Lead Engineer - Mechanical @ NDBS

Kelso Industries • Maryland Heights, MO

21d

About The Position

The Lead Engineer leads mechanical design for data centers, mission-critical facilities, and large industrial plants delivered through design-build and design-assist. The role translates owner and process requirements into HVAC, process, and piping systems, carrying designs from concept through milestone reviews and issued-for-construction documents, and supporting construction through submittals, RFIs, and commissioning. The engineer also coordinates with fabrication partners on prefabricated piping and equipment assemblies where beneficial.

The position works with preconstruction, general contractors, trade partners, sub-consultants, and field operations. The Lead Engineer may lead a team of engineers or work independently and is responsible for delivering design assignments on time, within budget, and in accordance with client contracts. The role reports to the Director of Engineering and includes direct reports. It is full-time, requires 20% travel, and is based in St. Louis, Missouri, or remotely within the United States.

NDBS is a mechanical design/build firm based in St. Louis and part of the Kelso Industries family. It designs and delivers HVAC, refrigeration, and process systems for commercial, industrial, and mission-critical facilities, including data centers, food processing, manufacturing, and refrigerated warehouses. The work is mostly office or remote design work, with regular time at active construction sites and fabrication shops. Site and shop visits require standard PPE and compliance with NDBS and client safety programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering field; mechanical engineering is preferred.
• At least 8 years of HVAC/R design experience, including data centers, mission-critical facilities, or large industrial facilities.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license, or 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 meet deadlines while managing several projects and changing priorities.
• Self-motivation and strong time- and task-management skills.
• Strong leadership, organizational, and communication skills, and ability to work effectively in a team.

Nice To Haves

• Industrial process experience, including 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, Procore, and Autodesk Construction Cloud.
• Experience with prefabricated mechanical systems such as skids, pipe spools, or utility racks.
• Fluency in Revit MEP and AutoCAD, and experience with Navisworks clash detection.
• Commissioning experience on critical facilities, including FAT, SAT, and integrated systems testing.

Responsibilities

• Own engineering deliverables from basis of design and P&IDs through milestone reviews, IFC drawings, and turnover documents.
• Manage 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, and price engineering change orders.
• Coordinate with controls partners on PLC logic, Building Management Systems, and sequences of operation.
• Lead client and design coordination meetings, address review comments and RFIs, and maintain deliverable and submittal trackers.
• Lead mechanical design for data center cooling systems, including chilled-water plants, chillers, CRAH/CRAC units, fan walls, economizers, and aisle containment.
• Design liquid-cooling infrastructure for high-density and AI workloads, including CDUs, TCS and facility-water loops, and rear-door or direct-to-chip heat removal.
• Apply redundancy and reliability concepts 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.
• 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 based on process-load data, and resolve owner or process-equipment data gaps through RFIs.
• Coordinate equipment pads, foundations, and structural supports with structural engineers to meet phased construction schedules.
• Identify and design prefabricated pipe spools, skids, and modules for constructability and repeatability, and confirm concepts early to avoid rework.
• Review and witness factory acceptance tests and support commissioning and integrated systems testing.
• Lead internal turnover meetings to define project scope, risks, resources, communications, schedule, and budget.
• Coordinate 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 using Procore and Autodesk Construction Cloud.
• Review trade-partner submittals, coordinate sub-consultant responses, and drive quality control through site visits and punch lists.
• Mentor and review the work of junior engineers and designers.
• Adhere to NDBS core values, including safety, collaboration, innovation, partnership, reputation, and entrepreneurship.

Benefits

• Excellent benefits and compensation program.
• Strong career development opportunities.
• Growth opportunities to develop skills, take on challenges, and advance a career.
• Company culture that supports employee growth and values contributions.
• Competitive compensation and benefits intended to support financial security, health, and well-being.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior