Lead Engineer - Mechanical Design Build

Lead Engineer

About NDBS

National Design Build Services (NDBS) is a mechanical design/build firm based in St. Louis, MO. We design and deliver HVAC, refrigeration and process systems for commercial, industrial and mission-critical facilities, including data centers, food processing, manufacturing and refrigerated warehouses.  NDBS is part of the Kelso Industries family of MEP+ companies, which shares the core values of Partnership, Innovation, Excellence and Safety. We take projects from design through fabrication and field installation, using off-site prefabrication partners where it improves schedule, quality and job-site safety. NDBS offers an excellent benefits and compensation program and strong career development opportunities.

 Position Description:

The Lead Engineer leads mechanical design for data centers, mission-critical facilities and large industrial plants delivered through design-build and design-assist. You will turn owner and process requirements into reliable HVAC, process and piping systems, carry them from concept through milestone reviews to issued-for-construction documents, and support construction through submittals, RFIs and commissioning. Where it adds value, you will work with fabrication partners to aide in the prefabrication of piping and equipment assemblies. You will work with preconstruction, general contractors, trade partners, sub-consultants and field operations, leading a team of engineers or working on your own, and you are responsible for delivering design assignments on time and on budget while meeting client contracts.

 Position Information

Position Type: Full Time

Travel Required: 20%

Department: Engineering

Reporting: Director of Engineering

Direct Reports: Yes

Location: St. Louis, MO 63146 OR Remote, United States

 Skills & Responsibilities (including but not limited to):

• Adhering to NDBS Core Values
  • Safety
  • We Answer Our Phones
  • Always Innovating
  • Collaborative Partnerships
  • Reputation
  • Entrepreneurship

• Engineering Deliverable Management:
  • Own the complete engineering deliverable, from basis of design and P&IDs through milestone design reviews, issued-for-construction (IFC) drawings and turnover documents.
  • Manage and/or coordinate multidisciplinary scope across mechanical, plumbing, structural, electrical, civil and controls.
  • Manage engineering scope, fees and budgets: prepare design services proposals, track engineering hours against budget, and price engineering change orders.
  • Work with controls partners on PLC logic, Building Management Systems and sequences of operation.
  • Run client and design coordination meetings, work through review comments, answer RFIs, and keep deliverable and submittal trackers current.

• Mission-Critical Design:
  • Lead mechanical design for data center cooling systems: chilled water plants, air- and water-cooled chillers, CRAH/CRAC units and fan walls, economizers, and hot/cold aisle containment.
  • Design liquid cooling infrastructure for high-density and AI workloads: coolant distribution units (CDUs), technology cooling system (TCS) and facility water loops, and rear-door and direct-to-chip heat removal.
  • Apply redundancy and reliability concepts (N, N+1, 2N, concurrent maintainability, fault tolerance) to meet the owner's basis of design and Uptime Institute tier objectives.
  • Perform heat load, hydraulic and psychrometric calculations, and support energy and PUE/WUE analysis.

• Industrial and Process Design:
  • Design HVAC and process systems for large manufacturing facilities, including process exhaust, compressed air, boiler and hot water plants, and chilled water plants.
  • Design natural gas, compressed air, process and utility piping from process load data, and resolve gaps in owner and process-equipment data through RFIs.
  • Coordinate equipment pads, foundations and structural supports with structural engineers to meet phased construction schedules.

• Prefabrication Coordination:
  • Identify where prefabricated pipe spools, skids and modules add value, and design them for constructability and repeatability.
  • Confirm design concepts early so prefabricated piping can be released without rework.
  • Review and witness factory acceptance tests and support commissioning and integrated systems testing.

• Project Execution:
  • Run internal turnover meetings to define project scope, risks, resources, communications, schedule and budget.
  • Work with preconstruction to carry bid scope into design packages, and support estimating, budgets and buyout.
  • Lead design-build and design-assist coordination with owners, general contractors and trade partners through Procore and Autodesk Construction Cloud.
  • Review trade-partner submittals, coordinate responses from sub-consultants, and drive quality control through site visits and punch lists.
  • Mentor and review the work of junior engineers and designers.

Qualifications and Education Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering field; mechanical preferred.
• Minimum 8+ years of HVAC/R design experience, including data centers, mission-critical or large industrial facilities.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license, or the ability to obtain one within 12 months.
• Hands-on experience with chilled water, hydronic and process piping design.
• Working knowledge of ASHRAE, International Codes, NFPA, and ASME piping codes.
• Ability to work to deadlines while juggling several projects and changing priorities.
• Self-motivated, with excellent time and task management skills.
• Excellent leadership, organization and communication skills, and the ability to work well in a team. 

Preferred Experience and Tools:

• Industrial process experience: paint shops, process exhaust, compressed air, boilers and natural gas systems.
• Liquid cooling and high-density (AI/HPC) data center experience.
• Experience with design-build and design-assist delivery, and with Procore and Autodesk Construction Cloud.
• Experience with prefabricated mechanical systems such as skids, pipe spools or utility racks.
• Fluency in Revit MEP and AutoCAD; experience with Navisworks clash detection.
• Commissioning experience on critical facilities, including FAT, SAT and integrated systems testing.

Work Environment:

The role is mostly office or remote design work, with regular time on active construction sites and in fabrication shops. Site and shop visits require standard PPE and following NDBS and client safety programs.

NDBS is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.