Principal Project Manager MEP

Mott MacDonald; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Disability insurance

Paid holidays

PTO

Parental leave

Life insurance

Job summary

Mott MacDonald in Los Angeles seeks a Principal Project Manager to lead MEP services delivery for major energy, water, and heavy civil projects. This hands-on engineer and leader will collaborate with design teams, contractors, and equipment suppliers to ensure safe, functional, and efficient outcomes.

The role emphasizes design integration, risk management, and guiding teams through Design-Build and EPC delivery, with a hybrid in-office model and a strong safety culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred or ability to obtain through reciprocity.
• 20+ years of experience delivering complex multi-disciplinary MEP projects in energy, hydropower, water, industrial, or heavy civil sectors.
• Experience delivering projects through Design-Build, Progressive Design-Build, EPC, CM/GC, or similar models; strong design integration and risk management.

Responsibilities

• Serve as technical lead and project manager to deliver multi-disciplinary MEP projects from planning and design through construction and commissioning.
• Manage MEP design development through all stages, interfacing with architectural, civil, electro-mechanical disciplines and construction teams.
• Lead interactions with stakeholders, authorities, and regulatory agencies for system compliance.
• Collaborate with equipment and system suppliers during specification, procurement, design integration, FAT, installation, and commissioning.
• Oversee design reviews, risk management activities, and project execution planning.
• Provide leadership and work with contractors, suppliers, and clients to balance technical, schedule, cost, and construction objectives.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers and support team growth.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Mentoring

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Professional Engineer (PE) license

Tools

AutoCAD

Revit

Job description

At Mott MacDonald, we trust our brilliant people to do brilliant things in engineering, management, and development services, supporting multisector project work in over 150 countries. As one of the largest employee-owned companies in the world, we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver exceptional outcomes through our network of 20,000+ talented consultants. With sustainability and innovation at the heart of all our sectors in North America, including, Buildings, Energy, Transportation, and Water.

We believe in empowering our people to excel, learn, and grow, offering diverse opportunities to contribute to career-defining work. Join us and be part of a collaborative environment where your ambitions are united with ours, and you can truly shape your story.

If you share that vision, even if you don't meet every requirement listed, we'd still love to hear from you. We value potential and diverse perspectives as much as experience. Let's explore how we can support your growth and help you take the next step in your career, while contributing to an exciting new chapter for Mott MacDonald in North America.

We are seeking a Principal Project Manager to lead Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) services delivery for major energy, water, and heavy civil infrastructure projects. This is a hands-on role for an experienced engineer and project manager who enjoys solving complex technical challenges and working closely with design teams, contractors, and equipment manufacturers.

The successful candidate will play a lead role in delivering the essential systems that make a building or facility functional, safe, and comfortable - including for large-scale hydropower schemes, transport facilities, industrial and commercial sites and buildings and other buildings and facilities. Such essential systems include fire suppression, HVAC, service & sanitary water, drainage facilities, vertical transport, power & lighting, fire detection, security & access control, communications & data services, and building management systems.

They will work within collaborative delivery environments, helping integrate engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning activities while mentoring developing engineers and supporting the continued growth of Mott MacDonald's energy and infrastructure practice.

Role Responsibilities

• Serve as technical lead and project manager to deliver multi-disciplinary MEP projects from planning and design through construction and commissioning.
• Manage MEP design development through all stages, including interfacing with other project teams and design disciplines (e.g., architectural, civil, electro-mechanical, along with construction team), to ensure design and construction alignment.
• Lead and support interactions with key project stakeholders, relevant authorities, and regulatory agencies, to ensure system and design compliance and acceptability.
• Work closely with equipment and system suppliers throughout specification, procurement, design integration, factory acceptance testing (FAT), installation, and commissioning.
• Oversee and manage structured design reviews, risk management activities, and project execution planning.
• Provide leadership and work with contractors, suppliers, and clients to support successful delivery of complex MEP projects, balancing technical, schedule, cost, and construction objectives.
• Provide technical guidance during construction and assist in resolving field engineering, installation, and commissioning challenges.
• Lead preparation and submission of project bids, including interacting with clients to clarify and negotiate the successful award of project assignments.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers while helping build a high-performance MEP team.
• Promote a culture of safety, collaboration, innovation, and technical excellence.

Candidate Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred or ability to obtain through reciprocity.
• 20+ years of experience delivering complex multi-disciplinary MEP projects within the energy, hydropower, water, industrial, or heavy civil sectors.
• Demonstrated experience delivering projects through Design-Build, Progressive Design-Build, EPC, CM/GC, or similar alternative delivery models and good understanding of design integration, contractor collaboration, constructability, procurement, risk management, and construction-phase coordination.
• Strong project management, technical problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively with clients, contractors, suppliers, and internal project teams. Experience working with local authorities and regulatory agencies.
• Proven ability to mentor developing engineers and support team growth.

Benefits & Reward

At Mott MacDonald, our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, providing them with a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses. We provide a comprehensive benefit package that includes 401k, medical, dental and vision insurance, short-term/long-term disability, paid holidays, PTO, parental leave, and company paid life insurance.

Individual pay is determined based on several factors such as work location, education, experience, and unique skills.

The expected salary for this position is $200,000 - $250,000

Collaboration at Our Core

At Mott MacDonald, we believe great ideas happen when we're together. Our hybrid approach centers on an in-office culture, with most of your time spent collaborating face-to-face and a minimum of three days per week in the office. We balance flexibility with connection, so you and your manager can choose how to meet client, team, and personal commitments.

Equal opportunity is the law.

We seek to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they have the opportunity to contribute.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status or disability status.