Principal Lead Designer - Project & Design Oversight
Location: Downtown Los Angeles, CA
Work Schedule: Hybrid
Position Overview
We are seeking a highly accomplished Principal / Lead Designer to provide senior-level project, design, and technical oversight across complex pipeline and transmission projects.
This is not a primary production design position. The successful candidate will focus on overseeing projects and design teams, coordinating multidisciplinary activities, reviewing technical deliverables, maintaining design quality, resolving project and design conflicts, and ensuring successful delivery across multiple concurrent projects.
The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated history of operating at the Principal or Lead level, with the technical credibility and leadership experience necessary to oversee sophisticated pipeline and transmission design efforts.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide senior-level technical and design oversight for pipeline and transmission projects.
- Oversee multiple projects and design workstreams simultaneously.
- Establish priorities and ensure design activities remain aligned with project scope, schedule, technical requirements, and deliverables.
- Review complex design packages for technical accuracy, completeness, constructability, consistency, and quality.
- Lead design reviews and quality-control activities.
- Oversee drawing development and design workflows without serving as the primary production designer.
- Coordinate across multiple disciplines, including Civil, Structural, Electrical, and Instrumentation & Controls (I&C).
- Serve as a senior technical resource to project managers, engineers, designers, and project stakeholders.
- Identify project risks and design conflicts and facilitate practical solutions before they impact project delivery.
- Provide technical direction and guidance to Senior, Intermediate, and Junior Designers.
- Mentor design personnel and reinforce established technical standards and design best practices.
- Support projects throughout IFR, IFC, construction support, and as-built phases.
- Oversee design changes and ensure revisions are properly incorporated into project deliverables.
- Plan, prioritize, and oversee multiple projects, deadlines, dependencies, and resource requirements.
- Facilitate effective communication among Engineering, Design, Project Management, field personnel, and other stakeholders.
Required Qualifications
- Extensive progressive experience within pipeline, transmission, utility, natural gas, energy, or comparable infrastructure design environments.
- Demonstrated experience functioning at the Principal Designer, Lead Designer, Design Lead, or comparable senior technical leadership level.
- Strong pipeline and transmission project experience.
- Demonstrated experience overseeing complex design packages and multidisciplinary design teams.
- Strong understanding of AutoCAD Plant 3D (P3D) design environments and production workflows.
- Working knowledge of Civil 3D.
- Comprehensive understanding of pipeline routing, construction drawings, design deliverables, and drawing production processes.
- Experience supporting project phases including IFR, IFC, construction support, and as-built deliverables.
- Significant experience with technical design review, quality control, constructability, and multidisciplinary coordination.
- Ability to identify project risks, resolve design conflicts, and provide practical technical solutions.
- Demonstrated ability to plan, prioritize, and oversee multiple projects simultaneously.
- Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
- Strong leadership and stakeholder-management skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- 15+ years of progressive design and technical leadership experience.
- Significant pipeline and transmission infrastructure experience.
- Natural gas or utility project experience.
- Previous responsibility for overseeing large or technically complex design packages.
- Demonstrated experience mentoring and developing design professionals.
- Extensive multidisciplinary coordination experience involving Civil, Structural, Electrical, and I&C teams.
This position is hybrid and based in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Candidates must be available for regular onsite collaboration and coordination with project teams and stakeholders.
This position is centered on project and technical oversight rather than hands-on production design. Candidates should demonstrate genuine Principal or Lead-level responsibility for complex projects, multidisciplinary coordination, technical quality, and successful project delivery.