Building HVAC Systems Engineer

Helix Earth; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Health insurance

PTO & holidays

Flexible schedule

Leadership exposure

Job summary

Helix Earth seeks an HVAC engineer to bring building HVAC knowledge into product development. You will survey sites, measure airflow, temperature, and humidity; build baseline load models; and work with controls engineers on sequencing and integration of our retrofit unit in commercial buildings.

This role is on-site at our Houston headquarters. You will read MEP drawings, understand DOAS and RTU operations, and translate field data into actionable requirements for design and validation.

Qualifications

• B.S. or higher in engineering or related field.
• 3–5 years in commercial HVAC engineering, building systems, or related field.
• Experience with DOAS or packaged RTUs is preferred.
• Ability to read MEP drawings, mechanical schedules, and control diagrams.

Responsibilities

• Characterize existing building HVAC systems: RTUs, thermostats, building controls, ventilation, ducting, zoning, schedules, and control sequences.
• Conduct site surveys and field measurements to understand actual airflow, temperature, humidity, equipment operation, and building conditions.
• Support development of building load and HVAC models to establish baseline performance and predict impacts.
• Evaluate retrofit unit integration with different building and HVAC configurations.
• Support thermostat, RTU, and building control interface requirements and sequencing.
• Study how retrofit unit interacts with RTUs by evaluating airflow, HVAC performance, and controls.
• Translate building HVAC behavior into requirements for controls and product engineers.
• Assist pilot site assessments, instrumentation, commissioning, troubleshooting, and post-installation evaluation.
• Compare predicted building impact with measured data to inform guidelines and operating boundaries.

Skills

HVAC engineering

Building systems

Field measurements

MEP drawings

Data-driven decisions

Education

B.S. or higher in engineering

Job description

Helix Earth is a rapidly growing startup on a mission to combat climate change by transforming the way we cool our planet. Born from innovations originally designed for NASA's space exploration, our groundbreaking solutions are now being adapted to revolutionize air conditioning energy efficiency. If you're eager to contribute to a greener future and be part of a team that's shaping the forefront of sustainable technology, then Helix Earth is the perfect place for you to make a difference.

About the Role

This is the job where our product meets real buildings. You will bring building HVAC expertise into product development, working out how commercial buildings and their existing HVAC systems actually operate and using that knowledge to shape how our retrofit unit is applied, integrated, and run. A typical week might mean surveying a site and measuring airflow, temperature, and humidity on Monday, building a baseline load model for that building midweek, working through thermostat and rooftop unit (RTU) sequencing with the systems and controls engineers on Thursday, and comparing predicted impact against measured field data on Friday.

Your work gives the team the building HVAC knowledge, field data, and analysis it needs to make better integration and operating decisions, predict building-level impact before an install, and turn what we learn at individual sites into application approaches that scale. You will report to the Advanced Development Lead and work on-site at our new Houston headquarters.

About You

• You are an HVAC engineer who understands how commercial buildings actually run, from packaged RTUs and dedicated outdoor air systems to thermostats, building automation, and control sequences.
• You are as comfortable taking measurements on a roof as you are building a load model at your desk.
• You read MEP drawings, mechanical schedules, and control diagrams fluently, and you notice where the drawings and the building disagree.
• You trust measured data, and you close the loop between what a model predicted and what the field shows.
• You turn building behavior into clear requirements that systems, controls, and product engineers can design against.

Responsibilities

• Characterize existing building HVAC systems, including RTUs, thermostats and building controls, ventilation, ducting, zoning, schedules, and control sequences.
• Conduct site surveys and field measurements to understand actual airflow, temperature, humidity, equipment operation, and building conditions.
• Support development of building load and HVAC operational models that establish baseline performance and predict building performance before and after our retrofit unit is installed.
• Evaluate how our retrofit unit can be integrated and operated with different building and HVAC configurations.
• Support development of thermostat, RTU, and building control integration, including operating modes, sequencing, and interface requirements.
• Support studies of how our retrofit unit interacts with RTUs by evaluating airflow, HVAC performance, controls, and real-world building operating conditions.
• Work with the Systems and Electrical and Controls engineers to translate building HVAC behavior into control and interface requirements for our retrofit unit.
• Support pilot site assessment, instrumentation, commissioning, troubleshooting, and post-installation evaluation.
• Compare predicted building impact with measured field performance, and contribute to application guidelines, sizing methods, and operating boundaries.

Qualifications

• B.S. or higher in engineering or a related field.
• 3 to 5 years of experience in commercial HVAC engineering, building systems, or a closely related field.
• Commercial HVAC and MEP engineering experience, particularly with packaged RTU and dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) applications.
• Experience with building cooling and latent load calculations and energy modeling.
• Understanding of thermostats, RTU controls, building automation systems (BAS), economizers, ventilation, and HVAC sequences of operation.
• Experience with site surveys, commissioning, testing, adjusting, and balancing (TAB), energy audits, or field HVAC troubleshooting.
• Hands-on measurement of airflow, temperature, humidity, pressure, and equipment power and runtime.
• Experience interpreting MEP drawings, mechanical schedules, control diagrams, and building operating data.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with dehumidification or latent load control in commercial buildings.
• Proficiency with building load or energy modeling software.
• Experience supporting pilot deployments or field trials of new HVAC products.
• Competitive compensation package with equity options.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Paid time off, holidays, and a flexible work schedule.
• Collaborative, mission-driven culture with direct exposure to leadership.
• Career growth potential in a rapidly scaling startup.