Fire Engineering Manager

Henderson Companies•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

A Fire Engineering Manager in the Community/Health sector serves as both a technical discipline leader and people manager. The role maintains a strong technical presence while leading team development, performance feedback, and resource management. The manager leads engineers and designers, mentors staff, supports career development, and connects people, projects, and technical resources to deliver technical excellence and operational efficiency. The role also promotes continuous improvement and the application of organizational design practices. In a limited capacity, the manager designs advanced building systems, prepares design documents, performs engineering calculations, and solves complex engineering problems in coordination with project teams and multiple disciplines. The position leads design work from concept through completion, supports project coordination and client communication, and may be enabled as an Engineer of Record with additional oversight and accountability for signing and sealing projects.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED required.
Minimum 12 years of relevant progressive experience required.
Expert knowledge and proficiency in engineering design, the A&E industry, and codes, design guides, and standards across a broad range of practices, projects, and/or program types.
Working knowledge of earned value, contracts, and construction processes and methods.
Working knowledge of Revit and Bluebeam Revu.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and engineering design software applicable to the discipline or focus.
Demonstrated ability to build trust-based team relationships and foster collaboration and continuous improvement.
High emotional intelligence and ability to lead with empathy and clarity, handle performance conversations constructively, and support team members through change and challenges.
Interest in developing others through regular feedback, career guidance, and skills-based mentoring.
High technical aptitude, ability to learn and use systems and processes, and comfort training others on them.
Effective verbal and written communication skills, including clear and concise communication with designers at all levels.
Effective critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
Team-oriented approach and ability to work collaboratively, participate in group projects, and lead less-experienced designers.
Ability to adapt to changing work environments, priorities, and organizational needs.
Ability to prioritize, execute, and/or direct multiple tasks in a dynamic environment.
Ability to give and receive constructive feedback and adjust to coaching.
Self-starter who is proactive and willing to teach, manage, and help others as needed.
Trustworthiness and ability to handle sensitive information.
Demonstrated proficiency in the core competencies described in the job description.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering field, such as mechanical, electrical, fire protection, or architectural engineering; preferred, while a high school diploma or GED is required.
Professional Engineering license preferred.
Additional certifications aligned with the technical field, such as BEMP, CPD, CDP, NICET, or RCDD, preferred.
Performance as an Engineer of Record preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead, manage, and mentor discipline-aligned engineers and designers, fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture and developing design projects.
Act as a hiring manager and career coach by participating in interviews and providing performance feedback, skills-progression guidance, and career-development support.
Participate in project scheduling meetings, match staff assignments to project scopes, and monitor progress toward project objectives.
Provide hands-on coaching and individualized meetings to give feedback and guide goal setting.
Assist sector leaders in establishing and implementing practice- or sector-level goals, policies, objectives, and standards.
Champion directives from technical and other leaders and facilitate upward feedback to leadership.
Collaborate across functions to manage project staff resources and discipline budgets.
Improve project and design quality through quality reviews and regular check-ins; provide final project reviews when appropriate.
Understand, teach, and apply Henderson’s design guidelines, standards, policies, and procedures, serving as a technical resource to the team.
Manage or oversee project coordination, including email management, scope and schedule coordination, design-team coordination, client meetings, project quality, client questions, and project delivery.
Promote a client-centric mindset and approach within the team.
Share information, updates, ideas, and suggestions for technical and process improvements with peers and leaders.
Direct and oversee preparation of design documents, system layouts, detailed drawings, schematics, and specifications, from simple to highly complex.
Lead project and design efforts from concept design through completion.
Review shop drawings for conformance with plans and specifications.
Research and recommend the feasibility of systems or equipment and evaluate products for their applications.
Develop solutions to complex engineering problems and design challenges through direct involvement or in an advisory capacity.
Ensure drawings, specifications, reports, and analyses meet scope, schedule, cost, and quality requirements.
Communicate with clients to develop and coordinate requirements and scope of work, maintaining proactive communication throughout projects.
Anticipate and answer client and architect questions; guide fact-finding and assist others with responses.
Visit job sites to verify existing conditions and observe construction progress.
Resolve conflicts involving owners, architects, and contractors as needed.
Identify and address gaps in industry or discipline knowledge; share emerging technologies and trends and stay current with codes and standards.
Meet industry expectations associated with a PE license and/or EOR enablement, including sound engineering decisions, high-quality work, and project accountability.
When enabled as an Engineer of Record, provide additional involvement, oversight, responsibility, and accountability for project signing and sealing.