Lead Mechanical Engineer - Buildings

WSP•Chicago, IL

22h•Hybrid

About The Position

WSP is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer with deep experience in healthcare facilities to support complex acute-care, outpatient, and specialty medical projects. This role focuses on delivering high‑quality mechanical engineering solutions for hospitals, medical office buildings, cancer centers, behavioral health facilities, and highly regulated clinical environments. The position supports projects from early planning and design through construction administration and close‑out, with a strong emphasis on reliability, infection control, maintainability, and regulatory compliance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Architectural Engineering.
7–10 years of progressive mechanical engineering experience with a strong concentration in healthcare facilities.
Demonstrated experience delivering hospital or complex healthcare projects from design through construction close‑out.
Professional Engineer (P.E.) license required.
Strong knowledge of healthcare HVAC systems, hydronic systems, and building automation/control sequences.
Working knowledge of FGI Guidelines, NFPA standards, ASHRAE healthcare applications, and local healthcare AHJ requirements.
Proficiency with Revit and AutoCAD.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to present complex technical concepts to clinical, facilities, and executive stakeholders.
Commitment to safety, quality, and ethical engineering practice.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with acute care hospitals, academic medical centers, or specialty healthcare facilities.
Experience with commissioning, TAB coordination, and operational readiness for healthcare environments.
Familiarity with infection control risk assessments (ICRA) and healthcare phasing strategies.
LEED or healthcare‑related sustainability experience.
Experience leading multi‑disciplinary design teams on complex projects.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage mechanical engineering design for healthcare facilities including hospitals, inpatient towers, surgical suites, imaging departments, and central utility plants.
Serve as mechanical discipline lead and primary technical point of contact for healthcare clients, architects, and internal project teams.
Guide projects through all phases including programming, schematic design, design development, construction documents, construction administration, and commissioning support.
Provide technical leadership for HVAC, hydronic, medical gas, plumbing, and building automation systems specific to healthcare environments.
Develop and review system concepts with emphasis on redundancy, resiliency, infection prevention, pressure relationships, and patient/staff safety.
Coordinate with electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and architectural teams to ensure fully integrated healthcare designs.
Oversee construction administration activities including submittal review, RFIs, site observations, and issue resolution.
Ensure compliance with applicable codes and standards including FGI Guidelines, NFPA, ASHRAE, local AHJ requirements, and healthcare accreditation standards.
Prepare technical reports, calculations, specifications, and basis‑of‑design documentation.
Support project budgets, schedules, scope management, and staffing planning.
Mentor junior mechanical engineers and support QA/QC processes.

Benefits

Medical coverage
Dental coverage
Vision coverage
Disability coverage
Life insurance
Retirement savings
Paid sick leave
Paid vacation (or other personal time)
Paid parental leave
Paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.