Lead Mechanical Engineer - Buildings

WSP Global Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 115,000 - 171,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP USA is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer with deep experience in healthcare facilities to support complex acute-care, outpatient, and specialty medical projects. This role emphasizes reliability, infection control, maintainability, and regulatory compliance within hospitals and other regulated clinical environments.

Responsibilities include leading design teams, coordinating with multi-disciplinary groups, and ensuring high-quality documentation through all project phases, from programming

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Architectural Engineering.
• 7–10 years of progressive mechanical engineering experience with healthcare facilities.
• Professional Engineer (P.E.) license required.
• Experience delivering hospital or complex healthcare projects from design through construction close‑out.
• Proficiency with Revit and AutoCAD.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage mechanical design for healthcare facilities including hospitals, inpatient towers, surgical suites, imaging departments, and central utility plants.
• Serve as mechanical discipline lead and primary technical point of contact for healthcare clients, architects, and internal project teams.
• Guide projects through programming, schematic design, design development, construction documents, construction administration, and commissioning support.
• Provide technical leadership for HVAC, hydronic, medical gas, plumbing, and building automation systems specific to healthcare environments.
• Develop and review system concepts with emphasis on redundancy, resiliency, infection prevention, pressure relationships, and patient/staff safety.
• Coordinate with electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and architectural teams to ensure fully integrated healthcare designs.
• Oversee construction administration activities including submittal review, RFIs, site observations, and issue resolution.
• Ensure compliance with applicable codes and standards including FGI Guidelines, NFPA, ASHRAE, local AHJ requirements, and healthcare accreditation standards.
• Prepare technical reports, calculations, specifications, and basis‑of‑design documentation.
• Support project budgets, schedules, scope management, and staffing planning.
• Mentor junior mechanical engineers and support QA/QC processes.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Safety-focused

Leadership

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Architectural Engineering

Tools

Revit

AutoCAD

Job description

Lead Mechanical Engineer – Healthcare Facilities

WSP is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer with deep experience in healthcare facilities to support complex acute-care, outpatient, and specialty medical projects. This role focuses on delivering high‑quality mechanical engineering solutions for hospitals, medical office buildings, cancer centers, behavioral health facilities, and highly regulated clinical environments. The position supports projects from early planning and design through construction administration and close‑out, with a strong emphasis on reliability, infection control, maintainability, and regulatory compliance.

Your Impact

• Lead and manage mechanical engineering design for healthcare facilities including hospitals, inpatient towers, surgical suites, imaging departments, and central utility plants.
• Serve as mechanical discipline lead and primary technical point of contact for healthcare clients, architects, and internal project teams.
• Guide projects through all phases including programming, schematic design, design development, construction documents, construction administration, and commissioning support.
• Provide technical leadership for HVAC, hydronic, medical gas, plumbing, and building automation systems specific to healthcare environments.
• Develop and review system concepts with emphasis on redundancy, resiliency, infection prevention, pressure relationships, and patient/staff safety.
• Coordinate with electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and architectural teams to ensure fully integrated healthcare designs.
• Oversee construction administration activities including submittal review, RFIs, site observations, and issue resolution.
• Ensure compliance with applicable codes and standards including FGI Guidelines, NFPA, ASHRAE, local AHJ requirements, and healthcare accreditation standards.
• Prepare technical reports, calculations, specifications, and basis‑of‑design documentation.
• Support project budgets, schedules, scope management, and staffing planning.
• Mentor junior mechanical engineers and support QA/QC processes.

Healthcare Mechanical Engineering Focus Areas

• Airborne infection isolation and pressure‑control strategies
• High‑reliability HVAC systems for operating rooms and procedural spaces
• Central plant and utility distribution systems
• Medical gas systems and coordination
• Energy efficiency, heat recovery, and decarbonization strategies compatible with healthcare operations
• System commissioning, functional performance testing, and turnover documentation

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Architectural Engineering.
• 7–10 years of progressive mechanical engineering experience with a strong concentration in healthcare facilities.
• Demonstrated experience delivering hospital or complex healthcare projects from design through construction close‑out.
• Professional Engineer (P.E.) license required.
• Strong knowledge of healthcare HVAC systems, hydronic systems, and building automation/control sequences.
• Working knowledge of FGI Guidelines, NFPA standards, ASHRAE healthcare applications, and local healthcare AHJ requirements.
• Proficiency with Revit and AutoCAD.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to present complex technical concepts to clinical, facilities, and executive stakeholders.
• Commitment to safety, quality, and ethical engineering practice.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with acute care hospitals, academic medical centers, or specialty healthcare facilities.
• Experience with commissioning, TAB coordination, and operational readiness for healthcare environments.
• Familiarity with infection control risk assessments (ICRA) and healthcare phasing strategies.
• LEED or healthcare‑related sustainability experience.
• Experience leading multi‑disciplinary design teams on complex projects.

WSP Benefits:

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.

Compensation:

Expected Salary: $115,200- $171,100

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.