Plumbing Design Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Position Overview

The Plumbing Design Manager is responsible for leading the plumbing engineering and design department while overseeing the development, coordination, and execution of plumbing systems for multifamily, mixed-use, hospitality, senior living, student housing, and commercial construction projects. This role provides both technical and operational leadership, ensuring high-quality design deliverables while maintaining close collaboration with preconstruction, project management, and field operations teams.

The ideal candidate is a licensed Professional Engineer with a strong background in design-build plumbing engineering and experience leading design teams in a fast-paced construction environment. This position offers the opportunity to play a key leadership role in the continued growth and expansion of a large-scale MEP operation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the plumbing design and engineering team, including workload planning, staffing, mentoring, and professional development.
• Oversee the design and engineering of plumbing, domestic water, sanitary sewer, storm drainage, natural gas, and specialty piping systems.
• Provide technical leadership throughout project lifecycles from conceptual design through construction support and project closeout.
• Collaborate closely with project management, estimating, preconstruction, VDC, and field operations teams to ensure successful project execution.
• Review and approve plumbing calculations, drawings, specifications, BIM models, and engineering deliverables.
• Establish and maintain engineering standards, quality control procedures, and design best practices.
• Participate in design-build pursuits, conceptual budgeting, value engineering, and constructability reviews.
• Coordinate plumbing designs with mechanical, electrical, structural, architectural, and fire protection disciplines.
• Support field operations by resolving design issues, reviewing RFIs, and assisting with installation challenges.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on design efficiency, standardization, and innovation.
• Ensure all plumbing designs comply with California Plumbing Code, local jurisdiction requirements, and applicable industry standards.
• Develop strong relationships with developers, architects, consultants, and project stakeholders.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop engineering talent to support continued departmental growth.

Qualifications

• Active California Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Plumbing Engineering, or related technical field required.
• 8+ years of plumbing engineering and design experience.
• 3–5+ years of leadership experience managing plumbing design or engineering teams.
• Proven experience working within a design-build mechanical contractor, plumbing contractor, or EPC environment.
• Strong experience designing plumbing systems for multifamily residential projects.
• Experience with mixed-use, student housing, senior living, hospitality, and commercial developments preferred.
• Strong understanding of plumbing codes, regulations, design standards, and industry best practices.
• Experience coordinating directly with construction operations and field personnel.
• Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and team-building skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive experience supporting large-scale multifamily and residential developments throughout California.
• Proficiency with Revit, AutoCAD, Bluebeam, Navisworks, and BIM coordination platforms.
• Experience with domestic water sizing, sanitary sewer systems, storm drainage systems, natural gas systems, and plumbing fixture calculations.
• Familiarity with prefabrication, modular construction, and design-build delivery methods.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary coordination meetings and constructability reviews.
• Strong understanding of project budgeting, scheduling, and preconstruction processes.