Senior HVAC/Mechanical Engineer

Controlled Air, Inc. • Full-time • Branford, Connecticut, United States • $99,000 - $165,000 / year • 2m ago

Position Summary:

The Senior HVAC/Mechanical Engineer is responsible for providing technical leadership, supervisory oversight, and quality assurance for Controlled Air’s Engineering Department. This position ensures that all HVAC system designs are accurate, innovative, constructible, cost-aligned, code-compliant, and optimized for long-term serviceability.

This role works closely with Design Engineers, Design-Build Sales Engineers, Estimating, Project Management, and Building Automation to review and guide projects in development, ensuring designs meet performance criteria while maximizing value, profitability, and operational efficiency.

The Senior HVAC Engineer establishes engineering standards, mentors and develops engineering staff, and drives continuous improvement to support operational excellence, customer satisfaction, and sustained technical leadership within the organization.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

· Provides direct supervision and technical leadership to HVAC Design Engineers.

· Reviews and approves HVAC system designs prior to release for estimating, proposal submission, or construction.

· Ensures load calculations, equipment sizing, ductwork, piping layouts, and energy modeling are accurate and defensible.

· Works closely with Design-Build Sales Engineers to review conceptual approaches during project development to confirm feasibility, constructability, and budget alignment.

· Collaborate with estimating to ensure engineered solutions meet customer budget parameters while protecting company profitability.

· Reviews contract documents (drawings, specifications, submittals, etc.) to ensure proper incorporation into coordinated design documents.

· Ensures all designs comply with applicable mechanical, energy, building, plumbing, electrical, and fire protection codes.

· Establishes and maintains internal engineering standards, design review protocols, and quality control procedures.

· Ensures designs minimize installation difficulty and maximize maintainability, operability, safety, and service access.

· Works closely with Project Managers and installation teams to resolve design-related field challenges and update drawings as required.

· Oversee coordination between mechanical design and Building Automation systems to ensure proper system integration and operational performance.

· Manages engineering workload distribution to support proposal turnaround timelines and project schedules.

· Participates in post-project evaluations to review system performance and implement process improvements.

· Stays current with HVAC industry trends, emerging technologies, and new energy solutions to ensure Controlled Air remains competitive and innovative.

· Provides senior-level technical support for complex system troubleshooting and redesign efforts when required.

· May participate in customer meetings to provide technical expertise during advanced design-build discussions.

Supervisory Responsibility:

· Direct supervision of HVAC Design Engineers.

· Responsible for mentoring, performance evaluation, professional development, and workload coordination within the Engineering Department.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

· Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent experience.

· Minimum 10 years of commercial HVAC design experience.

· Prior leadership or supervisory experience preferred.

· Strong proficiency in AutoCAD and Revit.

· Advanced knowledge of commercial HVAC systems including chilled water, heating hot water, DX systems, ventilation, and energy recovery systems.

· Working knowledge of building automation integration and energy modeling principles.

· In-depth ability to read and interpret mechanical blueprints, specifications, and contract documents.

· Strong understanding of applicable mechanical, building, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, and energy codes.

· Working knowledge of construction cost drivers and estimating practices.

· Highly proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel.

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

· Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple concurrent projects.

· Self-directed and detail-oriented with the ability to work under tight timelines.

· Positive Attitude.

· Values Respect, Teamwork, Flexibility, Learning, and Community Minded.

Performance Metrics (KPIs):

Engineering Quality & Design Integrity

· Maintain high first-pass design accuracy, minimizing revisions, rework, and field-driven redesigns.

· Ensure 100% compliance with applicable codes, standards, and company engineering protocols.

· Deliver constructible, serviceable, and coordinated designs that support smooth project execution and long-term system performance.

Profitability & Budget Alignment

· Ensure engineered solutions align with customer budget parameters and protect target gross margins.

· Minimize variance between engineered design intent, estimated cost, and actual installed cost.

· Proactively identify value engineering opportunities that improve profitability without compromising performance.

Proposal & Development Support

· Support proposal turnaround timelines through disciplined and timely design review.

· Provide senior-level technical oversight on prioritized design-build opportunities to improve win rate and technical credibility.

· Ensure conceptual designs are feasible, scalable, and aligned with operational capabilities prior to proposal submission.

Leadership & Department Development

· Effectively manage engineering workload to maintain productivity and responsiveness.

· Mentor and develop engineering staff to elevate department capability and reduce dependency on senior oversight over time.

· Drive continuous improvement by implementing measurable enhancements to engineering standards, processes, and documentation practices.

Strategic & Industry Advancement

· Maintain Controlled Air’s competitive position by integrating emerging HVAC technologies, energy solutions, and industry best practices into design standards.

· Support cross-department collaboration to improve customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and long-term serviceability of installed systems.

Why should you join the Controlled Air, Inc. team?

Controlled Air is a division of Yanmar Energy Systems North America, ushering in a new era of innovation and expansion in the HVAC and energy solutions sector. Join our team and be a part of our collaborative and innovative environment, where we're dedicated to designing and building intelligent systems that prioritize high performance, energy efficiency, and customer satisfaction. Controlled Air, Inc. provides opportunities for professional growth and attractive benefits. Join our growing team today! Controlled Air Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Pay: $99,000.00 - $165,000.00 per year

Benefits: