Director of Smoke Control Services - WSP USA

This Opportunity

WSP, an award winning and innovative multi disciplinary engineering consulting firm, is seeking a dynamic and experienced engineer to lead our specialized engineering group focused on smoke control services.  As the Director of Smoke Control Services within the Fire & Life Safety Specialty Services (FLS) group, you will oversee technical quality, maintain the standard of care, and assist with talent acquisition in the delivery of our smoke control services.  The position may be staffed from any WSP office in the Continental U.S.; however, preference will be given to candidates willing to work in proximity to one of the following locations:  Houston, TX; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO, Columbia, MD, Irvine, CA, or New York, City.

WSP works closely with architects, owners and engineers from around the world on large, complex projects with a focus on user experience, operational efficiency, and sustainability in the built environment.  Smoke Control is a critical design component that requires a consistent and efficient response from seasoned staff.  This position will play a crucial role in developing consistent internal standards, driving innovation, ensuring compliance, and fostering a culture of excellence within the team.

Your Impact

Technical Leadership

• Lead and guide the engineering team in designing, analyzing, and implementing efficient and industry leading smoke control solutions for a wide range of complex projects.
• Develop and maintain engineering standards, procedures, and best practices to ensure the delivery of high-quality smoke control services.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate smoke control solutions seamlessly within larger building and infrastructure projects.
• Stay up to date with the latest industry trends, codes, regulations, and technologies related to smoke control systems.
• Oversee the development of rational analyses, simulations, and modeling for smoke control systems.
• Work closely with the team to validate performance predictions, troubleshoot issues, and optimize the efficiency of smoke control solutions.
• Collaborate with clients and stakeholders to present technical findings, analyses, and recommendations.
• Coordinate and collaborate with third-party special inspection teams to ensure that smoke control installations and systems are reviewed and approved in compliance with regulations and standards.
• Facilitate communication between the engineering group and third-party inspectors to address any concerns or recommendations.
• Develop standards, procedures, and documentation for performing third-party special inspections of smoke control systems.

Standard of Care

• Ensure that all smoke control services adhere to the highest standard of care, safety, and quality.
• Review and approve engineering deliverables to confirm compliance with industry regulations, codes, and client requirements.
• Implement robust quality assurance and quality control processes to minimize errors and ensure accurate project outcomes.
• Maintain internal documentation including but not limited to: sample approaches for multiple smoke control scenarios, testing documents, and reports, and special inspection documentation.

Talent Acquisition and Maintenance

• Work with FLS leadership and HR to source, recruit, and onboard top engineering talent to expand the capabilities of the smoke control services group.
• Provide mentorship, guidance, and professional development opportunities to team members to foster growth and skill enhancement.
• Cultivate a collaborative and innovative work environment that encourages idea sharing and continuous learning.

Culture and Personality
Candidates will be expected to possess as many of these attributes as possible:

• Highly collaborative with a proactive approach to communications.
• Timeliness on deliverables, communication, and meeting deadlines.  
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to lead internal team meetings.
• Resourceful self-starter with the ability to work productively on multiple projects, simultaneously, and under strict deadlines.
• Interest in evolving trends in the built environment across various vertical markets (healthcare/commercial/science & tech/hospitality/mission critical, cultural, etc.)

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Fire Protection Engineering or a related field; Master's degree in Fire Protection Engineering preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant post education experience in a design, consulting, modeling, inspection, or project management role, or combined, within the fire protection engineering industry.
• Proven experience (5+ years) in designing and implementing smoke control solutions, with a deep understanding of related codes and standards.
• Superior proficiency in relevant software tools for simulations, modeling, and engineering analysis, including historical analysis tools, but specifically FDS and CONTAM.  Proficiency with Pyrosim and Pathfinder preferred.
• Ability to learn and become proficient with customized internal project management software.
• Experience working on projects with third-party special inspections and understanding of inspection procedures.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Master’s Degree in Engineering.
• Professional Engineering (PE) license highly preferred.  
• Commensurate field experience will be also considered.

WSP Benefits

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings. 

Compensation- Expected Salary (all locations): $145,000- $175,000

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

Expected Salary (Colorado only): $145,000-165,000

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and/or offer for this position within the state of Colorado, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

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