Fire Protection Engineer

<div class="content-intro"><h3><strong><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">ABOUT xAI</span></strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">xAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">All employees are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.</span></p></div><h3><strong>ABOUT THE ROLE:</strong></h3>
<p>We are seeking an exceptional Fire Protection Engineer to design, implement, and optimize advanced fire protection and life safety systems for xAI’s high-density AI supercomputing facilities and on-site power generation infrastructure. This role focuses on protecting mission-critical environments with extreme power densities, liquid cooling systems, and large-scale natural gas generation while meeting the highest standards of reliability, code compliance, and operational uptime.</p>
<p>You will own fire protection strategy from conceptual design through construction, commissioning, and ongoing operations. This is a full-time, onsite role based in the Memphis region, working closely with mechanical, electrical, thermal, gas pipeline, and construction teams.</p>
<h3><strong>RESPONSIBILITIES:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>Design and engineer comprehensive fire protection systems for data centers and power plants, including clean agent suppression, pre-action sprinkler systems, water mist, fire detection/alarm, smoke control, and gas detection.</li>
<li>Perform fire hazard analyses, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) fire modeling, and risk assessments for high-heat-flux GPU clusters, battery storage, and natural gas turbine installations.</li>
<li>Develop fire protection drawings, P&IDs, specifications, sequences of operations, and performance-based design approaches.</li>
<li>Integrate fire protection systems with HVAC, liquid cooling, electrical infrastructure, and gas pipeline safety systems to ensure coordinated performance.</li>
<li>Ensure full compliance with NFPA (70, 72, 75, 76, 855, 2001), IBC, IFC, FM Global, and local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) requirements.</li>
<li>Support permitting, authority approvals, and third-party reviews; participate in commissioning, integrated system testing, and handover to operations.</li>
<li>Conduct failure mode analysis, root cause investigations, and continuous improvement of fire protection standards for current and future facilities.</li>
<li>Provide technical guidance during construction and act as a subject matter expert during any fire protection-related incidents or drills.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>Bachelor’s degree in Fire Protection Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.</li>
<li>1+ years of experience in fire protection system design and engineering, with direct experience in data centers, mission-critical facilities, or power generation plants.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>Experience designing fire protection for hyperscale AI/HPC data centers or large natural gas-fired power generation facilities.</li>
<li>Hands-on experience with clean agent systems (Novec 1230, FM-200), very early warning smoke detection (VESDA), and water mist systems.</li>
<li>Familiarity with performance-based design approaches and alternative means and methods approvals.</li>
<li>Experience working with AHJs in Tennessee and Texas.</li>
<li>Knowledge of integrating fire protection with liquid cooling and high-density electrical systems.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>Willingness to work extended hours and be fully onsite as needed during critical design, construction, and commissioning phases.</li>
<li>Ability to work in active construction and industrial environments.</li>
<li>Strong communication and documentation skills for collaborating with internal teams, contractors, consultants, and regulators.</li>
</ul><div class="content-conclusion"><p><em>xAI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our </em><em><a href="https://x.ai/legal/recruitment-privacy-notice" target="_blank">Recruitment Privacy Notice</a>.</em></p></div>