Senior Fire Protection Engineer

HDR•Saint Louis Park, MN

About The Position

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world? Watch Our Story:' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story' Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world. We believe building engineering is more than systems and structures, it’s about powering progress and enabling innovation. As part of HDR’s Building Engineering Services Group, you’ll help design the critical infrastructure that supports the digital age and shapes the spaces where people work, connect, and thrive. From high-performance data centers driving the future of AI to dynamic commercial environments, your work will directly support technological advancement, sustainability, and human experience. We bring together mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil engineering experts to solve complex design challenges with precision, creativity, and collaboration. Whether you're optimizing energy efficiency, integrating resilient systems, or engineering the backbone of next-generation facilities, your contributions will help define the future of the built environment. This isn’t just a job, it’s a chance to lead innovation, engineer impact, and build a legacy of excellence. As a Senior Fire Protection Engineer as part of HDR’s Fire & Life Safety (FLS) team, you will apply deep industry knowledge, analytical and technical expertise, and a system-wide mindset to help our clients, optimize business interests, and mitigate risks in an ever-changing building code and regulatory environment. We are looking for an exceptional individual to participate and provide technical direction in services such as these: active and passive fire and life safety systems, code consulting, life safety and egress evaluations, performance based design, fire/smoke/egress modeling, inspection and plan review, hazard and risk analysis, emergency management and planning, structural fire protection, fire root cause analysis, and accessibility consulting. This job is a good fit for you if you are self-motivated, goal- and detail-oriented, take pride and responsibility for your work, enjoy leading and developing teams, are energized by working with clients, and want to advance your career in FLS within a top-tier A/E Firm that appreciates you and your ambitions. We will count on you to bring your experience and skills to the job, while keeping an open mind about alternative approaches to engineering design, production, and problem-solving. Travel (domestic and international) may be required at various times. Travel is estimated to be 15%25 or less.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Fire Protection Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering
A minimum of 10 years with experience in Fire Protection and Life Safety Design. This includes experience in: code review and interpretation, life safety, detection systems, suppression systems, and fire alarm systems
Requires professional engineering license recognized by the licensing board for the location of the position offered. Example: Professional Engineer (PE or P.Eng) license.
Does programming and is capable of conceptualizing and designing complex systems and projects
An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must

Nice To Haves

20+ years of technical and experience in a technical fire protection design or consulting role involving fire protection systems is preferred
Project management experience
Working knowledge of NFPA codes as applicable to HDR's project types
Cultivate good working relationships with project managers, project teams, FLS teammates, and other clients as we grow our team
Travel may be needed at various times, both domestically, and internationally
Travel is estimated to be approximately 15%25 or less and will vary depending upon project and client needs

Responsibilities

Fire protection engineering and code consulting efforts; you will be responsible as engineer of record for many projects across the country.
Project management, responsible for managing dedicated fire & life safety projects.
Performing analysis of existing fire protection systems, as well as designing new fire protection systems including suppression systems, fire detection, fire alarm and mass notification systems
Providing consulting for life safety, building, and fire code compliance.
Develop thorough and clear Design Analysis, Summary of Code Requirements and Life Safety Plans, and accurate Reports.
Planning and design details including engineering concepts, distribution plans, riser diagrams, detail drawings, schedules, specifications, design analysis, engineering reports, etc.
Occasional on-site project observations and reviews; duties required to fulfill contractual obligations for construction phase services; overseeing other personnel assigned to this responsibility.
Managing day-to-day contacts with internal and external clients while utilizing experience and technology to meet expectations.
Experience in designing fire sprinkler, suppression, and fire alarm systems layouts utilizing hydraulic calculation programs, and knowledge of NFPA Codes, and International Building and Fire Codes is required.
Maintain membership in appropriate professional organizations as requested by or approved by HDR.