
Fire Alarm Designer
Irvine, CAJob$25–35/hrSeen 3 days agoSeen in employer's feed 3 days ago
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At a glance
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Job overview
The Fire Alarm Designer supports the design and development of commercial fire alarm and life safety systems. Working with experienced designers, project managers, engineers, and field teams, the role assists with drawings, system layouts, documentation, and project updates. It is an entry-level opportunity for someone with drafting, AutoCAD, engineering, construction, or related technical experience, with training and guidance provided on systems, codes, standards, and company processes.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Benefits
Full job description
Job Summary: The Fire Alarm Designer supports the design and development of commercial fire alarm and life safety systems. This is an entry-level opportunity for someone with drafting, AutoCAD, engineering, construction, or related technical experience who is interested in building a career in fire alarm system design.
Working with experienced designers, Project Managers, Engineers, and Field Teams, this position assists with preparing design drawings, system layouts, documentation, and project updates. Training and guidance will be provided to help develop knowledge of fire alarm systems, applicable codes, design standards, and company processes.
Responsibilities:
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Assist with the design and drafting of commercial fire alarm and life safety systems under the guidance of experienced team members.
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Prepare and update CAD drawings, including floor plans, device layouts, riser diagrams, details, and other project documentation.
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Review architectural, electrical, and construction drawings to support accurate fire alarm system layouts.
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Assist with preparing design packages, submittals, bills of materials (BOMs), and supporting documentation.
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Learn and apply applicable fire alarm and life safety codes, including NFPA 72, NFPA 70 (NEC), IBC, IFC, and local requirements.
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Coordinate with Project Managers, Engineers, Field Teams, and other internal partners to support project requirements.
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Incorporate field changes, project revisions, and redlines into design drawings.
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Assist with maintaining accurate as-built drawings and project documentation.
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Support permit and AHJ submittals, including revisions and responses to design comments.
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Learn fire alarm device placement, system layouts, basic calculations, and integration with other building systems.
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Maintain organized project files and complete assigned design tasks within established schedules.
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Communicate professionally with team members and ask questions when additional technical guidance is needed.
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Perform additional duties and special projects as assigned.
Required Qualifications:
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High school diploma or GED required.
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Experience in using AutoCAD, CAD drafting, or supporting design/engineering projects.
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Basic proficiency with AutoCAD and the ability to create, modify, and maintain technical drawings.
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Ability to read and interpret architectural, electrical, engineering, or construction drawings.
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Basic computer proficiency, including Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat.
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Strong attention to detail with the ability and willingness to learn fire alarm design standards, codes, and processes.
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Good verbal and written communication skills.
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Ability to stay organized, manage assigned tasks, and work on multiple projects with guidance.
Preferred Qualifications:
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Associate degree, technical degree, certificate, or coursework in Drafting, CAD, Engineering Technology, Electronics, Fire Protection, Construction, or a related field.
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2+ years of experience in Fire CAD, CAD drafting, fire alarm design, electrical design, low-voltage systems, or a related technical field preferred.
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Previous fire alarm CAD/design experience is a plus.
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Experience with AutoCAD features such as XREFs, blocks, layers, plotting, and page setups.
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Familiarity with NFPA 72, NFPA 70 (NEC), fire alarm systems, or general life safety requirements.
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Exposure to commercial construction, electrical, low-voltage, or other building systems.
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Familiarity with Bluebeam, Revit, or BIM coordination is a plus.
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Exposure to fire alarm systems from manufacturers such as Notifier, Siemens, Edwards, Simplex, Potter, or Fire-Lite is a plus.
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NICET Fire Alarm Systems certification, or interest in pursuing NICET certification, is a plus.
Physical Demands:
In general, the following physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job.
- Must be able to effectively communicate, (ie see, hear, speak and write clearly) in order to communicate with colleagues and/or customers; manual dexterity required for occasional reaching, lifting of light office objects, and operating office equipment
Working Conditions:
In general, the following conditions of the work environment are representative of those that an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
- The office is clean, orderly, properly lighted and ventilated. Noise levels are considered low to moderate
Additional Information:
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Compensation: $25 - $35 per hour
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Working Hours: This position generally works Monday- Friday, overtime and on call when necessary
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Travel Requirements: Local if needed.
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Benefits:
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Medical
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Dental
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Vision
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Flexible Spending Accounts
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401K w/ company match
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Life/AD&D/LTD
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Paid Vacation/Sick/Holidays
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Employee Assistance Program
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Pet Insurance
Pay Range
$25.00 - $35.00
In order to support the Fair Compensation Strategy by the US Govt., HR Dept., clients are required to adhere to "Pay Transparency Law"; in the impacted states; that have mandated the employers to list the salary ranges in Job advertisements or postings for job opportunities and Job promotions.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
This company considers candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability unrelated to ability, marital status, family responsibilities, pregnancy, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, transgender, sex stereotyping, order of protection status, protected veteran or military status, or an unfavorable discharge from military service, and other categories protected by federal, state or local law.
Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability / veterans.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
How this job compares
Set against the 424 open CAD Designer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 13, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$25–35/hr
- US median$35–45/hr104 hourly ranges
This range's midpoint, $30/hr, is 24% below the US median midpoint ($39/hr) — in the lowest quarter of CAD Designer hourly ranges across the US.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 28 open CAD Designer jobs in California and 424 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in California
- Actalent5 open
- General Atomics4 open
- Hadrian Automation2 open
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 2 years of experience; CAD Designer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (333 postings).
- Education
- This posting asks for a high school diploma; 181 of the 424 open CAD Designer jobs (43%) ask for a high school diploma or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 13, 2026. Figures based on too few postings are left out.
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