Fire Protection Engineer, Data Center Design
Location: Austin TX / New York NY / San Francisco CA / Seattle WA (hybrid)
Salary: $200,000 to $250,000 per year, plus equity
Type: Full-time
The role
One of the most active hyperscale data center developers in the US is hiring a Fire Protection Engineer to own the fire protection design workstream across a rapidly scaling campus portfolio. This is an owner/developer position. You will be designing and specifying fire detection and suppression systems, negotiating directly with fire marshals and AHJs, and setting the fire protection standards that hold across dozens of concurrent sites.
If you have personally designed and commissioned fire protection systems for mission-critical facilities and know how to keep permitting off the critical path, this is worth a conversation.
What you will be doing
- Own the fire protection scope of design packages from concept through construction documents, designing and specifying VESDA, addressable fire alarm, pre-action sprinkler, wet pipe, and clean agent suppression systems
- Serve as the primary point of contact with local fire marshals and AHJs on every site, running plan reviews and negotiating code-compliant equivalencies on non-standard designs
- Develop campus-level fire suppression strategy, coordinating water supply, distribution, and system redundancy across multiple buildings and phases
- Review and approve fire protection submittals and shop drawings from EPC and equipment vendors, and validate third-party consultant designs for code compliance before they advance to construction
- Support commissioning of fire detection and suppression systems, resolving test failures before sign-off
- Provide fire protection input on capacity additions, retrofits, and incident-driven remediation on live sites
What we need from you
- Demonstrated experience personally designing, specifying, and commissioning fire detection and suppression systems for mission-critical, industrial, or large commercial facilities
- PE license in Fire Protection Engineering, or NICET Level III or IV certification in Fire Alarm Systems and Water-Based Systems
- Experience negotiating code-compliant alternatives directly with fire marshals and AHJs
- Thorough working knowledge of NFPA 75, 76, and 2001, and FM Global data center loss prevention requirements
- Ability to coordinate fire protection design with electrical, mechanical, and controls engineering
Good to have
FM-200 and Novec 1230 clean agent systems in data center environments
Multiple state or municipal AHJ jurisdiction experience
Hyperscale or colocation campus design background
NFPA committee or code development involvement
Compensation and benefits
$200,000 to $250,000 per year DOE, plus equity
Health, dental, and vision insurance
Retirement plan
Generous PTO
For more information please contact: matthew.holden@clear-er.com
I place across the full range of data center design, development, and construction roles. If this one is not the right fit but you work in this space, message me directly.
