HVAC Design Engineer

Thomas Brooke International; Clearwater (FL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Thomas Brooke International is seeking an experienced HVAC engineer to design and restore HVAC systems for existing facilities. You will manage projects from field data to finished designs, producing AutoCAD drawings and engineering packages for hospitals, universities, and other mission-critical sites.

The role requires at least 5 years of relevant experience, a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, and hands-on HVAC knowledge. Occasional site visits and travel about once a month are expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering is required; Mechanical Engineering or Architectural Engineering preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience; EI/EIT encouraged; PE a plus not required.
• Hands-on proficiency in AutoCAD is required.
• Direct experience with existing-building HVAC systems and retrofit work is required.
• HVAC fundamentals (pumping schemes, VFD controls, coil and fan selection) are required.
• Experience with energy-modeling software (Trane Trace, EnergyGauge, or COMcheck) is a plus.
• Background with design-build contractor or in-house engineering is a strong plus.
• Experience with healthcare, data center, or mission-critical facilities is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Review field engineers' performance assessment reports and validate the data before design work begins.
• Specify and design air handling unit restorations, fan array selection, coil replacement, and temporary conditioning plans.
• Oversee production of AutoCAD drawings and engineering packages for restoration projects.
• Support estimating, operations, and sales; join customer calls as the engineering voice.
• Participate in site visits and field investigations, plus remote digital assessments.
• Help build internal engineering standards, templates, and tools as the department grows.

Skills

Team collaboration

Ownership mindset

Travel willingness

HVAC fundamentals

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

EI/EIT eligible

PE license a plus

Tools

AutoCAD

Trane Trace

EnergyGauge

COMcheck

Job description

THE OPPORTUNITY

• Step into a fast-growing engineering group with the backing of an $8 billion public company.This is a small, entrepreneurial engineering unit inside a large, stable organization, real autonomy over your work, with real resources behind you.
• This is not consulting engineering.The firm designs and self-performs its own restoration projects nationwide, no architect-driven production packages, no throwing a design over the fence to someone else to build.
• What you design here gets built, not filed away.You carry a project from field data to a finished result, and you're trusted to make the call along the way.
• Travel that respects your life.This is not a road-warrior role. Expect occasional national midweek travel, supplemented by digital remote site walkthroughs that cut travel even further.
• A genuine, not aspirational, growth path.The engineering department is scaling nationally right now. Someone joining at this stage gets direct access to engineering leadership and a real hand in shaping how the department runs for years to come.
• Work on unique challenges of real equipment.The projects involve restoring/renovating existing HVAC systems in hospitals, universities, manufacturing plants, and other mission-critical facilities for maximum impact rather than simply "value engineering" new builds to drive cost down.
• A connected team, not a silo.Engineers here work directly with estimating, field operations, project management and sales. You'll never be stuck three layers removed from the people actually running the project.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Review field engineers' performance assessment reports and validate the data before design work begins.
• Specify and design air handling unit restorations, fan array selection, coil replacement, and temporary conditioning plans for facilities that can't afford downtime.
• Oversee production of AutoCAD drawings and engineering packages for restoration projects.
• Support estimating, operations, and sales, join customer calls as the engineering voice that gives building owners confidence in the plan.
• Participate in occasional site visits and field investigations, along with remote digital assessments.
• Help build the internal engineering standards, templates, and tools the department will run on as it grows nationally.

THE RIGHT CANDIDATE

Education & Technical Skills

• A Bachelor's degree in Engineering is required: Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology, or Architectural Engineering preferred; other engineering degrees (Civil, Structural, Electrical) with genuine, demonstrated mechanical depth are also considered.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience is required. Candidates who are an Engineer Intern (EI/EIT) rather than a licensed PE are welcome and encouraged to apply: a PE is a plus, not a requirement, for this role.
• Hands-on proficiency in AutoCAD is required.
• Direct experience with existing-building HVAC systems and retrofit work is required. This is not a new-construction design role.
• A genuine, conversational command of HVAC fundamentals (pumping schemes, VFD controls, coil and fan selection) is required.
• Experience with energy-modeling software (such as Trane Trace, EnergyGauge, or COMcheck) is a meaningful plus.
• A background with a design-build contractor or an organization with in-house engineering is a strong plus.
• Experience with healthcare, data center, or other mission-critical facilities is a plus.

Personal Traits & Attributes

• An ownership mentality: you talk about your work as yours, not something assigned to you, and you take responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks.
• A bias toward action: comfortable moving quickly and course-correcting rather than over-polishing before showing your work.
• A genuinely collaborative style: you don't retreat into a narrow lane when something outside your desk needs solving.
• A builder's mindset: you get real satisfaction from making something repeatable for whoever picks it up next, not just finishing the task in front of you.
• A real curiosity about older equipment, not just new builds.
• Able and willing to travel about once a month, midweek nights only
• Willing to live/relocate to the Tampa area - this is NOT a remote role