[Hiring] Building Operations & Controls Engineer @Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Role Description

The Buildings Systems Group is seeking a Building Operations and Controls Engineer to join our team of building controls experts working to improve energy and water efficiency and resilience, test and demonstrate new technologies and methodologies, and facilitate complex controls systems integration in federal and commercial facilities. This position offers a unique opportunity to develop, demonstrate, and learn from novel approaches to Building Re-tuning™, building control systems integration, and predictive fault detection and diagnostics.

• Familiarity and practical experience with building HVAC control systems (design, programming, commissioning, or operations).
• Analyzing control system data to optimize building performance.
• Developing diagnostic and prognostic methods for timely and proactive operation and maintenance of buildings and HVAC systems.

PNNL’s Buildings Systems Group performs applied research to enhance energy and water efficiency, occupant productivity, and resilient operation of buildings and their connected energy and water systems.

• Core research capabilities span building performance evaluation, building control system optimization, and site-level assessment and planning for energy and water resilience.
• Collaboration with over 370 subject matter experts across the broader Electricity Infrastructure & Buildings Division.

The successful candidate will be accountable to:

• Project Managers and/or Task leads for performing assigned roles, following applicable project and field procedures, and performance of assigned tasks on time and within budget.
• The Buildings Systems Group Leader and Team Leader for staff development, performance evaluation, and operational discipline.

The candidate we are looking for is an individual who has a recognized reputation of applying building science and engineering principles and theories to proposing new ideas and solving buildings operations and controls challenges in federal and commercial facilities.

• Provide guidance on assignments to more junior staff and develop technical approaches to solve building controls and HVAC-related research challenges.
• Lead development of technical products, such as technical reports and journal articles, and present at national conferences and technical forums.
• Define and lead projects/tasks, reporting results on time and on budget.
• Provide leadership to proposals for new work.
• Team with staff across the group and division to share resources and optimize approaches.
• Mentor junior staff and/or students.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications:
• BS/BA and 2 years of relevant experience -OR-
• MS/MA -OR-
• PhD
• Preferred Qualifications:
• Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, Building Science, Architectural Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience analyzing building- or campus-scale energy and water systems to evaluate performance and identify opportunities for energy and water efficiency improvements (e.g., ASHRAE Level II).
• Experience using whole-building energy modeling and simulation tools (e.g., eQUEST, EnergyPlus).
• Experience analyzing building automation system (BAS) or building control system data to evaluate HVAC system performance and identify operational improvement opportunities.
• Experience supporting experimental research, technology demonstrations, or pilot projects.
• Experience using programming or scripting languages (e.g., Python, R) for data analysis, automation, or visualization.
• Experience supporting research or engineering projects at Department of Defense (DoD) installations or other federal facilities.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary and geographically distributed teams.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate technical concepts clearly through written reports, presentations, and interactions with project sponsors and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated initiative, curiosity, and commitment to continuous learning in building energy systems, energy efficiency, and resilience.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 25% to support field work, technology demonstrations, sponsor engagements, and other project-related activities.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship
• Background Investigation: Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix B.
• Drug Testing: All Security Clearance positions are Testing Designated Positions, which means that the applicant selected for hire is subject to pre-employment drug testing, and post-employment random drug testing.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Robust telehealth care options
• Several mental health benefits
• Free wellness coaching
• Health savings account
• Flexible spending accounts
• Basic life insurance
• Disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Business travel insurance
• Tuition assistance
• Relocation
• Backup childcare
• Legal benefits
• Supplemental parental bonding leave
• Surrogacy and adoption assistance
• Fertility support
• Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year
• Ten paid holidays per year