarm, suppression, and smoke control equipment in the building.
- Name the authority
Tell us the jurisdiction and the inspector relationship you expect.
- Screen and review
We ask candidates to walk through impairment procedure from start to finish, then you see credentials verified and notes on each finalist's operating experience.
Questions about the day the system fails
Ask what they would do if a hall's detection system failed a test on a Friday afternoon. Strong answers cover who to notify, whether to restrict hot work, whether a fire watch is required, how to get the contractor on site, and when the authority having jurisdiction hears about it.
Then ask about records. Fire programs live and die by their paperwork, and an inspection history that cannot be produced quickly will cost you in an audit. A manager who built the tracking system can explain how they know nothing is overdue, and how they discovered the gaps that were there when they arrived.
Finally, ask how they work with construction. New halls and retrofits keep changing the fire protection scope, and the manager needs to review drawings, witness acceptance tests, and keep the authority informed. Candidates who only managed a stable building may be strong operators and still need support on active projects.
Where do we fill this role?
What does BLS publish for this role?
The figure below comes from the national OEWS row for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists. Read the mapping badge before using it in a budget. A broader occupation can include jobs outside data centers. Compare your seat’s responsibilities and pay basis with the published occupation rather than treating the median as an offer quote.
Broader occupation. Occupational Health and Safety Specialists is a broader occupation based on the work described, not a separate data center wage series. BLS does not distinguish this title, experience level, shift, credentials or data center employers. Confirm the actual duties before using this comparison.
| Area | Median annual wage | BLS occupation |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $90,150 | Occupational Health and Safety Specialists (SOC 19-5011) |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 19-5011 Occupational Health and Safety Specialists, United States. View this release at BLS.
Not ready to start a search?
We tell you where qualified Fire & Life Safety Manager are working in your area and what it takes to move them. No fee, no obligation.
Paste or upload your JD. We flag what will put strong candidates off. No fee, no obligation.
Open roles
Questions
Can you estimate when a shortlist will be ready?
It turns on whether you need clean agent experience and which jurisdiction you are in. We will give you our read after intake instead of a promised date.
Will fire and life safety managers take counteroffers?
It happens, mostly when a current employer has a code issue pending and cannot afford to lose them. We ask what would make them stay.
Will candidates move for this role?
Local code knowledge matters, and some prefer to stay in their area. Tell us what support you can offer for relocation.
What travel should I expect for someone covering acceptance testing at several halls?
A portfolio manager will visit many buildings and inspections. Define the pattern and per diem terms before you interview.
How do I check fit with my facility team?
Have the finalist walk the engineers through a live impairment plan. Watch whether they listen to operating concerns.
How do fees work when the manager must pass state licensing checks first?
Fee and replacement terms are written into the search agreement, and we will go through how they apply before we start. If licensing might delay a start, raise it at that point.
Start your search
Which related roles might you also need?
Related hiring situations
How a search runs
How does The Six-Step Search work?
Every search runs the same six steps. We agree the brief with you, map where the people work, find direct contact routes, reach out personally and repeatedly, then qualify each candidate live. You only see a short list of people who fit, with notes on each, and we stay with you through offer and start.
- 01
Search Calibration
You get: A written brief you sign off on: scope, must-haves, pay band and who not to approach.
- 02
Market Mapping
You get: A map of the companies and projects where your future hire is working today.
- 03
Professional Contact Intelligence
You get: Verified direct contact routes to the people on that map, not job board replies.
- 04
Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get: Repeated, role-specific outreach to people who are not looking, in your words.
- 05
Live Candidate Qualification
You get: Each candidate is screened live against your brief before you hear their name.
- 06
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get: A short list with candidate briefs, then support through interviews, offer and start.
What should you know before you send a role?
Is there a guarantee?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What don't you do?
We do not post your job on boards, send stacks of unscreened resumes or charge an upfront fee. We do not approach candidates for your search before the brief is agreed with you.
Need this person?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.