Burgoynes is a world-leading partnership of forensic scientists and engineers specialising in the investigation of fires, explosions, mechanical and materials failures and other incidents. Our clients include leading insurers, lawyers, public bodies and companies in the commercial sector.
Working for Burgoynes as a forensic investigator is a unique role involving undertaking site and laboratory inspections and advising our clients from the start of the case through to potential litigation. Our investigators are drawn from a range of disciplines within the science and engineering fields. This depth of knowledge and experience throughout the partnership is vital in being able to provide the highest level of technical advice to our clients.
“Working as a Materials Engineer at Burgoynes gives me the opportunity to investigate a broad range of engineering failures. The variation in the nature of each investigation, and the responsibility that comes with leading the investigations, means that my work is always interesting and gives me great job satisfaction.
Since joining Burgoynes in 2012, I have had the pleasure to work in Burgoynes’ Ilkley, London and (most recently) Kenilworth offices. This has given me the opportunity to work closely with many of my colleagues, who have all been brilliant to work with, knowledgeable and happy to share their experiences.”
James May – Associate, Kenilworth
No two days are the same in this role and our investigators are able to respond and adapt quickly to new case instructions, often at short notice. This is important to ensure that forensic evidence relating to the cause of the incident is recorded and retained. Our investigators are prepared to be flexible and are sometimes required to work outside of normal working hours or travel overseas.
With a solid background and understanding of science and engineering, investigators joining the partnership will be trained and closely supervised in-house, with additional training through selected external technical courses. Our investigators are practical and can quickly learn about unfamiliar technologies, processes and machinery in order to consider all possible causes and failure mechanisms. In addition, we are able to communicate effectively with witnesses and can provide high quality verbal and written advice to our clients. Following the initial training period, our investigators usually work independently under supervision and this requires a high-level of self-motivation and excellent time management skills.
Working for Burgoynes presents unique opportunities, including undertaking forensic investigations into high-profile incidents within the UK and overseas. Having offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and Melbourne can sometimes offer openings for overseas secondments on a short-term or long-term basis.
“One of the benefits of working for Burgoynes is the opportunity of a posting in one of our overseas offices. After 5 years working in the UK, mainly dealing with domestic fires, I was keen to broaden my experience so I snapped up the offer of a move to our Dubai office.
Our overseas offices tend to present a wider range of cases that challenge your skills and expertise. Within my first few weeks, I investigated a cladding fire at a 51-storey skyscraper and I took a speedboat off-shore to inspect an oil tanker that was missing a large chunk of its upper deck after an explosion. Casework also takes you to other countries and earlier this year I drove through the mountains over the border into Oman to examine a harbour crane that had caught fire at a port. Dealing with so many varied incidents in different countries can only help develop your skills as an investigator.
A posting overseas in Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore or Melbourne also offers the chance to experience a different lifestyle. It hasn’t been too hard getting used to the year-long sunshine in Dubai! It is also easy to escape the city life with a trek in the mountains located in the north of the country, or by camping overnight in the desert or on one of the many beaches.”
Jim Mercurio – Associate, Dubai
Working on site, particularly undertaking investigations in fire damaged buildings, can be challenging and physically demanding. Our investigators are practical and can overcome unpredictable environments, whilst maintaining suitable health and safety precautions. We also encounter many different people across our work, some of whom have suffered significant losses, and this requires our investigators to be personable and approachable.
“Nine years ago, I moved to Glasgow to take up my position at Burgoynes’ Glasgow office. From this base my colleagues and I cover cases across the whole of Scotland (from Gretna to Shetland and Stornoway to St Andrews) and we pick up a lot of jobs in Northern Ireland too. Domestic fires make up the “bread and butter” of our investigations, particularly when starting out with the company, but over the years I’ve been to sawmills, distilleries, recycling plants, schools and universities, quarries, even a crematorium…
As well as investigations “at home”, I was seconded to our Singapore office for six weeks back in 2019. Whilst I was there I investigated incidents in Indonesia and Taiwan as well as in Singapore itself. It was great to meet some more of my colleagues who, like all Burgoynes investigators, have some cracking stories to tell, and out of the office I had great fun exploring Singapore and Hong Kong.”
Hannah Hogben – Associate, Glasgow
Our investigators are rewarded with a competitive remuneration package comprising salary, performance-related bonuses and benefits. This role is technically challenging, diverse and varied, providing unrivalled job satisfaction and excellent prospects.
Please visit our Current Vacancies page to view the available positions.