Lead Mechanical Engineer HVAC
Jobot, Chicago, IL, United States
Job Details
Relocation Offered to the Twin Cities + Autonomy + Purpose + Impact + Scale + Variety
This Jobot Job is hosted by: Chelsea Piekarski
Salary: $110,000 - $170,000 per year
A bit about us
We are a growing, design‑build mechanical contractor with a strong reputation across the Upper Midwest, delivering HVAC, plumbing, and process piping solutions across healthcare, higher education, industrial, commercial, multifamily, and hospitality environments. Over the past decade, the business has scaled significantly in both revenue and headcount, evolving into a $100M+ platform that is actively expanding into more complex and technical work. While historically strong in multifamily, the company has intentionally diversified into commercial and industrial sectors and continues to push into new markets. What sets this team apart is our in‑house engineering capability and close integration with field operations. Engineers work directly alongside project managers, VDC, and skilled trades, creating a feedback loop that allows designs to be built efficiently and correctly the first time. Leadership is accessible, hands‑on, and focused on developing people into long‑term leaders.
Why join us?
Your designs actually get built — and you’ll see it happen in real time
Direct access to leadership; decisions get made quickly without layers
Clear path into management as the engineering team grows
Opportunity to step into a true technical leadership role without heavy admin burden
Exposure to diverse, complex projects across multiple industries
A company actively investing in growth, technology, and new markets
Ability to influence how the engineering team evolves and operates
Stable, established business with strong backlog and long‑term trajectory
Role Overview
This is a newly created Lead Mechanical Engineer role focused on HVAC systems, built to support continued growth and add leadership strength to the engineering team. You’ll step into a position that blends hands‑on design with real leadership impact. This is not a pure individual contributor role. You will own projects end‑to‑end while helping guide and elevate a younger team of designers and engineers. You won’t be buried in admin work. Instead, the expectation is that you bring technical confidence, direction, and presence to project teams, helping drive decisions and keep work moving. As the company continues to grow, this role has a clear path into formal people leadership and management.
Key Responsibilities
Engineering & Technical Leadership
Lead HVAC and mechanical system design from concept through construction
Perform system selection, equipment sizing, load calculations, and layout development
Ensure designs are practical, coordinated, and aligned with real‑world installation
Project Ownership
Own engineering deliverables across the full project lifecycleParticipate in project meetings and represent the engineering function
Support preconstruction with scope development, system recommendations, and pricing input
Construction & Field Integration
Review submittals, respond to RFIs, and support field teams during construction
Maintain design intent and help solve real‑time issues in the field
Conduct site visits for coordination, troubleshooting, and design validation
Team Leadership & Development
Mentor and guide junior engineers and designers
Provide technical oversight and review work for quality and consistency
Help elevate the overall capability and confidence of the engineering team
Cross‑Functional Collaboration
Partner closely with project managers, estimators, VDC, and field teams
Act as a key liaison with owners, architects, and trade partners
What You’ll Work On
Multifamily developments (mid‑rise to high‑rise)
Healthcare and clinical environments
Higher education and laboratory spaces
Industrial and process piping work
Hospitality, restaurant, and commercial projects
What We’re Looking For
5–10+ years of HVAC/mechanical systems design experience
Experience leading projects and/or mentoring junior staff
Strong working knowledge of commercial HVAC systems
Experience with Revit, AutoCAD, and load calculation tools
Comfortable in fast‑paced, design‑build environments
Ability to take ownership and operate with confidence
Strong communication skills across technical and non‑technical teams
Nice to Have
EIT or PE (not required)
Experience across multiple sectors (healthcare, industrial, multifamily, etc.)
Jobot is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide an inclusive work environment that celebrates diversity and all qualified candidates receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age (40 and over), disability, military status, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Jobot also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories. It is Jobot’s policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws respecting consideration of unemployment status in making hiring decisions.
Sometimes Jobot is required to perform background checks with your authorization. Jobot will consider qualified candidates with criminal histories in a manner consistent with any applicable federal, state, or local law regarding criminal backgrounds, including but not limited to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
Information collected and processed as part of your Jobot candidate profile, and any job applications, resumes, or other information you choose to submit is subject to Jobot’s Privacy Policy, as well as the Jobot California Worker Privacy Notice and Jobot Notice Regarding Automated Employment Decision Tools which are available at jobot.com/legal.
By applying for this job, you agree to receive calls, AI-generated calls, text messages, or emails from Jobot, and/or its agents and contracted partners. Frequency varies for text messages. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You can reply STOP to cancel and HELP for help. You can access our privacy policy here: jobot.com/privacy-policy
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Relocation Offered to the Twin Cities + Autonomy + Purpose + Impact + Scale + Variety
This Jobot Job is hosted by: Chelsea Piekarski
Salary: $110,000 - $170,000 per year
A bit about us
We are a growing, design‑build mechanical contractor with a strong reputation across the Upper Midwest, delivering HVAC, plumbing, and process piping solutions across healthcare, higher education, industrial, commercial, multifamily, and hospitality environments. Over the past decade, the business has scaled significantly in both revenue and headcount, evolving into a $100M+ platform that is actively expanding into more complex and technical work. While historically strong in multifamily, the company has intentionally diversified into commercial and industrial sectors and continues to push into new markets. What sets this team apart is our in‑house engineering capability and close integration with field operations. Engineers work directly alongside project managers, VDC, and skilled trades, creating a feedback loop that allows designs to be built efficiently and correctly the first time. Leadership is accessible, hands‑on, and focused on developing people into long‑term leaders.
Why join us?
Your designs actually get built — and you’ll see it happen in real time
Direct access to leadership; decisions get made quickly without layers
Clear path into management as the engineering team grows
Opportunity to step into a true technical leadership role without heavy admin burden
Exposure to diverse, complex projects across multiple industries
A company actively investing in growth, technology, and new markets
Ability to influence how the engineering team evolves and operates
Stable, established business with strong backlog and long‑term trajectory
Role Overview
This is a newly created Lead Mechanical Engineer role focused on HVAC systems, built to support continued growth and add leadership strength to the engineering team. You’ll step into a position that blends hands‑on design with real leadership impact. This is not a pure individual contributor role. You will own projects end‑to‑end while helping guide and elevate a younger team of designers and engineers. You won’t be buried in admin work. Instead, the expectation is that you bring technical confidence, direction, and presence to project teams, helping drive decisions and keep work moving. As the company continues to grow, this role has a clear path into formal people leadership and management.
Key Responsibilities
Engineering & Technical Leadership
Lead HVAC and mechanical system design from concept through construction
Perform system selection, equipment sizing, load calculations, and layout development
Ensure designs are practical, coordinated, and aligned with real‑world installation
Project Ownership
Own engineering deliverables across the full project lifecycleParticipate in project meetings and represent the engineering function
Support preconstruction with scope development, system recommendations, and pricing input
Construction & Field Integration
Review submittals, respond to RFIs, and support field teams during construction
Maintain design intent and help solve real‑time issues in the field
Conduct site visits for coordination, troubleshooting, and design validation
Team Leadership & Development
Mentor and guide junior engineers and designers
Provide technical oversight and review work for quality and consistency
Help elevate the overall capability and confidence of the engineering team
Cross‑Functional Collaboration
Partner closely with project managers, estimators, VDC, and field teams
Act as a key liaison with owners, architects, and trade partners
What You’ll Work On
Multifamily developments (mid‑rise to high‑rise)
Healthcare and clinical environments
Higher education and laboratory spaces
Industrial and process piping work
Hospitality, restaurant, and commercial projects
What We’re Looking For
5–10+ years of HVAC/mechanical systems design experience
Experience leading projects and/or mentoring junior staff
Strong working knowledge of commercial HVAC systems
Experience with Revit, AutoCAD, and load calculation tools
Comfortable in fast‑paced, design‑build environments
Ability to take ownership and operate with confidence
Strong communication skills across technical and non‑technical teams
Nice to Have
EIT or PE (not required)
Experience across multiple sectors (healthcare, industrial, multifamily, etc.)
Jobot is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide an inclusive work environment that celebrates diversity and all qualified candidates receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age (40 and over), disability, military status, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Jobot also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories. It is Jobot’s policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws respecting consideration of unemployment status in making hiring decisions.
Sometimes Jobot is required to perform background checks with your authorization. Jobot will consider qualified candidates with criminal histories in a manner consistent with any applicable federal, state, or local law regarding criminal backgrounds, including but not limited to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
Information collected and processed as part of your Jobot candidate profile, and any job applications, resumes, or other information you choose to submit is subject to Jobot’s Privacy Policy, as well as the Jobot California Worker Privacy Notice and Jobot Notice Regarding Automated Employment Decision Tools which are available at jobot.com/legal.
By applying for this job, you agree to receive calls, AI-generated calls, text messages, or emails from Jobot, and/or its agents and contracted partners. Frequency varies for text messages. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You can reply STOP to cancel and HELP for help. You can access our privacy policy here: jobot.com/privacy-policy
#J-18808-Ljbffr