Senior Fire Protection Engineer SME (Data Centers

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.

This job opportunity is available at ANY location in the United States. Ideally, selected candidates will be near a JACOBS U.S. based office, but we intend to hire the "best" candidates.

At Jacobs, we drive to make a positive impact on people’s lives everywhere by bringing solutions and adding value to our communities and society as a whole. Grow your career with Jacobs, a company that inspires and empowers you to deliver your best work so you can evolve, grow, and succeed – today and into tomorrow.

In our Mechanical Data Center team, we elevate our clients by delivering cost-effective and transformative projects. We understand that the success of our clients is about more than well-designed facilities; it’s about well-designed strategies tailored for every market and every location.

We are seeking a Senior Fire Protection Engineer / Subject Matter Expert (SME) to support our rapidly growing Data Center practice. This position will serve as the technical leader for fire protection engineering across multiple projects and programs, providing strategic guidance, mentoring staff, developing standards, and ensuring technical excellence for complex mission‑critical facilities.

In this role, you will collaborate with clients, architects, engineers, contractors, authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), and internal leadership teams to develop innovative fire protection designs that meet stringent reliability, operational, and code requirements. You will serve as a trusted advisor to project teams, contribute to business development efforts, and help shape the future direction of our fire protection capabilities within the Data Center market.

• Serve as the Fire Protection Engineering Senior Engineer/SME for Data Center and Mission Critical projects
• Provide technical leadership and oversight for fire protection system design, code analysis, and life safety engineering
• Establish project fire protection design criteria, basis of design reports, and technical standards
• Lead fire protection design reviews and quality assurance/quality control efforts across multiple projects
• Conduct code evaluations and interpretations using applicable NFPA, IBC, IFC, FM Global, and client-specific standards
• Develop suppression system concepts, including
• Water-based sprinkler systems
• Fire pumps and fire water storage systems
• Pre-action systems
• Clean agent systems
• Special hazards protection systems
• Perform and oversee hydraulic calculations for site fire water distribution networks, fire pumps, water storage tanks, and sprinkler systems
• Coordinate fire protection designs with mechanical, electrical, structural, civil, and architectural disciplines
• Interface directly with clients, insurance carriers, code officials, and AHJs to obtain approvals and resolve technical issues
• Support large‑scale campus master planning efforts and establish fire protection strategies for hyperscale and AI‑focused data center developments
• Mentor junior and mid‑level engineers and support discipline growth initiatives
• Assist project managers with scope development, staffing plans, budgets, schedules, and risk management
• Support proposal development, interviews, and business development activities within the Data Center market
• Maintain awareness of emerging technologies, codes, and industry trends impacting mission-critical facilities

Bring your curiosity, talent for multi-tasking and collaboration, and extreme organizational skills, and we’ll help you grow, pursue, and fulfill what drives you – so we can make big impacts on the world together.

• Bachelor's degree in Fire Protection Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related engineering discipline
• Professional Engineer (PE) license required
• 15+ years of fire protection engineering experience
• Demonstrated experience serving as a…