MEP Design Manager

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Job Description

Parsons is looking for an amazingly talented MEP Design Manager (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) to join our team! In this role you will get to lead MEP planning, technical oversight, due diligence, and multidisciplinary integration for a large mission-critical facility. You will provide technical leadership across mechanical, electrical, plumbing, life safety, and controls/BMS systems, ensuring solutions support critical operational requirements, constructability, resiliency, commissioning, and overall operational readiness objectives.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead MEP due diligence, technical assessments, and concept-level planning to support time-sensitive facility and investment decisions.
• Plan and coordinate existing-condition assessments of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, life safety, controls, and Building Management Systems (BMS).
• Assess existing MEP systems for capacity, condition, reliability, maintainability, code compliance, remaining service life, and operational constraints.
• Develop concept-level MEP solutions for system upgrades, replacement, resiliency, redundancy, hardening, and utility service strategies.
• Ensure MEP solutions align with mission-critical performance, reliability, availability, and operational continuity requirements.
• Identify critical MEP constraints, technical risks, and infrastructure limitations that could impact project feasibility, cost, schedule, or operational readiness.
• Coordinate closely with the Program Lead, Scheduler/Planner, A/E teams, independent consultants, and Parsons technical specialists.
• Lead multidisciplinary MEP coordination with IT/telecom, security, structural, architectural, fire and life safety, controls, and operational teams.
• Ensure MEP requirements are fully integrated into the master Critical Path Method (CPM) schedule, pre-construction schedules, bid schedules, cost plans, logistics strategies, phasing plans, and project risk registers.
• Define and coordinate shutdowns, outage windows, system tie-ins, temporary services, bypass arrangements, and operational continuity requirements.
• Develop MEP phasing strategies that allow construction activities to proceed while maintaining critical facility operations.
• Identify MEP long-lead equipment and establish realistic procurement requirements and durations for major equipment, including:
• Generators
• UPS systems
• Switchgear
• Transformers
• Chillers and CRAC units
• Air Handling Units (AHUs)
• Pumps and associated mechanical plant
• Controls and BMS equipment
• Support Construction Manager-led procurement and trade packaging strategies for MEP systems.
• Review MEP procurement sequencing and ensure equipment delivery requirements are aligned with construction and commissioning milestones.
• Develop and review constructible MEP fit-out sequencing, including first-fix and second-fix activities, equipment installation, containment, access requirements, testing, and commissioning.
• Coordinate MEP requirements associated with ceiling spaces, raised floors, plant rooms, equipment access, maintenance zones, and service routes.
• Support commissioning-driven planning, including pre-functional testing, functional testing, Integrated Systems Testing (IST), system turnover, cutover, and operational readiness.
• Provide technical MEP inputs and narratives to support conceptual estimating, cost planning, and reconciliation with independent cost consultants.
• Review MEP cost assumptions and identify technical scope items that could create significant cost or schedule exposure.
• Lead MEP risk identification, assessment, mitigation planning, and technical risk reporting.
• Develop “what-if” scenarios to evaluate alternative phasing, shutdown, outage, procurement, and implementation strategies.
• Assess the potential schedule, cost, operational, and technical impacts of alternative MEP solutions.
• Prepare technical assessments, executive-level reports, presentations, recommendations, and decision briefs for senior stakeholders.
• Translate complex MEP issues into clear recommendations that support timely project decision-making.
• Support quality assurance and quality control of MEP studies, assessments, design documentation, and technical deliverables.
• Review technical documentation for consistency, completeness, constructability, and alignment with project requirements.
• Support the development of MEP requirements for future Construction Management Information System (CMIS) workflows.
• Define documentation requirements for RFIs, technical submittals, commissioning records, testing documentation, asset information, and project closeout.
• Support lessons learned, technical knowledge transfer, and continuous improvement throughout project development.
• Perform other responsibilities associated with this position as appropriate.
  
  
  

What Required Skills You'll Bring

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Architectural Engineering, Construction Management, Building Services Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 20+ years of progressively responsible MEP engineering, design management, or technical management experience on large and complex building projects.
• Demonstrated experience delivering MEP due diligence, feasibility assessments, existing-condition evaluations, and concept planning during pre-construction phases.
• Strong experience with mission-critical MEP systems and high-availability infrastructure.
• Strong technical knowledge of:
• Mechanical and HVAC systems
• Electrical power distribution
• Emergency and standby power systems
• Generators and UPS systems
• Switchgear and transformers
• Chilled water and cooling systems
• CRAC and mission-critical cooling systems
• Plumbing and utility systems
• Fire and life safety systems
• Controls and BMS
• Experience developing resiliency, redundancy, hardening, and system reliability strategies.
• Experience planning operational shutdowns, outages, system tie-ins, temporary services, and cutovers within operational facilities.
• Ability to integrate MEP scope with project schedules, procurement strategies, cost plans, construction sequencing, commissioning, and operational readiness milestones.
• Experience identifying and planning procurement strategies for long-lead MEP equipment.
• Strong understanding of MEP constructability, installation sequencing, access requirements, logistics, and multidisciplinary coordination.
• Experience supporting commissioning, testing, system turnover, and Integrated Systems Testing.
• Working knowledge of relevant building codes, engineering standards, safety requirements, and QA/QC practices applicable to complex facilities.
• Strong understanding of project risk management and the ability to identify technical, schedule, cost, and operational risks.
• Experience coordinating with A/E consultants, contractors, construction managers, cost consultants, schedulers, and specialist engineering teams.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with a practical understanding of construction and facility operations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to translate complex engineering matters into clear, decision-grade recommendations for senior stakeholders.
• Strong leadership, multidisciplinary coordination, and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple technical priorities within a fast-paced and deadline-driven project environment.
  
  
  

What Desired Skills You'll Bring

• Experience delivering mission-critical facilities such as:
• Data centers
• Control and command centers
• Hospitals and healthcare facilities
• Secure facilities
• Operations centers
• Other high-availability facilities
• Experience with high-availability mechanical and electrical infrastructure and critical system redundancy requirements.
• Previous experience supporting U.S. Government agencies or similarly regulated owners and facilities.
• Professional Engineer (PE) registration or equivalent professional engineering qualification.
• Certified Commissioning Authority (CxA) or equivalent commissioning certification.
• LEED AP or equivalent sustainability credential.
• Experience leading commissioning management and Integrated Systems Testing strategies for complex facilities.
• Experience coordinating secure and mission-critical facility requirements with IT/telecom, cybersecurity, security, controls, and operational stakeholders.
• Experience working within PMC, Construction Management, Delivery Partner, design-build, or client-side environments.
• Knowledge of digital engineering, BIM, and multidisciplinary MEP coordination processes.
• Experience developing conceptual cost plans and supporting cost reconciliation exercises.
• Strong understanding of MEP lifecycle cost, maintainability, energy efficiency, and operational resilience.
• Experience developing project phasing and logistics strategies within occupied or continuously operational facilities.
• Strong executive-level reporting, presentation, and stakeholder engagement capabilities.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and deadline-driven approach.
• Strong collaborative skills across design, construction, scheduling, cost, IT/telecom, security, commissioning, and owner teams.
• Practical, field-informed approach with the ability to anticipate constructability, sequencing, commissioning, and operational challenges.
• Commitment to technical excellence, quality, resilience, and continuous improvement.
  
  
  

Parsons equally employs representation at all job levels no matter the race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information.

We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!

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