Project Engineer – Ventilation Hood

Software Placement Group; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Software Placement Group seeks a Project Engineer to design and modify commercial hood systems with emphasis on airflow performance and certification readiness. You will lead UL/ETL/NFPA-96 workflows, integrate fire suppression, specify fan systems and electrical components, and contribute to a new outdoor heater project.

Located in Charlotte, NC, this on-site role offers cross-project exposure within a ventilation equipment manufacturer and requires 4+ years of industry experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering.
• 3+ years of product engineering in ventilation, hood, or related equipment.
• 4+ total years of work experience; not entry-level.
• Experience navigating UL/ETL certification regimes for ventilation/electrical/appliance equipment.
• Strong electrical safety mindset; familiarity with NEC/NFPA-70.
• SolidWorks or equivalent 3D modeling software.

Responsibilities

• Design and modify commercial hood systems with focus on airflow performance, capture/containment efficiency, and noise reduction.
• Lead and manage testing laboratory certification workflows for UL 300A, EN 60335, UL 710, UL 507, and ETL.
• Ensure continuous compliance with NFPA-96 standards.
• Integrate fire suppression systems (ANSUL, Range Guard, Amerex, etc.) into hood designs to maintain certified protection.
• Specify and integrate fan systems, motors, drives, VFDs, and supporting electrical components.
• Support outdoor electric patio heater development including UL 1278 and EN 60335 certifications.
• Create new product drawings and modify existing models in SolidWorks.
• Specify components and provide BOM inputs and supplier selection.
• Provide technical content for installation and operation manuals.
• Act as engineering point of contact to resolve plant production issues and technical customer inquiries.

Skills

Airflow design

Testing coordination

Electrical safety mindset

SolidWorks proficiency

BOM/Supplier input

Technical writing

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Location: Charlotte, NC | Schedule: full-time, on-site

Overview

An established manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation equipment is building out its internal engineering capacity for its exhaust hood product line. This Project Engineer role centers on hood airflow performance, fan system specification, fire suppression integration, and certification compliance, while also offering cross-project exposure to a new electric outdoor patio heater development effort- an opportunity for broader product experience than a single-product hood manufacturer would typically provide.

What you'll do

• Design and modify commercial hood systems with a focus on airflow performance, capture/containment efficiency, and noise reduction
• Lead and manage testing laboratory certification workflows for UL 300A (core standard), EN 60335 (Canadian market), UL 710, UL 507, and ETL
• Ensure continuous compliance with NFPA-96 standards
• Integrate fire suppression systems (ANSUL, Range Guard, Amerex, etc.) into hood designs to maintain certified, seamless protection
• Specify and integrate fan systems, motors, drives, VFDs, and supporting electrical components
• Apply electrical and controls expertise to support the outdoor electric patio heater development project, including navigating UL 1278 and EN 60335 certifications
• Create new product drawings and modify existing models in SolidWorks
• Specify components and provide technical inputs on Bill of Materials (BOMs), part numbers, and supplier selection
• Provide technical content for installation and operation manuals
• Act as the engineering point of contact to resolve plant production issues and technical customer inquiries

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering
• 3+ years of industry product engineering experience at a commercial ventilation, hood, foodservice equipment, fan, or similar manufacturer
• Total work experience of 4+ years, so this should not be a first job post-graduation
• Direct experience navigating UL or ETL certification regimes for ventilation, electrical, or appliance equipment
• Strong electrical safety mindset with familiarity in NEC/NFPA-70
• Proficiency in SolidWorks (or equivalent 3D modeling software)

Preferred qualifications

• Direct experience with UL 300A, UL 710, NFPA-96, or EN 60335 (range hoods for the Canadian market)
• Past engineering experience within the commercial kitchen ventilation space or broader foodservice industry exposure
• Direct experience with fire suppression integration (ANSUL, Range Guard, Amerex) or fan system/motor controls/VFD specifications
• Experience with Building Automation Systems (BAS), commercial HVAC controls, or familiarity with PLC programming
• Background in acoustic/noise engineering for fan systems, or experience with heat pump/electric heating products

Why this role

This position offers deeper, broader product exposure than a candidate would typically get at a pure hood manufacturer, combining core ventilation engineering work with cross-project involvement in a new electric patio heater development initiative.