Lead Engineer - Mechanical Design Build

National Design Build Services•Maryland Heights, MO

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, taking designs from concept through milestone reviews and issued-for-construction documents. The Lead Engineer also supports construction through submittals, RFIs, commissioning, and coordination with fabrication partners where prefabrication adds value. The position works with preconstruction, general contractors, trade partners, sub-consultants, and field operations. It may lead a team of engineers or work independently, and is responsible for completing design assignments on time and within budget while meeting client contracts. The role reports to the Director of Engineering and has direct reports. Work is mostly office-based or remote design work, with regular time on active construction sites and in fabrication shops. Site and shop visits require standard PPE and compliance with NDBS and client safety programs. The position is full-time, requires 20% travel, and may be based in St. Louis, Missouri, or remotely in the United States.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in an engineering field; mechanical engineering 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-motivated, with strong time and task management skills.
Excellent leadership, organization, and communication skills, and ability to work well on 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 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.

Responsibilities

Own engineering deliverables from basis of design and P&IDs through milestone design 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 hours against budget, and price engineering change orders.
Coordinate with controls partners on PLC logic, Building Management Systems, and sequences of operation.
Run 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 and direct-to-chip heat removal.
Apply redundancy and reliability concepts to meet owner basis-of-design requirements 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 from process load data and resolve gaps in owner and equipment information through RFIs.
Coordinate equipment pads, foundations, and structural supports with structural engineers to support phased construction schedules.
Identify and design prefabricated pipe spools, skids, and modules for constructability and repeatability; confirm concepts early to avoid rework.
Review and witness factory acceptance tests and support commissioning and integrated systems testing.
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 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.