Senior Associate, Energy & Air Quality (REMOTE U.S)

U.S. Green Building Council; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with employer matching

Professional development reimbursement

Health care plan fully paid by USGBC

Generous paid time off

Job summary

The U.S. Green Building Council is seeking a Senior Associate, Energy and Air Quality, to drive initiatives in building performance standards and enhance USGBC products.

This role requires a collaborative professional with 2–5 years of experience in engineering or energy management. Candidates should hold a Bachelor's degree and demonstrate knowledge of ASHRAE standards.

Benefits include competitive compensation, health care plans, and generous paid time off.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of relevant technical experience in engineering or energy management.
• General knowledge of ASHRAE standards, especially 90.1 and 62.1.
• Experience with LEED-certified projects preferred.

Responsibilities

• Support implementation of strategic goals for energy and carbon.
• Conduct research and build consensus on technical solutions.
• Lead committee operations for LEED Technical Advisory Groups.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Collaborative mindset

Strong written and oral communication

Understanding of high-performance building design

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture, or a related field

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau)

Energy modeling tools (EnergyPlus, OpenStudio)

Job description

How You’ll Make an Impact

As a Senior Associate, Energy and Air Quality, you’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact by helping advance the goals of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and its Technical Development team. The Technical Development team is seeking a skilled professional to expand our technical capabilities and contribute to two critical topic areas: energy and carbon and indoor environmental quality. In this role, you will assume ownership of pertinent committee operations and help guide the ongoing evolution, refinement, and optimization of USGBC products—including LEED—to ensure they remain rigorous, relevant, and aligned with USGBC’s mission and strategic objectives.

You’ll report to the Director of Energy and Carbon and be part of a highly collaborative, matrixed team environment where your contributions will help shape impactful outcomes through USGBC products and thought leadership. You’ll work closely with Technical Development colleagues and other teams such as Education, Innovation and Research, and Product Management and may regularly partner with Technical Customer Service or Certification to resolve questions regarding the interpretation of rating system language in relevant topic areas.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the implementation of strategic goals for energy and carbon and indoor environmental quality for LEED and other USGBC/GBCI products in key technical areas such as:
  • Energy benchmarking, building performance standards, and decarbonization.
  • Indoor air quality (ventilation, filtration, monitoring, etc.).
  • High‑performance design analysis and practices.
• Identify and help understand the implications of new and developing industry issues, trends, scientific research, publications, technologies, regulatory requirements, and standards with a focus on the nexus between energy and air quality.
• Facilitate technical conversations, conduct research, and build consensus on technical solutions that enhance the usability, implementation, and impact of USGBC/GBCI products worldwide.
• Aid in the development and optimization of technical tools and resources, such as rating system guidance, addenda, sample forms, and adaptations to existing rating systems that support specific project types, regions, and innovative approaches.
• Cultivate engagement with global external subject matter experts focused on the built environment.
• Support the vision for volunteerism at USGBC by leading committee operations for at least two LEED Technical Advisory Groups (Energy and Atmosphere and Indoor Environmental Quality), including document development, agenda drafting, meeting coordination and facilitation, note taking, and acting as staff point of contact for volunteer industry professionals.
• Support in public speaking engagements and create technical content presentations, effectively communicating technical information on energy and environmental quality to diverse audiences.

Required Qualifications

Experience

• At least 2–5 years of relevant technical experience in engineering or energy management.
• General knowledge of ASHRAE standards, especially 90.1 and 62.1.
• Robust exposure to and familiarity with building energy management and high‑performance building systems, including HVAC, and their interactions.
• General knowledge of LEED rating systems.
• Experience with LEED‑certified projects preferred.
• Combination of US and relevant international experience a plus.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, or a related field required.

Key Skills

• Understanding of and ability to contribute to high‑performance building design processes, with a focus on energy and air quality aspects and the interaction among building systems.
• Familiarity with building decarbonization approaches, such as building electrification measures, carbon assessments/projections, and strategic decarbonization planning.
• Familiarity with prevalent model energy and IAQ codes.
• Awareness of resilience considerations in the built environment.
• Analytical thinking and problem‑solving skills.
• Collaborative and constructive mindset with demonstrated success in team‑oriented environments.
• Ability to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships with a diverse array of colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Ability to research and present complex solutions to varied audiences.
• Strong written and oral communication.
• Consistent self‑management, including balancing competing priorities and attention to detail.
• Commitment to USGBC mission.

Technology / System(s)

• Microsoft Office Suite proficiency required, including advanced Excel capabilities.
• Experience with data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, or similar) preferred.
• Experience with energy modeling (EnergyPlus/OpenStudio, eQUEST, IES, or similar) strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with Smartsheet and Salesforce preferred but not required.

Certifications

• LEED Accredited Professional (or ability to obtain within 12 months of hire).

Language

• English.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation.
• 401(k) with employer matching.
• Professional development reimbursement.
• Health care plan through Cigna (medical, dental, vision, and prescription drugs) fully paid by USGBC; HRA assistance; client responsible for $300 individual/$600 family deductible.
• Generous paid time off (12 paid holidays, 9 paid personal sick days, 2–3 weeks PTO, operations closed for a full week between Christmas and New Year’s).
• 6 weeks paid renewal leave after 7 years of continuous service.

Logistics

Location: This position is in the Washington DC office or remote in the U.S.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am–5:30 pm, local time; occasional meetings scheduled in Eastern Time.

Travel %: approximately 5% for occasional conferences, speaking events, and team retreats.

EEO Statement

The U.S. Green Building Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.