Project Engineee

THR Partners; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

THR Partners seeks a Project Engineer to build internal engineering capacity for our commercial kitchen exhaust hood line, focusing on airflow performance, fan system specs, fire suppression integration, and regulatory certification navigation.

You will also support cross‑project initiatives, including outdoor electric patio heater development, applying electrical engineering and certification expertise to broaden product exposure. SolidWorks CAD modeling is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) or Electrical Engineering (BSEE) is required.
• 3+ years of industry product engineering experience in ventilation, hood, or related manufacturing.
• Total post-graduation work experience exceeding 4 years.
• Direct experience navigating UL/ETL certification regimes with familiarity of NEC/NFPA‑70.

Responsibilities

• Lead hood system design & optimization with focus on airflow, capture/containment, and noise reduction.
• Manage testing laboratory certification workflows for UL 300A, EN 60335, UL 710, UL 507 and ETL; ensure NFPA‑96 compliance.

Skills

System design

Regulatory compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Electrical & controls knowledge

Education

BSME or BSEE

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Job Description

About the Role

We are seeking a skilled Project Engineer to join our team and build internal engineering capacity for our commercial kitchen exhaust hood product line. Your primary focus will center on hood airflow performance, fan system specification, fire suppression integration, and navigating complex regulatory certification regimes.

While your day‑to‑day focus is on hood systems, this role explicitly includes the flexibility to provide cross‑project support for other high‑priority initiatives. Specifically, your electrical engineering and certification expertise will be tapped to help drive our new outdoor electric patio heater development project. This is a unique opportunity for an engineer who wants deeper, broader product exposure than they would find at a traditional hood manufacturer.

Core Responsibilities

Ventilation Product Line Leadership

• System Design & Optimization: Design and modify commercial hood systems with a heavy focus on airflow performance, capture/containment efficiency, and noise reduction characteristics.
• Compliance & Certification: Lead and manage testing laboratory certification workflows for UL 300A (our core standard), EN 60335 (for the Canadian market), UL 710, UL 507, and ETL. Ensure continuous compliance with NFPA‑96 standards.
• Fire Suppression Integration: Integrate leading fire suppression systems (ANSUL, Range Guard, Amerex, etc.) into hood designs to maintain certified, seamless protection.
• Electrical & Fan Specification: Specify and integrate fan systems, motors, drives, VFDs, and supporting electrical components.

Cross-Project Support & General Engineering

• Electric Product Development: Apply your electrical and controls expertise to support our outdoor electric patio heater development project, including navigating UL 1278 and EN 60335 certifications.
• CAD Modeling: Create new product drawings and modify existing models in SolidWorks.
• Operations & Document Collaboration: Specify components and provide technical inputs to the Engineering Services Coordinator on Bill of Materials (BOMs), part numbers, and supplier selection. Provide technical content for installation and operation manuals.
• Manufacturing & Field Support: Act as the engineering point of contact to resolve plant production issues and technical customer inquiries regarding company products.

Position Requirements

Must-Have Qualifications (Firm Filters)

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) or Electrical Engineering (BSEE).
• Experience: 3+ years of industry product engineering experience at a commercial ventilation, hood, foodservice equipment, fan, or similar manufacturing environment.
• Career Track: Total post‑graduation work experience exceeds 4 years (this should not be your first job post‑graduation).
• Compliance Mindset: Direct experience navigating UL or ETL certification regimes for ventilation, electrical, or appliance equipment, alongside a strong electrical safety mindset (familiarity with NEC/NFPA‑70).
• Software: High proficiency in SolidWorks (or equivalent 3D modeling software).

Nice-to-Have Qualifications (Strong Assets)

• Specific Industry Standards: Direct experience with UL 300A, UL 710, NFPA‑96, or EN 60335 (range hoods for the Canadian market).
• Target Competitor/Industry Exposure: Past engineering experience within the commercial kitchen ventilation space or broader foodservice industry exposure.
• Specialized Systems: Direct experience with fire suppression integration (ANSUL, Range Guard, Amerex) or fan system/motor controls/VFD specifications.
• Controls & Automation: Experience with Building Automation Systems (BAS), commercial HVAC controls, or familiarity with PLC programming (RSLogix, Siemens TIA Portal, Mitsubishi GX Works).
• Cross-Application Skills: Background in acoustic/noise engineering for fan systems, or experience with heat pump/electric heating products.