ResponsibilitiesThis position is in the Building Simulation and Design Group (BS&DG) within PNNL's Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division. BS&DG conducts modeling and analysis to evaluate the impacts of building energy policies, codes, and standards; develops tools and workflows to support building research and decision making; and helps accelerate adoption of energy-efficient technologies. The group maintains core research capabilities in building energy simulation, building energy policy analysis, and tool development for building applications.
The BS&DG is seeking a
Research Engineer II - Building Energy Analysis with strong knowledge of building energy systems, programming and data analysis skills, and experience evaluating building technologies, energy performance, and associated cost impacts. The selected candidate will serve as an individual contributor to project teams. They will contribute to developing technical approaches and conduct research to evaluate building energy performance, building technologies, equipment, and energy efficiency policies, codes, and standards. The work will apply engineering principles and economic analysis methods to the analysis of field observations, operational measurements, survey data, product information, cost data, and simulation results. Responsibilities include developing and improving analytical tools and reproducible workflows, collaborating with technical contributors, evaluating the technical quality of research results, contributing to publications and presentations, and communicating findings to project teams and collaborators.
The successful candidate will be responsible for:
- Performing assigned roles under the direction of Project and/or Task Managers, following applicable project and field procedures, and completing assigned tasks on time and within budget.
- Applying building engineering principles and contributing to the development of analytical approaches to address building energy performance, technology, and cost questions, including appropriate methods, assumptions, evaluation metrics, and study boundaries.
- Organizing, integrating, and analyzing building and equipment datasets from field studies, operational measurements, surveys, product information, cost sources, and simulation results.
- Conducting and contributing to the design of studies to evaluate building technologies, equipment, energy efficiency policies, codes, and standards, including selecting appropriate baselines, comparing performance and energy use, and conducting sensitivity, scenario, and uncertainty analyses as appropriate.
- Collecting and evaluating equipment, installation, maintenance, and operating cost data; applying established engineering economic methods to assess incremental first costs, life-cycle costs, and savings; and collaborating with economists and technical specialists on analyses requiring additional expertise.
- Developing reusable tools and contributing to improvements in reproducible workflows for data preparation, integration, quality checks, analysis, and reporting, including maintaining organized research datasets and collaborating with database and software developers.
- Applying data validation and results-review procedures, investigating data quality issues and unexpected findings, and assessing physical and analytical consistency using engineering principles, reference data, and appropriate statistical methods.
- Creating and maintaining clear visualizations and updating the data underlying dashboards, infographics, and other research products.
- Independently completing recurring assignments and defining and leading small tasks or projects, coordinating with contributors, and delivering technically sound results within assigned scope, schedule, and budget.
- Working with project teams and collaborators to understand research needs, contribute to technical approaches, and communicate progress, findings, and limitations.
- Contributing to technical reports, journal articles, and conference presentations, leading elements or sections of technical products, and presenting findings in project meetings and technical forums.
- Contributing research ideas and technical content to proposals for research and capability development opportunities.
- Collaborating across the group and division to share methods, strengthen research capabilities, and identify opportunities for related research.
- Maintaining accountability to Project and/or Task Managers, the Group Leader, and the Team Leader for assigned responsibilities, project execution, professional development, and operational discipline, including compliance with applicable procedures, training requirements, and quality, safety, and security expectations.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a full academic or research CV
This position be based at a PNNL office in Portland, OR, Richland, WA, or Seattle, WA, with an on-site presence expected. Hybrid work arrangements may be available in accordance with laboratory policy, project needs, and team expectations. Remote work may be considered for candidates with strong technical expertise and demonstrated success working remotely.QualificationsMinimum Qualifications:
- BS/BA in mechanical engineering, architectural engineering, building energy systems, or a related technical field and 2 years of relevant building energy systems experience-OR-
- MS/MA -OR-PhD in mechanical engineering, architectural engineering, building energy systems, or a related technical field
- Proficiency in programming skills to process, analyze, and visualize technical data.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Graduate degree in mechanical engineering, architectural engineering, building science, or a closely related field, with at least two years of relevant experience and evidence of growing independence in technical work and project contributions.
- Strong knowledge of building energy systems, including how building characteristics, equipment, controls, and operating conditions affect energy use and performance.
- Strong programming and data analysis skills using Python, R, or comparable tools, with experience developing reusable scripts and reproducible workflows for data preparation, quality assurance, analysis, and reporting.
- Experience organizing and integrating technical datasets from multiple sources, investigating data quality issues, applying appropriate statistical methods, and interpreting findings using engineering principles. Experience with sampling, weighting, normalization, or uncertainty analysis is a plus.
- Experience evaluating building technologies, equipment, energy performance, or the impacts of energy efficiency policies, codes, and standards.
- Experience collecting and evaluating cost data and applying engineering economic methods to assess building technologies or equipment, including incremental first costs, operating costs, life-cycle costs, and savings.
- Familiarity with sensitivity or scenario analysis is preferred.
- Experience creating and maintaining clear data visualizations and updating the datasets underlying dashboards, infographics, or other analytical products. Familiarity with Tableau or comparable tools is a plus.
- Experience with version control, testing, and documentation for collaborative research tools and analytical workflows. Familiarity with SQL, relational databases, or data pipelines is a plus.
- Demonstrated ability to independently complete defined technical analyses, contribute to analytical approaches, and deliver technically sound results within assigned scope, schedule, and budget.
- Experience applying building energy codes and standards in building design or compliance evaluations, or analyzing their energy and cost impacts, is a plus.
- Experience applying AI or machine learning methods to engineering data analysis or research workflow automation is a plus.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, demonstrated through technical writing, publications or presentations, and effective collaboration across disciplines.
Additional InformationNot Applicable.
Testing Designated PositionThis is not a Testing Designated Position (TDP).
