Lead Building Energy Modeling Engineer: EnergyPlus & AI

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Portland, Richland, Seattle (OR, WA, WA); Hybrid; USD 113,000 - 169,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Relocation assistance

Vacation time

Job summary

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Portland, OR seeks a Research Engineer III to lead building energy modeling efforts, guiding models and analyses across building envelope, HVAC, and energy systems. The role emphasizes AI-enabled workflow integration and robust, reproducible research.

The candidate will mentor staff, develop scalable simulations, and communicate results to sponsors. Hybrid/onsite options are available, with some remote work possible for qualified applicants.

Qualifications

• BS/BA in mechanical engineering, architectural engineering, building science, or related field with 5 years programming/data analysis.
• MS/MA in same fields with 3 years programming/data analysis.
• PhD in same fields with 1 year programming/data analysis.
• Advanced proficiency in EnergyPlus or OpenStudio-based building energy modeling.
• Experience independently developing technical approaches and leading technical tasks.

Responsibilities

• Define research questions and develop modeling approaches for building performance challenges.
• Develop, modify, and troubleshoot EnergyPlus models (envelope, HVAC, lighting, etc.).
• Design and lead simulation studies for building technologies, codes, and standards.
• Develop and improve large-scale simulation tools and reproducible workflows.
• Collaborate to integrate AI-enabled tools in modeling workflows and document accuracy and limitations.
• Lead tasks or projects, coordinate contributors, manage scope and deliverables.
• Mentor junior staff and review models and methods.
• Contribute to technical reports, papers, and sponsor meetings.

Skills

EnergyPlus/OpenStudio

Programming & data analysis

Technical leadership

Building energy systems

AI-enabled workflow integration

Education

BS/BA in mechanical/building science (5 yrs exp)

MS/MA in related field (3 yrs exp)

PhD in related field (1 yr exp)

Tools

EnergyPlus

OpenStudio

Python

Version control

High-performance computing

Job description

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Portland, OR seeks a Research Engineer III to lead building energy modeling efforts, guiding models and analyses across building envelope, HVAC, and energy systems. The role emphasizes AI-enabled workflow integration and robust, reproducible research.

The candidate will mentor staff, develop scalable simulations, and communicate results to sponsors. Hybrid/onsite options are available, with some remote work possible for qualified applicants.