VAVE Engineer: HVAC Cost & Design Optimizer

True North Consultants, Inc.; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

True North Consultants, Inc. is seeking a VAVE Engineer to optimize product costs across our HVAC portfolio. You will lead teardowns, perform cost modeling, and drive DFx improvements while collaborating with sourcing and manufacturing teams to deliver bottom-line impact.

The role requires 2–5 years of engineering experience, including design/manufacturing exposure, and a solid HVAC fundamentals background. Some travel and hands-on teardown work are expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 2–5 years of professional engineering experience, including at least 1–2 years in product design or manufacturing engineering.
• Experience in the HVAC or thermal systems industry is strongly preferred.
• Lean or Six Sigma Green Belt certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Teardowns & Benchmarking: Independently lead product teardowns and benchmarking to identify cost-reduction opportunities.
• Cost Analysis & Modeling: Build bottom-up cost models including materials, direct labor, overhead, and logistics.
• Design Optimization: Apply DFM and DFS principles to propose and evaluate design alternatives.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with sourcing and quality teams in supplier reviews and cost-reduction workshops.
• Validation & Testing: Support supplier component qualification and validation testing to verify proposed changes meet functional requirements.
• Project Execution: Manage and track small-scale cost-out projects from concept through implementation, presenting business cases to stakeholders.
• Mentorship: Provide guidance and informal mentoring to junior engineers and interns.

Skills

HVAC fundamentals

Thermodynamics

Heat transfer

Fluid mechanics

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Tools

SolidWorks

Inventor

Creo

Windchill

Teamcenter

Autodesk Vault

Job description

True North Consultants, Inc. is seeking a VAVE Engineer to optimize product costs across our HVAC portfolio. You will lead teardowns, perform cost modeling, and drive DFx improvements while collaborating with sourcing and manufacturing teams to deliver bottom-line impact.

The role requires 2–5 years of engineering experience, including design/manufacturing exposure, and a solid HVAC fundamentals background. Some travel and hands-on teardown work are expected.