Senior Mechanical Engineer

Salas O'Brien; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Stock purchase options

Paid holidays

Job summary

Salas O'Brien is hiring a Senior Mechanical Engineer in San Diego, CA. This role combines technical plumbing expertise with leadership responsibilities and involves hands‑on project work, client engagement, and mentoring. The ideal candidate has over 10 years of experience in mechanical systems projects, particularly in healthcare design. The position requires expertise in Autodesk software, complex HVAC load calculations, and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams. Competitive compensation and benefits package includes medical, dental, and stock options, with a salary range of $140,000 to $200,000.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• 10+ years of experience engineering and managing mechanical systems projects from start to finish for the built environment.
• Client engagement and business development experience.
• Registration as P.E. preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide a superior level of technical services to clients for their projects and technical support requirements.
• Identify, formulate, and initiate solutions to complex problems requiring multiple-discipline involvement.
• Coordinate work activities that affect the quality of project control.
• Lead multidisciplinary project teams through all phases of design and construction.

Job description

At Salas O’Brien we tell our clients that we’re engineered for impact. This passion for making a difference applies just as much to our team as it does to our projects. That’s why we’re committed to living our values every day: inspiring, achieving, and connecting as shared owners of our success with a focus on a sustainable future.

Building for the long-term means that all of our team members can expect to work on amazing projects with a people-first approach to problem solving. It also means that each member of our team has truly limitless potential to build a unique, meaningful, and high-impact career—and they’ll receive great total rewards along the way.

About Us

Founded in 1975, Salas O’Brien is an employee‑owned engineering and professional services firm focused on achieving impact for our clients, our team, and the world. We know that tomorrow’s requirements are today’s opportunities, and we are here to design lasting solutions for pressing challenges.

We work across a variety of industries providing integrated engineering and consulting services. Our specialized experience includes design for data centers, healthcare, science and technology, high‑rise buildings, clean energy, education, and other building types as well as structural and building sciences, infrastructure asset management, advanced robotics, and more.

Our technical expertise is paired with an exceptional team of business development, human resources, finance and accounting, information technology, and marketing professionals, all of whom play a key role in bringing our commitments to life every day.

Job Summary

The Senior Mechanical Engineer will combine deep technical plumbing expertise with leadership responsibilities in growing our mechanical team. This role balances hands‑on project involvement with business development, client engagement, and mentoring of engineering staff. The successful candidate will drive innovation in healthcare mechanical design, lead project delivery, and contribute to the strategic growth of our healthcare portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Provide a superior level of technical services to our clients for their projects and technical support requirements, providing technical and project control direction, and mentoring to other engineers and designers.
• Provide engineering design, evaluation, and planning of mechanical systems for healthcare, life sciences, higher education, and data center market types.
• Identify, formulate, and initiate solutions to complex problems requiring multiple‑discipline involvement, along with discipline‑specific analytical tools.
• Perform work activities on an individual basis or within a project team with limited to no need for supervision.
• Coordinate work activities that affect the quality of project control, scope development, proposals, engineering & design, document control, inspection & testing, and commissioning.
• Review and check the work of others. Effectively apply self‑checking to their work.
• Identify and resolve complex problems that involve the use of conflicting or incomplete information.
• Advanced data gathering and site assessments at customers’ facilities.
• Review and editing of project specifications.
• High‑level and expert knowledge of California code requirements, including California Building Code (CBC) and HCAI‑specific requirements.
• Develop bidding documents for process equipment, fabrication, and construction.
• Ability to review Revit production models and work interactively with support staff in the development of project deliverables.
• This position is intended to provide guidance and direction for support staff.
• Oversee preparation of technical drawings and bid documents.
• Lead multidisciplinary project teams through all phases of design and construction.
• Serve as the primary client contact for plumbing design within projects.
• Perform QA/QC reviews of design work to ensure quality and compliance with applicable codes and standards.

Skills

• Client engagement and business development experience.
• Advanced expertise with Autodesk software (Revit, Navisworks).
• Ability to perform and review complex HVAC load calculations utilizing Energy Soft and Trace energy modeling software.
• Ability to comprehend, contribute to, and carry out strategies to manage our relationships with customers, suppliers, and alliance team members.
• Experience with leading engineering and design teams.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and take initiative to drive projects forward.

Team Contribution & Development

• Collaborate with project managers and support staff to deliver projects on schedule and within scope.
• Manage proposal development and provide technical input for projects as needed.
• Participate in knowledge sharing and continuous improvement of design standards and best practices.
• Contribute to a positive team environment through effective communication and management.
• Continue to build technical expertise in specialized mechanical systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• 10+ years of experience engineering and managing mechanical systems projects from start to finish for the built environment.
• Client engagement and business development experience.
• Registration as P.E. preferred.

Location

• San Diego, CA (on‑site with remote Fridays).

Travel

• Up to 30%.

Compensation & Benefits

Salas O’Brien health and welfare benefits are designed to invest in you, and in the things you care about. Your health. Your well‑being. Your security. Your future. Team members have access to medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to purchase company stock at a discount. Salas O’Brien has both U.S. and Canadian (PTO) plans for full‑time salaried, exempt and non‑team members, 10 paid holidays, and paid leave programs for military service and new parents. And certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock.

The base salary range for this position is $140,000 to $200,000. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Equal Opportunity Employment Statement

Salas O’Brien provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial, or local laws. Salas O’Brien will accommodate the disability‑related needs of applicants as required by law.