Senior Building Operator (HVAC)

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL); Princeton (NJ); On-site; USD 73,000 - 109,000; Full time

Job summary

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in Princeton, NJ seeks a Senior Building Operator to oversee operation, maintenance and reliability of PPPL facilities. You will manage complex HVAC and energy systems, coordinate cross-shop repairs, and provide hands-on troubleshooting to ensure safe, stable research environments.

The role requires leadership, strong knowledge of building automation, and experience in commissioning turnover, preventive maintenance, and emergency response.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum eight years of experience operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting complex facilities.

Responsibilities

• Operate, monitor, inspect, maintain, and troubleshoot mechanical, utility and controls to support facility uptime and research continuity.
• Serve as senior technical escalation point for alarms, leaks, and equipment failures.
• Coordinate work among HVAC, BAS, electrical, and plumbing teams; mentor technicians.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Communication

Safety awareness

Energy management

Education

High school diploma

Tools

Planon CMMS

Siemens Desigo CC

WebCTRL

Job description

The Senior Building Operator serves as the senior on-site technical resource for the operation, maintenance, and reliability of assigned PPPL facilities. The position provides daily technical response, coordinates maintenance and/or repairs across multiple PPPL shops, performs and directs hands-on troubleshooting and maintenance., and supports safe, reliable conditions for laboratory and research operations. The role has primary operational oversight of complex HVAC, hydronic, steam/steam condensate geothermal, energy-recovery, energy-management, and supporting building systems and is a key participant in commissioning turnover, warranty coordination, preventive-maintenance development and emergency response. A U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory managed by Princeton University, the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is tackling the world’s toughest science and technology challenges using plasma, the fourth state of matter. With more than 70 years of history, PPPL is a leader in the science and engineering behind the development of fusion energy, a potentially limitless energy source. PPPL is also using its expertise to advance research in the areas of microelectronics, quantum sensors and devices, and sustainability sciences. Whether it be through science, engineering, technology or professional services, every team member has an opportunity to contribute to our mission and vision. Come join us!

Responsibilities

Core Duties

Building Operations and Critical-Facility Response

• Operate, monitor, inspect, maintain, and troubleshoot mission-critical mechanical, utility and controls to support facility uptime, occupant safety, environmental control, and research continuity.
• Serve as the first senior technical escalation point for abnormal conditions, alarms, loss of capacity, leaks, temperature or humidity excursions, utility interruptions, and equipment failures.
• Conduct and coordinate building systems inspections; review temperatures, pressures, flows, differential pressures, vibration, noise, equipment status, alarms, water conditions, housekeeping, and visible deficiencies.
• Verify field conditions, establish safe interim controls, perform or coordinate authorized repairs and adjustments, and initiate follow-up work orders for unresolved conditions.
• Respond to equipment failures, severe weather, and other emergencies in accordance with PPPL procedures and assigned incident-response responsibilities.

Mechanical, HVAC, Hydronic, Steam and Energy-Recovery Systems

• Operate and maintain central and distributed HVAC systems, including water-cooled and air-cooled chillers, packaged DX equipment, heat exchangers, air-handling units, energy-recovery systems, pumps, fan coils, fan-powered boxes, chilled beams, air terminal units, hydronic coils, VFDs, valves, dampers, and associated air-distribution system components.
• Monitor and adjust mechanical and control equipment valves, thermostats, diffusers, safeties, and operating setpoints to maintain approved environmental and equipment conditions. Review temperature, humidity, pressure, etc. points monitored through the BAS to determine Facility response.
• Diagnose refrigeration, airflow, hydronic, mechanical, electrical-control, and sequence-related problems. Determine appropriate equipment repair scope before corrective work is assigned.
• Support cooling and heating optimization, equipment staging, differential-pressure control, energy-recovery performance, water-side balance, seasonal changeover, electrical load-shed procedure and reliable fallback operation.
• Operate and maintain site high pressure (80 psig) and low pressure (15 psig) steam and associated steam condensate system including condensate receiver units, steam traps, steam valves, pressure reducing stations, safety relief valves, etc. Act as primary point person for system restarting from cold conditions.

Geothermal And Ground-Source Systems

• Operate, monitor, maintain and troubleshoot Princeton Plasma Innovation Center (PPIC) geothermal ground-loop, source-water, heat-transfer systems, associated pumps, distribution piping/components and modular chiller arrays.
• Evaluate entering and leaving water temperatures, flows, pressures, pump and VFD performance, heat-transfer effectiveness, energy trends, and seasonal ground-loop behavior against design and commissioning baselines.
• Identify and elevate system deficiencies and changes in long-term ground-loop performance.
• Participate in any mechanical system related PPIC commissioning (Cx) efforts.

Preventive, Corrective, and Reliability Maintenance

• Perform, coordinate, and verify preventive and corrective maintenance in accordance with PPPL procedures, manufacturer recommendations, approved job plans, warranty requirements, and applicable industry practices.
• Typical work includes filter replacement, coil and condensate-system cleaning, strainer service, approved heat-exchanger cleaning, motor/bearing lubrication and replacement, belt inspection and adjustment, pulley and shaft alignment, valve and actuator inspection, leak checks, and scheduled equipment inspections.
• Review maintenance history, operating data, alarms, trends, and repeat failures to identify reliability risks, deferred deficiencies, spare-parts requirements, and opportunities for predictive or condition-based maintenance.
• Support development and continuous improvement of PM job plans, operating inspections, standard readings, seasonal-readiness plans, troubleshooting guides, shutdown/startup checklists, and critical-spares lists.

Controls, Energy Management, and Performance Monitoring

• Monitor the building automation and energy-management systems; review alarms, trends, schedules, setpoints, overrides, equipment commands, feedback, and utility performance.
• Partner with BAS personnel to validate sequences of operation, diagnose unstable control loops, confirm sensor and actuator performance, and resolve mechanical-control interactions.
• Track and trend system performance using BAS, metering, commissioning data, and CMMS history to improve energy efficiency, reliability, and operating stability without compromising research requirements.
• Support approved system improvements, retro-commissioning, and optimization efforts through data analysis, field verification, functional testing, and documented change control.

Work Control, Safety, Compliance, and Quality

• Ensure work is planned and executed safely and in accordance with DOE, PPPL, OSHA, environmental, quality-assurance, configuration-management, cybersecurity, and site work-control requirements applicable to the assignment.
• Verify that permits, lockout/tagout boundaries, procedures, drawings, hazards, personal protective equipment, access requirements, tools, parts, and restoration steps are established before work begins.
• Support inspections, audits, risk assessments, and corrective-action activities by providing accurate technical documentation and subject-matter input.
• Identify commissioning, design, construction, maintainability, or warranty deficiencies; preserve evidence and route issues to the responsible contractor, designer, commissioning agent, manufacturer, or PPPL authority.
• Complete all required PPPL safety, qualification, and refresher training and maintain orderly, clean, and safe work areas.

Technical Leadership, Coordination, and Documentation

• Provide technical guidance and operational leadership to technicians during routine operations, maintenance, shutdowns, and incident response; mentor personnel within assigned authority.
• Coordinate work among HVAC, BAS, electrical, plumbing, operations, engineering, planners, researchers, commissioning agents, contractors, and OEM service providers.
• Support weekly planning and scheduling by identifying priority, labor, permits, parts, outage windows, research impacts, vendor dependencies, and restoration requirements.
• Use Planon or the designated CMMS to maintain accurate work orders, asset history, readings, labor, parts, inspections, deficiencies, warranty records, procedures, and status updates.
• Communicate equipment status, operational risk, planned outages, unresolved deficiencies, and recommended actions clearly to Facilities leadership and affected stakeholders.
• Other duties assigned.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

Minimum Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Completion of a recognized HVAC/R, stationary-engineering, operating-engineer, mechanical, or apprenticeship/technical program.
• Valid driver's license.
• Minimum eight years of progressively responsible experience operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting complex commercial, institutional, industrial, pharmaceutical, laboratory, research, or mission‑critical facilities.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating multi‑trade technical work and providing operational leadership during maintenance, outages, abnormal conditions, or emergency response.
• Working knowledge of refrigeration, chilled‑water and heating‑water systems, pumps, VFDs, heat exchangers, air‑handling and exhaust systems, geothermal or ground‑source HVAC principles, controls, water systems, and mechanical infrastructure.
• Ability to interpret O&M manuals, mechanical drawings, P&IDs, electrical and control schematics, sequences of operation, equipment submittals, commissioning reports, and maintenance history.
• Experience using a CMMS and standard office applications to document work, analyze trends, manage priorities, and communicate status.

Preferred Qualifications

• Applicable New Jersey refrigeration operator, stationary engineer, operating engineer license appropriate to assigned duties.
• Advanced training or hands‑on experience with geothermal well fields, ground‑source heat‑pump or source‑water systems, energy recovery, modular chillers, centrifugal chillers, laboratory ventilation, or complex hydronic systems.
• Experience with Siemens Desigo CC and or Automated Logic (ALC) WebCTRL, BACnet, VFDs, packaged equipment controls, utility metering, and energy‑performance analysis.
• Experience in a DOE or national laboratory, GMP/pharmaceutical, healthcare, higher‑education, data‑center, or other highly regulated or mission‑critical environment.

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and decision‑making skills with the ability to evaluate interacting mechanical, electrical, controls, environmental, and process conditions.
• Advanced understanding of heat transfer, refrigeration cycles, geothermal and ground‑source heat exchange, hydronic distribution, air systems, and energy‑recovery principles.
• Ability to use hand and power tools, electrical test instruments, temperature, pressure, airflow, vibration, and water‑side instruments, and manufacturer service software within assigned qualifications.
• Clear written and verbal communication; ability to prepare concise technical updates, work documentation, procedures, and recommendations.
• Self‑motivated, dependable, accountable, organized, and able to manage multiple priorities while collaborating across operations, engineering, research, ES&H, and vendor teams.
• Commitment to safety, quality, configuration control, customer service, and operational excellence.

Certificates And Licenses

• EPA Section 608 Universal certification.
• A2L Refrigerant certification.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to walk, stand, climb, bend, kneel, work in equipment spaces, use hand and power tools, wear required personal protective equipment, and lift or move materials within PPPL‑established limits.

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in offices, laboratories, mechanical rooms, rooftops, equipment yards, and active research environments.
• Work may involve heat, cold, noise, vibration, moving equipment, energized systems, refrigerants, chemicals, water systems, confined or restricted spaces, ladders, scaffolds, and aerial lifts under approved controls.
• Ability to walk, stand, climb, bend, kneel, work in equipment spaces, use hand and power tools, wear required personal protective equipment, and lift or move materials within PPPL‑established limits.
• May be required to respond outside normal working hours for alarms, outages, leaks, equipment failures, severe weather, or critical research support.
• All physical‑demand, medical‑clearance, respirator, lifting, and driving language should be validated by HR and ES&H before posting.
• The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full‑time position; salaries for part‑time positions are pro‑rated accordingly.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full‑time position; salaries for part‑time positions are pro‑rated accordingly.

If the salary range on the posted position shows an hourly rate, this is the baseline; the actual hourly rate may be higher, depending on the position and factors listed above.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.

Please be aware that the Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from participation in certain foreign government talent recruitment programs. All PPPL employees are required to disclose any participation in a foreign government talent recruitment program and may be required to withdraw from such programs to remain employed under the DOE Contract.

Standard Weekly Hours

40.00

Eligible for Overtime

Yes

Benefits Eligible

Yes

Probationary Period

90 days

Essential Services Personnel (see Policy For Detail)

No

Physical Capacity Exam Required

No

Valid Driver's License Required

No

Salary Range

$73,000 to $109,400