Project Engineer - Ventilation Hood

H. T. PROF Group; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

H. T. PROF Group is seeking an experienced engineer to specialize in the commercial kitchen exhaust hood product line. This role emphasizes airflow performance, compliance with key safety standards such as UL 300A, and collaboration on diverse engineering projects including outdoor electric patio heaters.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, alongside at least 3 years of relevant industry experience. Familiarity with SolidWorks and various certification processes is essential for success in this dynamic role.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of product engineering experience in commercial ventilation.
• Familiarity with UL or ETL certification regimes.
• Proficiency in SolidWorks or equivalent 3D modeling software.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimize commercial hood systems focusing on airflow performance.
• Lead certification workflows for UL and EN standards.
• Integrate fire suppression systems into hood designs.

Skills

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

SolidWorks

UL/ETL Certification Navigation

Fire Suppression Systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Tools

CAD Software

Job description

This role is designed to build our internal engineering capacity for the commercial kitchen exhaust hood product line. Your primary focus will center on hood airflow performance, fan system specification, fire suppression integration, and navigating the UL 300A and EN 60335 certification regimes.

While your primary 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 ever get at a pure hood manufacturer.

Core Responsibilities

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's products.

Position Requirements

Must-Have Qualifications (Firm Filters)

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering.

Experience: 3+ years of industry product engineering experience at a commercial ventilation, hood, foodservice equipment, fan, or similar manufacturer.

Career Track: Total 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: 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 (e.g., Captive-Aire, Halton, Greenheck, Accurex, Franke, Melink) 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.