Fire Protection Superintendent / QCM (Sprinkler Fitter, Fire Alarm Installer, or Fire Protection Inspector Background)
3 days ago
San Diego
About RX3 Communications RX3 Communications, Inc. is a HUBZone-certified, ISO 9001:2015-certified federal design-build general contractor headquartered in Reno, Nevada. We specialize in electrical, fire protection, and telecommunications systems for federal customers including NAVFAC, USACE, GSA, DLA, and IHS. Our core contract is a $240 million, eight-year NAVFAC fire protection MACC covering design-build fire suppression, fire alarm, and fire protection system projects across Navy and Marine Corps installations. Fire protection is the center of gravity for this company. We are not a general contractor that occasionally does fire protection work — fire protection design-build is our primary business. The Role — Fire Protection Superintendent / QCM (Sprinkler Fitter, Fire Alarm Installer, or Fire Protection Inspector Background) We are hiring a fire protection field leader for federal design-build projects in the San Diego, CA area. We are looking for someone who has built, installed, inspected, or tested fire suppression and fire alarm systems with their own hands — and has moved into a foreman, superintendent, or lead role where they now run projects and manage crews. You might be a sprinkler fitter foreman who has been running pipe crews for the last several years. You might be a fire alarm installation lead who wires and programs panels and now manages a team. You might be a fire protection inspector who has spent years witnessing hydrostatic tests and functional testing and knows what good work looks like. Whatever path you took, you understand fire protection systems from the inside out because you've physically built or inspected them — and that's exactly what we need. Why does that matter? RX3 is a general contractor that manages fire protection subcontractors on Navy and Marine Corps installations. Our field leader needs to evaluate sub work quality in real time, catch code issues before they become Government rejections, and engage technically with our fire protection engineer and the NAVFAC inspectors who review our projects. A superintendent with fire protection trade experience sees things that a general construction superintendent will miss. As the company grows toward selective self-performance of fire alarm installation, your hands-on experience will also be foundational to building that in-house capability. Work is primarily in San Diego County (Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Point Loma, NAS North Island, Naval Base Coronado). Some projects may require temporary assignment to other federal installations in California or nationally. Per diem and travel expenses provided for out-of-area assignments. What You Will Do Field Leadership (Superintendent or QCM, assigned per project) • Lead day-to-day construction operations on fire protection design-build projects, • Provide technical oversight of fire protection subcontractors — review sprinkler head layout, piping routing, fire alarm device placement, and system testing against contract specifications and applicable codes, • Serve as Superintendent (managing schedule, sub coordination, Government interface) or QCM (executing the three-phase QC inspection system per UFGS 01 45 00.00 10), as assigned based on project needs, • Conduct or support preparatory, initial, and follow-up inspections for fire protection work including: underground piping, above-ground piping, sprinkler head installation, fire alarm rough-in, fire alarm termination and programming, hydrostatic testing, flow testing, and system functional testing, • Review fire protection submittals (sprinkler shop drawings, hydraulic calculations, fire alarm riser diagrams, equipment cut sheets) for compliance before Government submission, • Coordinate with the fire protection engineer / designer of record on field questions, design clarifications, and as-built documentation, • Interface with NAVFAC QA representatives, base fire marshals, and AHJ inspectors during system inspections and acceptance testing, • Identify and escalate field issues, differing site conditions, and potential change order items promptly Fire Protection Technical Oversight • Verify fire suppression installations comply with NFPA 13, NFPA 14, NFPA 20, NFPA 24, and contract-specific UFC requirements, • Verify fire alarm installations comply with NFPA 72 and applicable UL listings, • Witness and document hydrostatic tests, flow tests, alarm verification tests, and integrated system functional tests, • Identify code compliance issues, workmanship deficiencies, and specification deviations during construction — not after the fact during Government inspection, • Provide field-level input to the PM on fire protection scope questions, potential change orders, and constructability issues Safety (SSHO-capable, assigned per project) • When assigned as SSHO: execute the site safety program per EM 385-1-1, review and approve Activity Hazard Analyses for fire protection work activities, • Maintain current OSHA 30-hour and EM 385-1-1 40-hour certifications Required Qualifications • Minimum 5 years of hands-on fire alarm installation, fire suppression system installation, or fire protection inspection and testing experience, • At least 2 of those years in a foreman, superintendent, lead installer, or lead inspector role on fire protection projects valued at $500,000 or more, • Working knowledge of NFPA 13 (sprinkler) and/or NFPA 72 (fire alarm) from field application — you have used these codes on the job, not just studied them, • Ability to read and interpret fire protection shop drawings, hydraulic calculations, fire alarm riser diagrams, and reflected ceiling plans, • NICET Level II or higher in Fire Alarm Systems, Water-Based Systems Layout, Inspection and Testing, or equivalent state fire alarm / sprinkler technician certification, • OSHA 30-hour Construction Safety certification (or ability to obtain within 60 days of hire — training paid by company), • EM 385-1-1 40-hour certification (or ability to obtain within 60 days of hire — training paid by company), • Valid driver's license and ability to pass a federal background check for military installation access (DBIDS), • U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status (required for unescorted access to federal facilities) Preferred Qualifications — These Will Move You to the Top Residence in a HUBZone-qualified census tract. RX3 is a certified HUBZone small business. Employees who reside in HUBZone-qualified areas help the company maintain its certification, which is critical to our federal contracting eligibility. HUBZone-qualified areas in the San Diego metro include National City, southeastern San Diego (Encanto, Lincoln Park, Valencia Park), western Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, and San Ysidro. Check any address at maps.certify.sba.gov/hubzone/map. A relocation incentive may be available for candidates willing to establish residence in a qualifying area. • NICET Level III or IV — candidates with Level III or IV will be compensated at the top of the salary range, • Dual fire protection experience (both fire alarm and fire suppression) — significantly preferred, as our project portfolio spans both scopes, • Journeyman Electrician credential in addition to fire protection experience, • Experience on NAVFAC, USACE, or other federal agency fire protection projects, • Experience with the USACE/NAVFAC three-phase QC system (UFGS 01 45 00.00 10), • QCM-C or CQM-C certification, or experience as a QC Manager on federal projects, • Experience with specific fire alarm panels: Notifier, Simplex, EST/Edwards, Gamewell, • Experience with fire pump systems (NFPA 20), foam suppression, deluge, or pre-action systems, • Experience on projects involving hazardous area fire protection (munitions handling, fuel facilities, Class I Div 1/Div 2), • Davis-Bacon / prevailing wage project experience, • California State Fire Marshal fire alarm technician certification What We Offer • Competitive salary ($80,000 – $120,000) — NICET III/IV and dual-qualified candidates command the top of the range, • Direct impact: you are the fire protection expert in a company built around fire protection. Your technical judgment directly shapes project outcomes., • Company vehicle or vehicle allowance, • Tool allowance for personal tools used on company projects, • Health insurance cash stipend, 401(k), and paid time off, • NICET certification and recertification fees paid by RX3 — if you're at Level II and want to pursue Level III, we support that, • Support for additional professional development: OSHA training, QCM certification, EM 385-1-1, • HUBZone relocation incentive (if applicable), • Stability: RX3 holds a $240 million, eight-year NAVFAC fire protection contract providing long-term project visibility and career security RX3 Communications, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage applications from veterans, HUBZone residents, and individuals from historically underrepresented communities in the construction trades.