Lead Plumbing & Fire Protection Design Engineer

Lead Plumbing & Fire Protection Design Engineer

Company: MG Engineering D.P.C. (MGE)
Location: New York City, New York
Discipline: Plumbing and Fire Protection | MEP/Building Systems
Employment Type: Full-Time
Base Salary Range: $115,000–$210,000+ annually
Potential Total Compensation: $135,000–$250,000+, depending on experience, licensure, leadership responsibilities, and qualifications
Represented By: Luxus Group | AEC Talent Partners

Position Overview

MG Engineering D.P.C. is seeking an accomplished Lead Plumbing & Fire Protection Design Engineer to provide technical leadership and design oversight for complex building projects from its New York City headquarters.

This is a high-impact opportunity for an experienced engineer who can lead sophisticated plumbing and fire protection designs, solve challenging technical problems, mentor developing professionals, and collaborate directly with architects, owners, contractors, utilities, public agencies, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.

The Lead Plumbing & Fire Protection Design Engineer will oversee projects from feasibility and conceptual planning through construction documents, agency approvals, bidding, construction administration, commissioning, and final closeout.

The position requires advanced knowledge of domestic water, sanitary, stormwater, natural gas, specialty plumbing, fire sprinkler, standpipe, fire pump, and water-service systems. Strong knowledge of New York City codes, filing procedures, agency requirements, and construction practices is highly desirable.

The ideal candidate will combine technical depth with project leadership, client communication, interdisciplinary coordination, quality control, and mentorship.

About MG Engineering

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. Explore MGE’s engineering services.

For more than 30 years, MGE has been headquartered in New York City. The company 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. Learn more about MGE’s offices.

MGE serves public- and private-sector clients across markets that include:

• Commercial office buildings

• Corporate interiors

• Residential and mixed-use developments

• Healthcare and life-science facilities

• Higher education and K–12 schools

• Hospitality and entertainment

• Retail and restaurants

• Government and civic buildings

• Cultural and institutional facilities

• Senior living and residential care

• Central utility and energy infrastructure

• Major renovations and building repositioning

• Mission-critical and high-reliability facilities

Key Responsibilities

Plumbing Design Leadership

• Lead the planning, analysis, design, and documentation of plumbing systems for new construction, renovation, infrastructure, and building-upgrade projects.

• Establish design criteria, system concepts, technical approaches, and project-specific engineering standards.

• Direct the design and documentation of systems involving:

  • Domestic cold-water distribution

  • Domestic hot-water generation and distribution

  • Hot-water recirculation

  • Sanitary waste and vent systems

  • Stormwater and secondary drainage

  • Combined building sewer systems

  • Natural gas distribution

  • Medical gas and vacuum systems

  • Laboratory plumbing systems

  • Acid waste and specialty waste

  • Grease waste and interceptors

  • Compressed air and specialty gases

  • Fuel oil storage and distribution

  • Sump pumps, sewage ejectors, and stormwater pumps

  • Water-pressure booster systems

  • Backflow prevention

  • Water filtration and treatment

  • Plumbing fixtures and equipment

  • Sustainable water-use and reuse systems

• Perform or oversee plumbing fixture-unit, water-demand, pipe-sizing, pressure-loss, hot-water-demand, gas-load, and drainage calculations.

• Evaluate incoming water pressure and determine requirements for pressure-reducing valves, booster pumps, break tanks, and other pressure-management equipment.

• Review water-heating options based on demand, redundancy, energy use, storage, recovery, and building operations.

• Evaluate system alternatives for performance, efficiency, resilience, maintainability, and lifecycle cost.

• Ensure systems are properly sized, coordinated, code-compliant, and constructible.

Fire Protection Design Leadership

• Lead the design and technical coordination of fire protection and water-based suppression systems.

• Direct the design and documentation of:

  • Automatic sprinkler systems

  • Wet-pipe sprinkler systems

  • Dry-pipe and preaction systems

  • Standpipe systems

  • Fire pumps and fire pump rooms

  • Fire department connections

  • Combined sprinkler and standpipe infrastructure

  • Fire protection water services

  • Water-storage tanks

  • Backflow-prevention assemblies

  • Special-hazard and alternative suppression coordination

  • Clean-agent system coordination

  • Fire-resistance and life-safety system interfaces

• Develop fire protection design criteria, hazard classifications, system zoning, and performance requirements.

• Perform or review hydraulic calculations, water-supply analyses, sprinkler demand calculations, standpipe calculations, and fire pump sizing.

• Evaluate municipal water data and determine whether fire pumps, storage tanks, or alternate supply arrangements are required.

• Coordinate sprinkler and standpipe layouts with architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, and ceiling systems.

• Confirm required fire protection coverage, valve locations, riser arrangements, testing connections, and access provisions.

• Coordinate electrical power and emergency-power requirements for fire pumps and other fire protection equipment.

• Collaborate with fire alarm and life-safety professionals to ensure proper system interfaces while maintaining clear discipline responsibilities.

Technical and Project Leadership

• 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, permitting, construction, commissioning, and closeout.

• Direct the work of engineers, designers, BIM/Revit professionals, and technical support staff.

• Delegate assignments based on project requirements, team capability, and professional-development goals.

• Monitor engineering progress, hours, deliverables, and technical quality.

• Manage multiple concurrent assignments while maintaining responsiveness and accountability.

• Identify technical, permitting, coordination, and construction risks early and develop mitigation strategies.

• Participate in project kickoff meetings, design workshops, progress meetings, and milestone reviews.

• Ensure deliverables are technically complete, properly coordinated, and ready for agency or construction submission.

New York City Code and Agency Compliance

• Ensure plumbing and fire protection designs comply with applicable requirements, including:

  • New York City Plumbing Code

  • New York City Building Code

  • New York City Fire Code

  • New York City Fuel Gas Code

  • New York City Energy Conservation Code

  • NFPA 13

  • NFPA 14

  • NFPA 20

  • NFPA 24

  • NFPA 25

  • NFPA 96, when applicable

  • Applicable state and federal regulations

  • Owner-specific design standards

• Support New York City Department of Buildings submissions, objections, responses, and approvals.

• Coordinate with FDNY, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, local utilities, and other authorities having jurisdiction.

• Prepare or oversee plumbing, sprinkler, and standpipe filing drawings and supporting documentation.

• Participate in meetings with plan examiners, agency reviewers, inspectors, and utility representatives.

• Respond to technical objections, review comments, and requests for additional information.

• Remain current on evolving New York City codes, Local Laws, agency bulletins, sustainability mandates, and filing procedures.

• Help project teams develop practical and defensible code-compliance strategies.

Engineering Analysis and Documentation

• Direct the preparation of plumbing and fire protection drawings, riser diagrams, schedules, details, specifications, calculations, and technical narratives.

• Prepare or review:

  • Domestic water calculations

  • Sanitary and storm drainage calculations

  • Water-pressure calculations

  • Gas-load and pipe-sizing calculations

  • Hot-water demand and equipment-sizing calculations

  • Hydraulic sprinkler calculations

  • Standpipe demand calculations

  • Fire pump sizing and selection

  • Equipment schedules and fixture schedules

  • Utility service and capacity evaluations

  • Existing-condition and due-diligence reports

• Review manufacturers’ data and equipment selections for compliance with project requirements.

• Develop sequences, performance criteria, and system-control requirements when applicable.

• Coordinate penetrations, sleeves, access requirements, equipment clearances, drains, and service spaces.

• Ensure coordination among drawings, calculations, specifications, schedules, and other design disciplines.

Existing Building and Infrastructure Evaluation

• Lead surveys and assessments of existing plumbing and fire protection systems.

• Evaluate existing domestic water, sanitary, storm, gas, sprinkler, standpipe, and fire pump infrastructure.

• Assess system condition, capacity, code compliance, operational risk, and opportunities for reuse.

• Prepare due-diligence reports, feasibility studies, condition assessments, and infrastructure-upgrade recommendations.

• Develop phasing and temporary-service strategies for renovations in occupied buildings.

• Identify hazardous, aging, undersized, or obsolete infrastructure that may affect project scope.

• Recommend practical approaches for modernization, resiliency, water conservation, and future expansion.

Interdisciplinary Coordination

• Coordinate plumbing and fire protection systems with mechanical, electrical, fire alarm, architectural, structural, civil, landscape, lighting, technology, security, and specialty-consultant teams.

• Participate in BIM coordination and clash-detection reviews.

• Coordinate shaft requirements, ceiling congestion, equipment rooms, tank rooms, fire pump rooms, utility entrances, and service spaces.

• Verify routing feasibility and resolve conflicts before construction.

• Coordinate roof drainage and site stormwater connections with architectural, structural, and civil teams.

• Coordinate water, sewer, gas, and fire protection services with utilities and civil engineers.

• Coordinate sprinkler layouts with lighting, ductwork, ceiling systems, structural elements, and architectural features.

• Confirm maintenance access, equipment-removal pathways, and operational clearances.

• Help architects and owners understand the spatial and operational effects of plumbing and fire protection systems.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

• Lead discipline-specific QA/QC reviews at critical project milestones.

• Review drawings, specifications, calculations, reports, and agency submissions for accuracy and completeness.

• Verify code compliance, system sizing, coordination, and constructability.

• Confirm that project requirements and owner standards are properly incorporated.

• Track review comments and confirm that required revisions are completed.

• Identify errors, omissions, coordination gaps, and potential professional-liability risks before documents are issued.

• Develop and maintain standardized details, specifications, calculation templates, design procedures, and quality-control checklists.

• Promote consistent engineering practices across project teams and office locations.

• Participate in peer reviews and independent technical evaluations when required.

Sustainability and Water Conservation

• Integrate water conservation, energy efficiency, and sustainability goals into plumbing designs.

• Evaluate low-flow fixtures, high-efficiency equipment, heat recovery, water reuse, rainwater harvesting, and alternate water-source strategies.

• Support LEED, WELL, Local Law, and owner-specific sustainability objectives.

• Coordinate domestic hot-water solutions with energy and decarbonization strategies.

• Evaluate plumbing-system selections based on energy use, water consumption, operating cost, and long-term performance.

• Provide technical input for water-use calculations and sustainability documentation.

Client and Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as a senior plumbing and fire protection contact for clients, architects, developers, owners, contractors, and consultants.

• Lead technical discussions during client meetings, presentations, and design workshops.

• Explain complex engineering and code issues clearly to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.

• Help clients evaluate system alternatives, infrastructure investments, code risks, and operational considerations.

• Coordinate with public agencies, utilities, contractors, and specialty vendors.

• Build trusted relationships that support client satisfaction and repeat assignments.

• Represent MGE professionally in meetings with owners, agencies, contractors, and industry partners.

• Provide responsive and practical recommendations when project conditions change.

Construction Administration

• Provide senior engineering support during bidding, construction, testing, commissioning, and closeout.

• Review shop drawings, equipment submittals, sprinkler calculations, product data, substitutions, and contractor proposals.

• Respond to requests for information and resolve field conditions.

• Conduct site visits and field observations to evaluate construction progress and compliance with design documents.

• Participate in preconstruction meetings, coordination meetings, system testing, punch-list inspections, and commissioning activities.

• Evaluate change-order requests for scope, technical merit, and cost reasonableness.

• Review fire pump tests, backflow tests, hydrostatic tests, flushing reports, and other required documentation.

• Coordinate with contractors, inspectors, commissioning professionals, and authorities having jurisdiction.

• Review record drawings, operating manuals, test reports, and closeout documentation.

Team Leadership and Mentorship

• Lead, mentor, and develop plumbing and fire protection engineers, designers, and BIM/Revit staff.

• Provide technical guidance on codes, hydraulic calculations, system selection, equipment sizing, specifications, and construction practices.

• Review team members’ work and provide clear, constructive feedback.

• Help junior professionals strengthen their technical judgment and problem-solving abilities.

• Support internal training, design workshops, and knowledge-sharing programs.

• Assist employees pursuing EIT certification, PE licensure, CPD certification, or other relevant credentials.

• Promote accountability, collaboration, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.

• Help identify future technical and project leaders within the practice.

Proposals and Business Development

• Provide technical input for proposals, qualifications packages, interviews, and project pursuits.

• Assist with developing scopes of work, project schedules, staffing plans, and fee estimates.

• Identify project risks, exclusions, assumptions, and required consultant services during proposal development.

• Participate in client presentations and interviews as a senior technical representative.

• Support relationship development with architects, developers, owners, contractors, institutions, and public agencies.

• Identify opportunities to expand MGE’s services with existing clients.

• Contribute to the continued growth and reputation of MGE’s plumbing and fire protection practice.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Fire Protection Engineering, Architectural Engineering, or a related discipline.

• Eight or more years of progressively responsible plumbing and fire protection design experience.

• Significant experience working within an MEP consulting engineering environment.

• Demonstrated experience leading plumbing and fire protection design assignments.

• Strong technical knowledge of domestic water, sanitary, stormwater, gas, sprinkler, standpipe, and fire pump systems.

• Experience preparing engineering drawings, specifications, calculations, reports, and agency submissions.

• Working knowledge of applicable building, plumbing, fire, fuel gas, and NFPA requirements.

• Proficiency with Revit and AutoCAD.

• Experience with hydraulic calculation software such as HydraCALC, AutoSPRINK, SprinkCALC, or similar applications.

• Experience reviewing construction submittals and responding to RFIs.

• Ability to coordinate effectively with architects and multidisciplinary engineering teams.

• Ability to lead multiple projects and prioritize competing deadlines.

• Excellent technical writing, verbal communication, organization, and leadership skills.

• Ability to conduct field surveys and participate in construction-phase site activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Twelve or more years of plumbing and fire protection design experience.

• Professional Engineer license in New York.

• EIT certification with active progress toward PE licensure may be considered for a candidate with strong leadership experience.

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Fire Protection Engineering.

• Certified in Plumbing Design designation.

• Experience serving as Engineer of Record or senior technical reviewer.

• Advanced knowledge of New York City codes, filings, agency requirements, and construction practices.

• Experience with high-rise buildings, healthcare facilities, laboratories, higher education, mixed-use developments, hospitality, or mission-critical projects.

• Experience designing combined standpipe and sprinkler systems for high-rise buildings.

• Advanced experience with fire pumps, water-storage tanks, pressure zones, PRV stations, and complex hydraulic systems.

• Experience with medical gas, laboratory gas, acid waste, specialty waste, or fuel oil systems.

• Experience conducting formal QA/QC or peer reviews.

• Established relationships within the New York architecture, engineering, construction, institutional, or real estate market.

• Experience supervising engineers and developing future technical leaders.

• LEED, WELL, CPD, CFPE, NICET, or other relevant credentials.

What Success Looks Like

The successful Lead Plumbing & Fire Protection Design Engineer will:

• Deliver accurate, coordinated, code-compliant, and constructible designs.

• Establish clear technical direction at the beginning of each assignment.

• Anticipate plumbing, fire protection, agency, and construction challenges.

• Reduce redesign by identifying risks early and coordinating systems thoroughly.

• Consistently meet project schedules and quality expectations.

• Build confidence with clients, architects, agencies, utilities, and contractors.

• Strengthen the technical capabilities of developing engineers and designers.

• Improve discipline standards, QA/QC practices, and project-delivery efficiency.

• Help MGE secure repeat work and expand strategic client relationships.

• Become a trusted leader within MGE’s New York plumbing and fire protection practice.

Why Join MG Engineering?

This position provides an experienced professional with the opportunity to:

• Join an established engineering firm headquartered in New York City.

• Lead complex projects across diverse and technically challenging markets.

• Work with integrated mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, lighting, commissioning, sustainability, and technology teams.

• Influence projects from early feasibility through completed construction.

• Solve complex infrastructure, code, and constructability challenges.

• Mentor engineers and help shape the continued growth of the practice.

• Work on major New York developments, renovations, infrastructure upgrades, and institutional projects.

• Advance toward senior technical, project-management, associate, or principal-level leadership.

MGE has been recognized by Crain’s New York Business as one of the Best Places to Work in New York City for two consecutive years. The firm describes its benefits as including medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement benefits, supplemental insurance, flexible spending accounts, paid leave, and training and educational opportunities. Learn more about careers at MGE.

Compensation and Benefits

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $115,000–$210,000+ annually.

Potential total compensation may range from approximately $135,000–$250,000+, depending on experience, licensure, technical expertise, project leadership, client relationships, and broader value to the firm.

The compensation range is intentionally broad to accommodate candidates ranging from experienced design leaders through senior professionals capable of assuming expanded technical, project, client, or practice leadership.

Benefits may include:

• 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

Final compensation and benefits will be determined based on qualifications and confirmed during the interview process.

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. The firm understands the technical and leadership differences between plumbing designers, fire protection engineers, Project Managers, Technical Leads, Discipline Leaders, and principal-level professionals.

Luxus Group is representing MG Engineering in the identification and recruitment of qualified candidates for this opportunity. Interested professionals may contact Luxus Group for a confidential discussion regarding the position, compensation, project portfolio, team structure, and long-term advancement potential.

Equal Employment Opportunity

MG Engineering is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to qualified applicants and employees. Employment decisions are made based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications without regard to legally protected characteristics.

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