Fire Protection Engineer (5+Years)

Coffman Engineers Inc.; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Competitive benefits

Job summary

Coffman Engineers is seeking a highly skilled Fire Protection Engineer to join our Downtown Los Angeles office.

You will lead fire protection design, code analysis, and client coordination across disciplines, contributing from planning through construction while mentoring junior staff.

This role offers a hybrid schedule and the opportunity to grow with a national engineering firm.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in fire protection engineering or consulting.
• FE/EIT required; PE preferred.
• Experience applying California Building Code, California Fire Code, NFPA standards, and local permitting processes.
• Experience preparing construction documents, technical reports, and engineering calculations using industry-standard software tools.

Responsibilities

• Provide fire/life safety consulting services for a variety of building types and clients.
• Perform code analyses, egress analyses, and life safety evaluations.
• Design and analyze automatic fire suppression, fire detection, alarm, and mass notification systems.
• Prepare engineering calculations, technical reports, and construction documents.
• Coordinate with architecture, structure, MEP, and other disciplines across Coffman offices.
• Manage project tasks, schedules, and budgets while ensuring quality.

Skills

Fire protection engineering

Project coordination

Client interaction

Technical reporting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Fire Protection Engineering or related field

FE/EIT required

Tools

Revit

AutoCAD

Bluebeam

Microsoft Office

CONTAM

FDS

Pathfinder

Hydraulic calculation software

Job description

Company Description

At Coffman Engineers, we serve as both prime consultant and sub consultant on projects large and small, including commercial, retail, institutional, government, industrial, and project/construction management. Incorporated in 1979, we have employees in more than 24 locations serving clients across the United States and overseas. To meet client objectives and to integrate our many disciplines, we can create teams comprised of civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, fire protection, and corrosion control, as well as project/construction managers and professionals in a variety of specialty services. This ability has made us a leader in the engineering and construction communities, and has strengthened our reputation as being progressive, innovative, and a great place to work.

Job Description

Coffman Engineers is seeking a highly skilled and self-motivated Fire Protection Engineer with at least five (5) years of experience to join our growing Downtown Los Angeles office. The successful candidate will support the design and delivery of fire protection engineering projects while working closely with clients, architects, contractors, authorities having jurisdiction, and multidisciplinary project teams.

This role focuses on project delivery, technical analysis and design, client coordination, and supporting the continued growth of our fire protection engineering practice. The successful candidate will contribute to projects from planning through construction while collaborating with engineers across multiple disciplines and Coffman offices.

This position is ideal for an engineer who enjoys responsibility, client interaction, and technical problem solving while developing project management and leadership skills. The role offers the opportunity to grow with an established fire protection group while contributing to the long-term success of the Downtown Los Angeles office.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Provide fire/life safety consulting services for a variety of building types and clients.
• Perform building and fire code analysis, egress analysis, fire-resistance-rated construction analysis, and life safety evaluations.
• Design and analyze automatic fire suppression, fire detection, alarm, and mass notification systems.
• Prepare engineering calculations, technical reports, code studies, plans, specifications, and construction documents.
• Support smoke control system design, analysis, testing, and special inspection activities.
• Develop code alternatives, engineering judgments, and performance-based design approaches where appropriate.
• Coordinate fire protection and life safety requirements with architectural, structural, civil, mechanical, electrical, and low voltage disciplines.
• Manage project tasks and deliverables while maintaining quality, schedule, and budget objectives.
• Participate in client meetings, site visits, field investigations, construction meetings, and discussions with authorities having jurisdiction.
• Review submittals, shop drawings, RFIs, contractor requests, and field conditions during construction.
• Assist with proposal development, scope preparation, and fee estimates.
• Support client development efforts through strong project delivery, technical excellence, and client relationships.
• Coordinate with other Coffman offices to balance workload and share technical expertise.
• Contribute to office growth initiatives and maintain positive relationships within the local A/E/C community.

The successful individual will assist project managers, department leadership, and business development staff in developing technical proposals and supporting client relationships. Candidates should be comfortable working directly with architects, owners, contractors, authorities having jurisdiction, and other project stakeholders while delivering high-quality engineering consulting services.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in fire protection engineering or consulting.
• Bachelor's degree in Fire Protection Engineering, Fire Sciences, or related engineering field.
• FE/EIT required, PE preferred.
• Experience performing fire/life safety code analysis and designing fire protection systems for building projects.
• Experience applying the California Building Code, California Fire Code, applicable NFPA standards, and local permitting processes.
• Experience preparing construction documents, technical reports, and engineering calculations using industry-standard software tools.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple assignments and responsibilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• California Fire Protection Engineer PE registration.
• Experience coordinating with multidisciplinary project teams.
• Experience with fire suppression, fire alarm, and mass notification system design and analysis.
• Experience performing building and fire code analysis, egress analysis, and passive fire protection evaluations.
• Experience with smoke control systems, special inspections, commissioning, or acceptance testing.
• Experience developing code alternatives, engineering judgments, or performance-based design approaches.
• Experience with healthcare, aerospace, industrial, laboratory, higher education, K-12, civic, commercial, or institutional projects.
• Experience with construction administration and contractor coordination.
• Experience managing project scope, schedule, budget, and client communication.
• Proficiency with Revit, AutoCAD, Bluebeam, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Experience with CONTAM, FDS, Pathfinder, hydraulic calculation software, or other fire protection engineering tools.
• Experience preparing proposals, scopes, and fee estimates.
• Experience collaborating with the Southern California architectural and engineering community.
• Participation in SFPE, NFPA, or other professional organizations.
• Experience in performing field investigations and existing-building assessments.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Self-starter, persistent, and follows through in a consistent manner.
• Passionate about client service and takes ownership of work product.
• Able to multi-task and prioritize in a fast-paced environment.
• Possesses strong critical thinking, organizational, and analytical abilities.
• Maintains positive working relationships with internal and external customers.
• Strong understanding of A/E/C industry terminology and procedures.
• Strong organizational ability, detail-oriented, high degree of accuracy.
• Performs well under pressure.
• Positive contributor to overall office and department goals, culture, and morale.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Ability to provide peer reviews of colleagues' work product.
• Ability to work with counterparts in other offices to share workload when required.
• Positive, can-do attitude.

Applicants should be well versed in fire protection engineering for buildings, including fire/life safety code consulting, fire suppression systems, fire alarm systems, egress analysis, passive fire protection strategies, and applicable California codes and NFPA standards. Experience with healthcare, laboratory, higher education, K-12, aerospace, industrial, civic, commercial, or institutional projects will be viewed favorably.

Compensation and Benefits

• Approximate Base Salary - $100,000 - $130,000 annually
• Paid overtime at 1.0 times hourly rate
• Competitive end-of-year discretionary bonus based on company/team/personal performance
• Hybrid Work Schedule(subject to change)
• 401k with maximum of 5% Contribution Matching for 9% Employee Contribution

This position is direct with Coffman Engineers; we are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. We do not discriminate on the basis of any status protected under federal, state, or local law.

Additional Information

Why You Want to Work Here

You could choose to work anywhere, so why work at Coffman Engineers? Because we are different - our culture sets us apart. Simply stated, we are a group of creative, high-performing people who like working together and believe that what we do makes a difference. Employees say that it feels like working with a group of friends in a small office while enjoying the benefits and perks of working for a large firm. Our culture isn't the only thing that makes us different, but it drives everything we do.

Coffman offers comprehensive benefits, including a flexible PTO program and a fun environment with family-friendly policies. We support and encourage individually tailored professional and technical advancement as well as personal growth.

Don't take our word for it. Check out what others are saying:

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Coffman-Engineers-Reviews-E409809.htm

• 47 years in business
• 900+ employees serving clients throughout the U.S. and overseas from more than 24 locations
• Multi-discipline engineering services plus corrosion control, commissioning and project/construction management
• 70+ employees in 9 offices, providing Fire Protection services since 2014
• #34 Top 80 Engineering Firms, Building Design + Construction, 2022
• #29 Zweig Group Hot Firm List, Zweig Group, 2021
• #161 Top 500 Design Firms, Engineering News-Record, 2023