Plumbing and Fire Protection Designer
What you'll do
As Plumbing and Fire Protection Designer at Giga, you will produce the plumbing and fire protection designs for our AI data center infrastructure projects. You'll design restroom plumbing and roof drainage, lay out sprinkler systems and run the hydraulic calculations, prepare riser diagrams, and review and edit specifications. You'll collaborate with clients, architects, structural and mechanical engineers, electrical teams, code officials, and AHJs to deliver designs that meet stringent reliability, operational, and code requirements. Our Engineer of Record sets design direction and seals the drawings. This is a high-visibility, hands-on role for someone who takes pride in clean, correct drawings, works well with a team, and thrives in fast-paced, complex technical environments.
Where you'll work
This role is based in one of our offices (Houston, TX / Long Beach, CA / San Francisco, CA / Reno, NV) or Fully Remote. We work in person because the best engineering happens when smart people are in the same room. Some travel to active project sites and client meetings should be expected.
That said, we will make exceptions for truly exceptional talent if you live outside one of our hubs. If you're the right person for this role, we'll have a conversation about what works.
Responsibilities
Lay out sprinkler systems for data center and mission critical facilities, including data halls, support spaces, and administrative areas
Perform hydraulic calculations for sprinkler systems, fire pumps, water storage tanks, and site fire water distribution
Design plumbing systems for restrooms and support spaces, including domestic water, sanitary waste and vent, and fixtures
Design roof drainage and storm drainage systems
Prepare riser diagrams, plans, sections, details, and equipment schedules
Review and edit project specifications
Follow design direction from the Engineer of Record and incorporate review comments
Coordinate designs with architectural, mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil disciplines
Coordinate sprinkler releasing and interlock requirements with the fire alarm designer
Support submittal and RFI review during construction
Check your own work for cross-reference, calculation, and specification consistency before it goes out
Work on multiple concurrent projects and keep deliverables on schedule
Requirements
Minimum of 3+ years of plumbing and fire protection design experience
Plumbing design experience including domestic water, sanitary waste and vent, fixtures, and roof and storm drainage
Working knowledge of backflow prevention and cross-connection control requirements
Sprinkler system layout and hydraulic calculation experience on large commercial, industrial, or data center projects
Working knowledge of NFPA 13, 20, 22, 24, and 25, the International Building Code (IBC), International Fire Code (IFC), International Plumbing Code (IPC), and FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets
Proficiency in Revit and AutoCAD, and in hydraulic calculation software such as Elite Fire, AutoSPRINK, HASS, or HydraCALC
Able to follow direction from the Engineer of Record, incorporate review comments, and revise documents accordingly
Able to read, review, and edit specifications
A team player who communicates clearly, coordinates well with other disciplines, and is easy to work with
Able to carry multiple concurrent design assignments and deliver on schedule
Comfortable working with minimal day-to-day oversight and moving fast in a high-velocity environment
Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent.
Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification
NICET certification in Water-Based Systems Layout, Level III or higher
Data center and mission-critical facility experience, particularly with hyperscale, colocation, and AI-focused deployments
Experience with preaction, clean agent, and special hazards systems
Experience with rainwater harvesting systems
Familiarity with fire alarm systems, smoke detection systems
Experience with liquid-cooled, high-density compute halls
Experience developing or maintaining design standards and specification templates
Texas project experience and familiarity with local AHJ processes