Senior Mechanical Engineer - Federal

Jacobs; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Jacobs seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead HVAC and plumbing design for large Federal facilities. You will steer a talented team of EITs, designers and drafters, ensuring complete, accurate, and timely project delivery across the US and internationally.

You will collaborate with other trades, oversee field inspections, and apply UFCs/UFGS, LEED principles, and client-driven objectives. A PE license and Revit proficiency are required, with US citizenship.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) or Architectural Engineering (BSAE) is required.
• At least 10 years HVAC and Plumbing experience in a consulting engineering environment.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license is required.
• Revit experience is required.
• US Citizenship is required.
• Experience leading design and engineering teams in complex projects.
• Experience scheduling manpower and budgets for large projects.
• Strong ability to coordinate with architectural/engineering trades.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and engineering teams on mechanical and plumbing systems.
• Schedule manpower, project milestones, and budgets for multiple projects.
• Provide leadership in the execution of projects from concept to completion.
• Demonstrate technical understanding of plumbing and HVAC systems.
• Perform construction administration and field investigations with detailed reports.
• Design with UFCs, UFGS and other Federal delivery requirements.
• Apply LEED and USGBC guiding principles to projects.
• Communicate technical advice and engineering reasoning to clients and coordinate with other trades.

Skills

Team leadership

Scheduling & budgeting

Project leadership

HVAC design

Plumbing design

Field inspection

Federal specs (UFC/UFGS)

LEED knowledge

Client communication

Education

B.S. Mechanical Engineering or Architectural Engineering

Tools

Revit

Job description

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

At Jacobs our Senior Mechanical Engineers lead a range of skills as part of an integrated building services design. The mechanical team at Jacobs is consistently tasked with defining mechanical & plumbing solutions to aid our client’s in fulfilling their complicated mission. The engineering team leads are responsible for leading a talented team in system design for large Federal facilities across the United States and around the world. This leader must have a broad knowledge of how mechanical HVAC systems are designed. The engineers also coordinate their designs with other trades (architectural and engineering / internal and external). The Engineer takes ownership of the completeness, accuracy and timeliness of the projects working in conjunction with a technical team consisting of EITs, designers and drafters. The engineer is responsible for signing work done under their supervision. As the team leader you will also be responsible for the professional growth of your team. Our department is a great place for continuing your career with several technical subject matter experts. These people enjoy guiding and mentoring our mechanical engineers to their next career steps within the company. Our department is tasked with designing mechanical systems to meet our customers needs. The designs require the application of mechanical engineering design in unique ways to solve our client’s HVAC needs. Mechanical and plumbing system designs encompass chillers, boilers, radiant heating systems, natural gas distribution, and compressed air generation.

• Lead design and engineering teams


• Be responsible for scheduling, projecting manpower requirements, and budgets


• Leadership in execution of projects


• Technical understanding of plumbing, water and air side HVAC systems.


• Perform construction administration and field investigation tasks for assigned projects including conducting field inspections and subsequent detailed inspection reports


• Proficiency designing with UFCs, UFGS and other Federal delivery requirements


• Familiar with LEED and USGBC Guiding principles


• Communicate technical advice and engineering reasoning to client


• Direct work of engineers and coordination with other trades

Here’s what you’ll need

• Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) or Bachelor Degree in Architectural Engineering (BSAE) required


• Required at least 10 years HVAC and Plumbing experience working in a consulting engineering environment


• Professional Engineer License


• Revit experience


• US Citizenship is required

Our 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. Employees have access to medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to purchase company stock at a discount. Eligible employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan. Jacobs has a U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full-time salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, and caregiver leave. 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 $130,000.00 to $200,000.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. Job posted on November 10, 2026. This position will be open for at least 3 days.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.