Lead Plumbing & Fire Protection Design Engineer
Company Name: MG Engineering D.P.C.
Location: New York City, NY
Project Focus: Plumbing Design, Fire Protection, MEP/Building Systems, High-Rise, Healthcare, Life Science, Commercial, Institutional, Hospitality, Residential, and Infrastructure Projects
Work Setting: Full-Time | New York City Office | Integrated MEP Engineering Environment
Base Salary: $115,000-$210,000+ annually (DOE)
Total Compensation Package: Potential total compensation of $135,000-$250,000+, medical, dental, vision, retirement benefits, paid leave, professional development, licensure support, and leadership advancement opportunities
Recruited Exclusively By: Luxus Group
Position Overview
This is a senior technical leadership opportunity for an experienced plumbing and fire protection engineer ready to lead complex building systems projects from concept through construction. As Lead Plumbing & Fire Protection Design Engineer, you will provide design oversight, technical direction, quality control, and mentorship across sophisticated projects throughout New York City and surrounding markets.
This role is ideal for an engineer who brings deep knowledge of domestic water, sanitary, stormwater, natural gas, specialty plumbing, fire sprinkler, standpipe, fire pump, and water-service systems. You will work directly with architects, owners, contractors, utilities, public agencies, and multidisciplinary engineering teams while helping strengthen the firm’s plumbing and fire protection practice.
Core Responsibilities
- Lead the planning, design, analysis, and documentation of plumbing and fire protection systems for new construction, renovations, infrastructure upgrades, and repositioning projects
- Establish design criteria, system concepts, technical approaches, and project-specific engineering standards
- Direct the design of domestic water, domestic hot water, sanitary waste and vent, stormwater, natural gas, medical gas, laboratory plumbing, acid waste, grease waste, fuel oil, compressed air, backflow prevention, booster pump, and specialty plumbing systems
- Lead fire protection design for automatic sprinkler systems, standpipes, fire pumps, fire department connections, fire protection water services, water-storage tanks, and special-hazard coordination
- Perform and review fixture-unit calculations, pipe sizing, pressure-loss calculations, hot-water demand, gas-load calculations, drainage calculations, hydraulic sprinkler calculations, standpipe calculations, and fire pump sizing
- Evaluate system alternatives for performance, efficiency, resilience, maintainability, lifecycle cost, code compliance, and constructability
- Integrate water conservation, energy efficiency, sustainability, and resiliency strategies into plumbing design, including low-flow fixtures, water reuse, rainwater harvesting, heat recovery, and LEED/WELL or Local Law-related requirements
- Serve as the senior plumbing and fire protection technical authority on assigned projects
- Work closely with Project Managers to define scope, schedule, budget, staffing, deliverables, and technical milestones
- Lead projects from feasibility and due diligence through design, agency approvals, bidding, construction administration, commissioning, and closeout
- Direct engineers, designers, BIM/Revit professionals, and technical support staff
- Coordinate with mechanical, electrical, fire alarm, architectural, structural, civil, lighting, technology, security, and specialty-consultant teams
- Participate in BIM coordination, clash-detection reviews, design workshops, milestone reviews, and project meetings
- Ensure designs comply with NYC Plumbing Code, NYC Building Code, NYC Fire Code, NYC Fuel Gas Code, NYC Energy Conservation Code, NFPA 13, NFPA 14, NFPA 20, NFPA 24, NFPA 25, and applicable owner standards
- Support NYC Department of Buildings submissions, objections, responses, approvals, and agency coordination with FDNY, NYC DEP, utilities, and authorities having jurisdiction
- Prepare and review drawings, riser diagrams, schedules, details, specifications, calculations, technical narratives, filing drawings, and supporting documentation
- Lead existing-condition surveys, feasibility studies, condition assessments, due-diligence reports, and infrastructure-upgrade recommendations
- Develop phasing and temporary-service strategies for renovations in occupied buildings
- Lead QA/QC reviews to verify code compliance, system sizing, coordination, constructability, and technical completeness
- Review shop drawings, equipment submittals, sprinkler calculations, product data, substitutions, contractor proposals, RFIs, change-order requests, and closeout documents
- Conduct site visits, field observations, punch-list inspections, testing reviews, and construction-phase coordination
- Mentor plumbing and fire protection engineers, designers, and BIM/Revit staff while supporting technical training and professional growth
- Provide technical input for proposals, scopes of work, staffing plans, fee estimates, project pursuits, client interviews, and business development efforts
Required Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Fire Protection Engineering, Architectural Engineering, or related discipline
- Experience: 8+ years of progressively responsible plumbing and fire protection design experience
- Consulting Background: Significant experience working within an MEP consulting engineering environment
- Technical Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading plumbing and fire protection design assignments
- System Expertise: Strong knowledge of domestic water, sanitary, stormwater, gas, sprinkler, standpipe, fire pump, and specialty plumbing systems
- Documentation: Experience preparing engineering drawings, specifications, calculations, reports, agency submissions, and construction documents
- Codes & Standards: Working knowledge of applicable building, plumbing, fire, fuel gas, and NFPA requirements
- Software: Proficiency with Revit and AutoCAD
- Hydraulic Software: Experience with HydraCALC, AutoSPRINK, SprinkCALC, or similar applications
- Construction Administration: Experience reviewing submittals, responding to RFIs, and supporting construction-phase activities
- Coordination: Ability to coordinate effectively with architects and multidisciplinary engineering teams
- Project Delivery: Ability to lead multiple projects, prioritize competing deadlines, and maintain quality standards
- Communication: Excellent technical writing, verbal communication, organization, and leadership skills
- Field Work: Ability to conduct field surveys and participate in construction-phase site activities
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience: 12+ years of plumbing and fire protection design experience
- Licensure: Professional Engineer license in New York preferred
- Licensure Path: EIT certification with active progress toward PE licensure may be considered for candidates with strong leadership experience
- Advanced Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Fire Protection Engineering
- Certification: Certified in Plumbing Design (CPD), CFPE, NICET, LEED, WELL, or other relevant credentials
- Engineer of Record: Experience serving as Engineer of Record or senior technical reviewer
- NYC Expertise: Advanced knowledge of New York City codes, filings, agency requirements, and construction practices
- Project Experience: Experience with high-rise buildings, healthcare, laboratories, higher education, mixed-use developments, hospitality, mission-critical, or institutional projects
- Complex Systems: Experience with high-rise sprinkler and standpipe systems, fire pumps, water-storage tanks, pressure zones, PRV stations, medical gas, laboratory gas, acid waste, specialty waste, or fuel oil systems
- Sustainability: Experience supporting LEED, WELL, Local Law, water-use reduction, water reuse, rainwater harvesting, or decarbonization-related plumbing strategies
- Quality Leadership: Experience conducting formal QA/QC or peer reviews
- Market Relationships: Established relationships within the New York architecture, engineering, construction, institutional, or real estate market
- Team Leadership: Experience supervising engineers and developing future technical leaders
What Success Looks Like
- Deliver accurate, coordinated, code-compliant, and constructible plumbing and fire protection designs
- Establish clear technical direction at the beginning of each assignment
- Anticipate plumbing, fire protection, agency, and construction challenges before they create delays
- Reduce redesign through thorough coordination, early risk identification, and strong QA/QC practices
- Build confidence with clients, architects, agencies, utilities, contractors, and internal teams
- Strengthen the technical capabilities of developing engineers and designers
- Improve discipline standards, calculation templates, QA/QC practices, and project-delivery efficiency
- Help secure repeat work and expand strategic client relationships
- Become a trusted leader within the firm’s New York plumbing and fire protection practice
Compensation & Benefits
- Base salary range of $115,000-$210,000+ annually, depending on experience and qualifications
- Potential total compensation of approximately $135,000-$250,000+, depending on licensure, technical expertise, leadership responsibility, and broader value to the firm
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Retirement plan
- Paid vacation, sick time, personal time, and holidays
- Flexible spending account
- Supplemental insurance options
- Professional development and continuing education
- PE licensure and professional-association support
- Leadership and career-advancement opportunities
About MG Engineering D.P.C.
MG Engineering D.P.C. is a full-service engineering firm specializing in mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, fire alarm, lighting, commissioning, sustainability, central energy, enhanced construction administration, and technology services. Headquartered in New York City for more than 30 years, the firm has grown to more than 150 professionals across multiple offices while maintaining deep relationships within the New York architecture, engineering, construction, and real estate markets.
The firm serves public- and private-sector clients across commercial office, corporate interiors, residential, mixed-use, healthcare, life science, education, hospitality, entertainment, retail, restaurant, government, civic, cultural, institutional, senior living, central energy, renovation, repositioning, and mission-critical markets. MGE has also been recognized by Crain’s New York Business as one of the Best Places to Work in New York City.
About Luxus Group
Luxus Group is a specialized recruiting and talent advisory firm serving the architecture, engineering, construction, and related professional-services industries. As an AEC-focused recruiting partner, Luxus Group helps engineering and design firms identify, engage, evaluate, and hire difficult-to-find professionals. Luxus Group is representing MG Engineering in the identification and recruitment of qualified candidates for this opportunity.
Keywords
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