Building Systems Engineer

Slope; Andover (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Reframe Systems in Andover, Massachusetts seeks a Building Systems Engineer to define and standardize building systems for future projects. You will create and maintain detailed assemblies that improve decision-making across project teams and lead system optimization initiatives.

The ideal candidate has over 10 years of experience in construction products, a strong understanding of building science, and is skilled in CAD. Join a dedicated team working on innovative housing solutions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in construction products or modular construction.
• Deep understanding of building science, MEP, or structural systems.
• Hands-on experience with prototyping and validation.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain standard assemblies for building systems.
• Lead optimization initiatives for building components.
• Ensure manufacturability through detailed review processes.

Skills

Construction product experience

Light wood-frame construction knowledge

Prototyping and building

CAD proficiency (Onshape preferred)

Strong communication skills

Job description

About Reframe

Reframe Systems is building software-driven microfactories that produce high-quality, net-zero homes at a fraction of the cost and time of conventional construction. Our Pixels-to-Parts platform connects design intent directly to factory execution, enabling mass-customized housing built with manufacturing rigor. We are a ~70-person team backed by leading investors, with homes in production today and a growing project pipeline.

The role

The Building Systems team owns the definition of Reframe's repeatable building system: the standard assemblies, details, components, and interfaces that every project draws from, so project teams can move fast on decisions that have already been made well once.

As a Building Systems Engineer, you will define, document, prototype, and continuously improve that system. Your work is deliberately decoupled from day-to-day project execution: your job is to make the next ten projects easier, not to ship this month's modules. Over the next 12 months our product focus is Type 5 low-rise residential (single-family homes, ADUs, and townhomes), and you will help lock in the layered system of standards that supports shared components across those product types.

What you'll do

• Define and maintain the standard assemblies and details that make up our building system: structural and envelope recipes, exterior wall assemblies, mate lines, floor cassettes, connection methods, and the interfaces between them

• Decide where variation is allowed and where the system is frozen, and track project-specific deviations so exceptions are explicit and time-bound rather than tribal knowledge

• Own system-level subsystems end to end, such as the MEPF module interconnect system (circuits, plumbing, and ductwork connections between finished modules) and a scalable electrical system, from research through prototyping with the factory floor to a defined standard detail set

• Lead high-impact system optimization initiatives such as enclosed wall panels, exterior insulation strategy, and structural optimization

• Translate building science and air‑tightness goals into buildable details and repeatable processes

• Set product requirement standards for off-the-shelf and finished components (windows, exterior doors, fixtures): what the factory can and cannot receive, communicated clearly to design and procurement

• Serve as a manufacturability gate: review and approve new or changed panel types and assemblies before they enter the system

• Build mockups and first‑article prototypes on the floor or in the yard before design lock, and partner with Manufacturing to define the capabilities and workcells needed to produce what you design

• Design for automation as a first principle, so the system we standardize is the system robots and software can build

• Maintain change visibility across the organization: what changed, why, who it impacts, and when it should be adopted

Who you are

• 10+ years of experience in construction products, prefab/modular construction, building envelope, or a related hardware product domain

• Deep understanding of light wood‑frame construction and at least one of: building science, MEP systems, or structural systems

• A systems thinker who is energized by standardization, interfaces, and platform design rather than one‑off problem solving

• Hands‑on: you prototype, you build, and you validate on the floor before you publish a standard

• Fluent in CAD (Onshape experience a plus) and comfortable producing documentation that design, manufacturing, and field teams will actually use

• A strong communicator who can hold a manufacturability line with architects, engineers, and operators while keeping those relationships healthy

Nice to have

• Experience in volumetric modular or panelized construction

• Experience defining product platforms or design systems in a manufacturing environment

• Familiarity with design‑for‑automation principles

• Field or factory construction experience

Why this role matters

Every prefab company before us has struggled to balance customization with repeatability. Our bet is that a well‑defined, software‑encoded building system is what makes mass customization economically viable. You will be one of the people who defines that system.