Lead Mechanical Engineer - Tunnel Ventilation & Fire-Life Safety

WSP • New York, NY

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About The Position

WSP is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer to join its Tunnel Systems Team, based in the New York City office at One Penn Plaza. The role combines rigorous analysis with practical design of tunnel ventilation and fire-life safety systems for major road, rail, transit and other underground infrastructure projects. Work spans project phases from planning and concept studies through detailed design, construction support, testing and commissioning, with opportunities to lead technical work, guide developing engineers and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams on projects in the New York region and across the United States.

The position involves leading technical tasks, coordinating across disciplines, managing assigned scope, schedule and budget, and providing technical direction and quality reviews. Occasional travel within the United States may be required for meetings, site visits, field measurements, inspections, testing or commissioning. The final working arrangement is subject to applicable WSP business-line and office policy.

Employment is contingent upon meeting WSP’s applicable pre-employment and project-specific client requirements. A valid driver’s license and satisfactory motor vehicle record may be required where driving is an essential project duty. Legal authorization to work in the United States at the time of employment is required.

WSP provides benefits focused on health and financial stability, including medical, dental, vision, disability and life coverage; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation or other personal time; paid parental leave; and paid time off for bereavement, voting and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings. Expected compensation is $122,000–$182,000 across all locations. The company notes that the amount offered may vary based on the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and geographic location, and that additional benefits or compensation may be offered depending on circumstances and work performed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
• At least 7–10 years of relevant engineering experience, including substantive experience in tunnel ventilation analysis and design.
• Professional Engineer license in New York, or the ability and commitment to obtain U.S. professional licensure.
• Demonstrated experience with ventilation systems for road tunnels, rail tunnels, transit facilities or comparable underground infrastructure.
• Proficiency with at least one tunnel airflow or CFD platform, such as SES, IDA Tunnel, ANSYS Fluent or FDS, and the ability to review models and explain results clearly.
• Experience developing engineering calculations, technical reports, design criteria, drawings and specifications.
• Ability to lead technical tasks, coordinate across disciplines and deliver high-quality work within agreed scope, schedule and budget.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical findings to clients and multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to travel occasionally for meetings, site visits, field measurements, inspections, testing or commissioning.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States at the time of employment.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or PhD in mechanical engineering, fire protection engineering, fire safety engineering or a related field.
• Experience across both analysis and physical system design, including selection or specification of tunnel ventilation fans, dampers, ductwork, shafts, controls and related equipment.
• Experience with testing and commissioning tunnel ventilation, station ventilation or smoke-control systems.
• Programming or data-analysis experience using Python, Visual Basic, C/C++, Fortran or similar tools.
• Experience mentoring engineers, leading small technical teams, supporting proposals or working in alternative-delivery environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead and perform analysis and design of tunnel ventilation, smoke-control and fire-life safety systems for road, rail and transit projects.
• Develop ventilation concepts, operating modes and design criteria for normal, congested, emergency and fire scenarios.
• Perform engineering calculations for airflow, pressure losses, fan duty, equipment sizing, heat and contaminant control, and system performance.
• Build, review and interpret one-dimensional and computational fluid dynamics models using tools such as Subway Environment Simulation (SES), IDA Tunnel, ANSYS Fluent and Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS).
• Translate analysis results into coordinated, buildable designs, including fan plants, shafts, ductwork, dampers, sound attenuation, controls interfaces and associated mechanical systems.
• Prepare and review basis-of-design documents, technical memoranda, reports, calculations, specifications, drawings and design packages.
• Apply relevant project criteria and standards, including NFPA 130 for fixed-guideway transit and passenger rail systems and NFPA 502 for road tunnels, bridges and other limited-access highways, where applicable.
• Coordinate ventilation and fire-life safety requirements with civil, structural, architectural, electrical, controls, fire protection and operations disciplines.
• Support client and authority meetings, technical workshops, field investigations, construction-phase services, system testing and commissioning.
• Plan discipline work, manage assigned scope, schedule and budget, and provide technical direction and quality reviews for less-experienced staff.
• Contribute to proposals, scopes of work, level-of-effort estimates and the continued growth of WSP’s tunnel systems practice.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, disability and life coverage.
• Retirement savings.
• Paid sick leave.
• Paid vacation or other personal time.
• Paid parental leave.
• Paid time off for bereavement, voting and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.

What This Job Offers

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