Senior Building Enclosure Specialist

RDH Building Science; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary incentives and share-ow​

Share ownership

Health and Dental coverage

Vacation and Sick Time

Learning fund

Job summary

RDH Building Science seeks a Specialist, Building Enclosure to lead the Washington, DC and mid-Atlantic growth, focusing on complex building enclosures including waterproofing, air/water barriers, and fenestration systems.

The role emphasizes client development, project leadership, and technical excellence, with collaboration across RDH offices to deliver climate-resilient façade solutions for new and existing buildings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Applied Science, or Architecture.
• 15+ years of experience in building science and engineering.
• Site conditions experience and construction process management.
• Demonstrated business development and client relationship skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of building enclosure consulting for eastern US projects (new and existing).
• Provide technical leadership in investigation, rehabilitation, and design of enclosure systems.
• Manage client relationships, identify opportunities, respond to RFPs, and grow RDH's presence in DC and mid-Atlantic.
• Collaborate with RDH offices across North America to align on projects and standards.
• Mentor team members and contribute to RDH’s growth strategy in climate-resilient design.

Skills

Building enclosure design

Building science

Investigation skills

Data interpretation

Team collaboration

Communication

Project management

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Engineering, Applied Science, or Architecture

Job description

RDH is a beacon for building science leadership, focused on delivering scalable climate‑resilient solutions for clients and future generations.

We are seeking a Specialist, Building Enclosure to join our US East leadership team. We are leaders in the building science industry where we aim to deliver high quality services that provide value to our clients. We lead the industry by tackling the most difficult building science challenges head on, with climate resilient solutions being a key driver of our work today and into the future. We are seeking to grow our team with someone who shares our interest in differentiating ourselves through innovation and quality. We are looking for a dynamic leader who fosters collaboration, growth, and excellence.

For new buildings

We focus on high performance and complex projects. Specifically, we target projects with low carbon, energy efficient, and sustainable design goals, as well as projects pursuing unique and innovative façade designs such as prefabrication, international procurement, high thermal performance, and unusual geometry. Our current project portfolio includes buildings pursuing Net Zero Carbon, mass timber, and Passive House, across all building types. We are involved in many of the premier buildings across North America, leading façade design for a wide range of high‑end projects including offices, multi‑unit residential, institutional, and civic projects. We seek to continue to grow our new building consulting services with a focus on projects where we can provide high value to our clients.

For existing buildings

We take on complex problems and focus our solutions on the needs of our clients. We see existing buildings as a key area of impact and opportunity, with practical and scalable solutions critical to addressing climate resilience, and a combination of government mandates and market forces driving this practice area. We strongly believe that a durable building is a resilient building and are expanding this area of our practice to holistically address resilience including reducing operational carbon emissions and addressing increasing health and comfort challenges. Our team is designing and implementing deep retrofits for various owner groups, as well as working with our clients to develop long‑term plans and targeted interventions aligned with their climate resilience goals. RDH is well positioned to take advantage of this opportunity, having led policy development associated with deep retrofits and leading the industry in the rehabilitation and renewal of building enclosures. We have strong relationships with key client groups and we anticipate significant growth in this area of our business.

For all buildings

We continue to undertake work doing fundamental research, developing products, creating policy, and providing training and publications to lead the industry. This work feeds directly into our work with new and existing buildings and differentiates us from others.

Geographically

The role will contribute to the growth of RDH’s presence in the US East region which includes markets east of the Mississippi River from Maine to Florida. There will also be opportunities to collaborate with other RDH offices and teams across the company in the US West Region and Canadian markets.

Key Responsibilities

This is a leadership role important to RDH’s growth in the Washington, DC and mid‑Atlantic markets immediately, and opportunities along the East Coast. The role will focus on the development of building enclosure consulting for new and existing buildings in the eastern US region. The role will also focus on providing technical leadership in the areas of investigation, rehabilitation, and design of building enclosure systems on historic and contemporary structures. This includes your specialized and focused experience in the design and integration of complex building enclosures systems, including waterproofing, air and water barriers, rain screen cladding, and fenestration systems. existing building repairs, rehabilitations. The position will also include developing client relationships, identifying and responding to project opportunities and RFPs in the local market, and developing and delivering building science services to clients with new and existing facilities, including forensics, litigation, and insurance.

This role is based in Washington, DC.

Qualifications

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Engineering, Applied Science, or Architecture
• 15+ years of experience in building science and engineering, with knowledge of architecture and construction with a focus on building enclosure
• Field experience addressing site conditions and managing construction process and contract issues
• Demonstrated business development experience
• Successful relationship building experience particularly with developers, architects, building owners and other project team members
• Proven success leading projects involving large and small buildings

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent technical knowledge of building science, building enclosure design, and construction processes
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with clients, staff, and consultants
• Ability to gather and diagnose information, interpret data and drawings, and assess conditions for multiple components
• Analytical problem solving skills and strong investigative aptitude, including ability to troubleshoot and diagnose building performance issues
• Proven team player who fosters teamwork and cooperation
• Fast learner with the ability to develop technical and interpersonal skills
• Excellent ability to communicate complex technical information to staff, clients, and trades
• Excellent ability to shift focus between changing priorities
• Solid project management skills and the ability to manage performance of others
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including presentation skills
• Strong work ethic, eager to assume responsibility quickly
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills
• Strong desire and potential to be a leader in the industry

Benefits and Perks

The base salary range for this position is $150,000-$200,000 annualized for a full‑time role. Base salary is dependent various factors, including qualifications, skills, competencies, experience, and location. You may also be eligible for discretionary incentives and share ownership.

We offer a robust benefits package to support the well‑being of our employees. This includes: GRSP contributions, Health and Dental coverage, Primary Caregiver benefits, Vacation and Sick Time, Statutory Holiday substitutions, and a learning fund of $1,000 per year for education or career goals.

About Us

RDH is an amazing place to work. A role with RDH is a career commitment to learn and grow alongside inspiring and dedicated people who care deeply about making buildings better.

We are an employee‑owned consulting firm with 300 employees in nine offices across North America. Our core area of business is the integration of building science engineering, architecture, and construction management to optimize the performance of the building enclosure (walls, windows and roofs). Since our beginnings in 1997, we have become industry leaders in North America and continue to grow as we focus on technical excellence and delivering high-quality projects.

We offer a positive workplace with incredible teams, opportunities for professional growth, development and ownership. As well as your background, we seek alignment with RDH’s core values: 1) commit to excellence, 2) act with integrity, 3) work as a team 4) do what it takes, and 5) always learn.

Our collaborative teams fuel our mission of Making Buildings Better. We seek balanced representation in our teams, and to achieve a welcoming and inclusive community for all people who share a passion for our values and mission. We believe diverse thought, ideas, and voices make us great – people of different identities, races, ethnicities, genders, ages, orientations, religions, abilities, education, cultures, and skills. We are committed to equity through building teams based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Additional information on our expertise, projects, and culture can be found at www.rdh.com.