Senior Fire Protection Engineer-Data Center

Poutrix; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 101,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401K plan

Paid parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Poutrix is seeking a Senior Fire Protection Engineer located in Houston, Texas. The ideal candidate will support fire protection design solutions for data centers and mission-critical facilities. This role involves leading design efforts, collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams, and traveling to project sites.

Responsibilities include developing design packages, conducting site assessments, and maintaining client relationships. Candidates must have a relevant degree and PE license.

The position offers a competitive salary range of $101,000 – $175,000 and benefits including healthcare and paid time off.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience designing fire protection systems for data centers.
• Strong understanding of codes such as NFPA and IBC.
• Experience delivering Issued for Construction (IFC) design packages.

Responsibilities

• Lead fire protection design for data center projects.
• Develop construction-ready design packages including drawings and specifications.
• Provide mentorship to junior engineers.

Skills

Fire protection system strategies

Communication skills

Teamwork skills

Familiarity with MEP systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Fire Protection Engineering or related discipline

Professional Engineer (PE) license in Fire Protection

Tools

Revit

AutoCAD

HydraCAD

Sprink Cad FDT

Job description

Role Description

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Fire Protection Engineer with a strong background in data center and Industrial environments to support our U.S. Places Design & Engineering business. In this role, you will partner closely with multi‑disciplinary teams—including Mechanical, Electrical Engineers, Architects, and clients—to deliver fire protection design solutions for mission‑critical facilities, with a primary focus on data centers and Industrial projects. You will lead the fire protection discipline across multiple concurrent projects, guiding efforts from early pursuit and proposal through detailed design and construction administration. Periodic travel to project sites is expected (approximately 1 week per month) to support client engagement, site assessments, and project delivery.

Role Accountabilities

• Lead the fire protection design for data center and mission‑critical facility projects, ensuring systems meet reliability, redundancy, and uptime requirements
• Develop construction‑ready design packages including drawings, specifications, and coordinated BIM models, ensuring alignment across all disciplines
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers and designers
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, and architectural teams to integrate fire protection systems within complex, high‑density environments
• Support business development efforts, including proposals, cost estimates, schedules, and client engagement
• Perform site assessments, field investigations, and fire protection studies specific to data centers (e.g., suppression strategy, hazard analysis, system retrofits)
• Utilize and support modeling and design through tools such as Revit, BIM platforms, AutoCAD, Navisworks, and fire protection‑specific software (e.g., HydraCAD, Sprink Cad FDT, Aspire)
• Maintain strong client relationships and serve as a technical advisor on fire protection strategies for data center projects

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Fire Protection Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline
• Professional Engineer (PE) license in Fire Protection (U.S.) required
• Demonstrated experience designing fire protection systems for data centers, mission‑critical facilities, or high‑tech industrial environments
• Strong understanding of fire protection system strategies in data centers, including:
  • Clean agent systems (e.g., FK-5-12, Sapphire, Inergen, Aragonite)
  • Wet, Pre‑action, Deluge and dry pipe systems
  • Fire Alarm Design including VESDA Type and Beam Detection
  • Redundancy and cost‑effective design considerations
• Deep knowledge of applicable codes and standards including NFPA (e.g., NFPA 13, 20, 22, 24, 72, 75, 76), IFC, IBC, and FM Global guidelines
• Experience delivering Issued for Construction (IFC) design packages, ideally in complex or regulated environments
• Familiarity with high‑availability facility requirements and coordination with MEP systems supporting critical loads
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present technical solutions to clients and internal teams
• Strong teamwork skills for a hybrid work environment utilizing Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom

Benefits

Arcadis offers benefits for full‑time and part‑time positions. These benefits include medical, dental, and vision, EAP, 401K, STD, LTD, AD&D, life insurance, paid parental leave, reward & recognition program and optional benefits including wellbeing benefits, adoption assistance and tuition reimbursement. We offer nine paid holidays and 15 days PTO that accrue per year. The salary range for this position is $101,000 – $175,000. Actual salaries will vary and are based on several factors, such as experience, education, budget, internal equity, project and location.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Arcadis is an equal opportunity employer. We are dedicated to a policy of non‑discrimination in employment on any basis including race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.