Contractor Consultant (Owner’s Representative / Technical Advisor)

Rippling; City of Kingston (NY); On-site; USD 69,000 - 138,000; Part time

Job summary

Mid-Hudson Energy Transition, Inc. (MHET) in Kingston, NY is seeking 1–3 Contractor Consultants as part-time, hourly Owner’s Representative/Technical Advisor. The role provides expert review, on-site oversight, and QA to ensure work aligns with scope, standards, and best practices.

Work averages 10–20 hours per month with variability by project load. Ideal candidates include GCs, licensed architects, inspectors, or building scientists with residential retrofit experience.

Qualifications

• Experience evaluating residential retrofit or weatherization projects.
• Ability to review bids, scopes, and invoices with attention to cost and quality.
• Strong field inspection and on-site decision-making skills.

Responsibilities

• Pre-Construction / Planning: assess sites, draft scopes of work, review quotes and bids.
• Construction Oversight: monitor progress, verify adherence to plans and contract terms, provide technical guidance.
• Closeout / Review: verify completed scope, review invoices, support punch lists and QA checks.

Skills

Building systems knowledge

Field experience

Contractor management

Technical guidance

Job description

Contractor Consultant (Owner’s Representative / Technical Advisor)

The Organization

Mid-Hudson Energy Transition, Inc. (MHET) is a not-for-profit community-based organization headquartered in Kingston, NY, that empowers municipalities, their residents, and businesses to own and share renewable energy, create healthier buildings, and join in community wealth-building to strengthen the resilience of the Hudson Valley in the face of climate change. We engage and build on the active involvement of communities, with particular emphasis on low-income and communities of color that are being harmed first and worst by climate change.

Contractor Consultant

(Owner’s Representative / Technical Advisor)

Summary:

We are seeking to engage 1-3 Contractor Consultants to support our team on a part-time, as-needed basis for complex residential and small-scale construction projects. This role functions as an “owner’s engineer” / technical advisor, providing expert-level review, on-site oversight, and quality assurance support to ensure contractor work aligns with scope, standards, and best practices.

This is a flexible, hourly contract role averaging ~10–20 hours per month, with variability depending on project load and complexity.

Job Responsibilities:

Pre-Construction / Planning Support

• Conduct property assessments and site visits to evaluate existing conditions, identify project needs, and develop detailed scopes of work for contractor bidding.
• Prepare clear, comprehensive scopes of work that outline required repairs, upgrades, materials, and project expectations.
• Review contractor quotes and bids for completeness, accuracy, and value comparison
• Identify scope gaps, inconsistencies, overages, and potential cost risks
• Evaluate proposed materials and methods for durability, code compliance, and appropriateness
• Flag red flags in pricing, sequencing, or contractor assumptions
• Support scope refinement prior to contract execution

Construction Oversight / Field Support

• Observe work in progress and flag issues related to quality, safety, or scope deviation
• Ensure adherence to approved plans, specifications, and contract terms
• Provide real-time technical guidance when issues arise in the field
• Document findings and recommend corrective actions when needed

Project Closeout / Review

• Review invoices for alignment with completed work and contract terms
• Support punch-list development and final quality assurance checks
• Confirm completion meets agreed-upon scope and standards

Ideal Background:

We are open to a range of professional backgrounds depending on project needs. Ideal candidates

may include a combination of:

• General Contractor (GC) with strong field and estimating experience
• Licensed Architect or Architectural Associate
• Home Inspector / Building Inspector / Property Assessment Inspector
• Building Science professional or Building Scientist (building envelope, moisture, energy systems, performance-based design/retrofits)
• Licensed NYS Mold and/or Asbestos Specialists

Additional highly relevant experience

• Construction project management experience across residential retrofit or weatherization work
• HVAC, roofing, electrical, or multi-trade “systems thinker” experience
• Experience enforcing contractor scopes, specs, and agreements

Key Skills & Qualities:

• Strong construction and building systems knowledge (residential preferred)
• Ability to evaluate multiple trades holistically (HVAC, electrical, envelope, roofing, etc.)
• Strong judgment in identifying risk, quality issues, and cost inefficiencies
• Comfortable reviewing technical documents, bids, and scopes
• Field experience with ability to assess work in real time
• Strong communication skills—able to translate technical issues into clear guidance
• Detail-oriented but practical (“knows what actually matters in the field”)
• Willingness to collaborate with contractors while holding standards firmly
• Flexible, responsive, and able to serve in an on-call capacity

Engagement Structure:

• Hourly contract position (independent contractor)
• Estimated 10–20 hours/month, variable based on project pipeline
• Preferred on-call availability during business hours for high-priority or complex builds
• Work includes both desk review (quotes/invoices/docs) and field visits
• Time tracked and invoiced monthly