Are you passionate about building science and looking for a role in leadership? RDH is looking for a Building Science Consultant / Engineer who will be primarily responsible for coordinating projects and providing building science recommendations and consulting engineering services to senior staff for both new construction and rehabilitation projects. Candidates with additional experience may be considered for a higher level position.
QUALIFICATIONS:- Bachelor’s degree in civil or structural engineering, building or architectural science, or mechanical engineering from an accredited college or university
- 4 to 7 years previous related professional experience is required
- Trained in use of building science or energy modelling software or a Master’s Degree in a related field is an added plus
- Licensed or able to obtain P.E. license within two years
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:Peer Review
- Participate in design meetings. Provide design recommendations and design review of building enclosure assemblies and details. Conduct drawing, detail and specification reviews.
- Review construction for conformance to contract documents and overall design intent and prepare site visit reports.
- Review documentation, including architectural, structural and mechanical drawings to determine original construction detailing and identify area of risk for water penetration, air leakage, and/or condensation.
- Review manufacturer’s shop drawings for conformance with the project intent, performance.
- Research building materials when considering alternative/new materials requested by contractors or materials considered for specific, non-typical conditions.
- Prepare written reports fully documenting design recommendations.
Site Visits and Field Duties
- Attend regular site meeting with owner(s), architects, contractors, developers, product manufactures, and any other relevant parties to discuss progress of the work.
- Review and analyze “mock-ups” of various details and assemblies within the scope of work.
- Prepare and review and analyze site visit reports, documenting observations and field-testing results. Provide recommendations for all deficiency items, including field sketches.
Condition Assessments
- Review documentation including architectural, structural, and mechanical drawings to determine original construction detailing and identify areas of risk for water penetration, air leakage, and/or condensation.
- Conduct visual review of the building exterior and interior components, re-evaluating existing conditions and high-risk areas.
- Create exploratory openings within the building enclosure.
- Conduct field tests of various building enclosure assemblies, including windows, walls, and skylights; and identify problems and develop testing solutions.
- Analyze and prepare written reports and presentations.
Tender Package Creation (Details)
- Create project detail drawings to clearly identify and layout the work.
- Consider all material transitions and their performance with respect to water, vapor, thermal, and air.
- Consider construction schedule and trades sequencing.
- Create project specifications to identify various issues, including acceptable product materials, material delivery to site, site storage of material, quality assurance of work, installation procedures, protection of finished work, etc.
Instrumentation
- As required, develop, construct and deploy instrumentation to monitor Relative Humidity, Temperature, Moisture Content, Rain, Driving Rain, Wind, Wind Direction, Solar Radiation, CO2, etc.
- Analyze collected data and use independent judgement along with standard methods to determine exposure conditions.
- Design and conduct experiments, and analyze and interpret data
Litigation Support Duties
- Documentation of the original site conditions, which typically includes field-testing of various building enclosure assemblies (e.g. windows).
- Collection and storage of evidence (sequential demolition photos, physical specimens) for expert opinion reports.
- Water leakage path determination as supported by physical evidence.
SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:- Technical knowledge of building enclosure design and construction principles
- Knowledge and application of engineering theory
- Possess excellent written and verbal communication skills and be able to publicly present himself/herself in a professional manner
- Ability to draft engineering plans, compile engineering specifications, and inspect construction
- Experience with water testing in accordance with ASTM and AAMA standards
- Ability to formulate and solve problems on projects using past experience and building science principals
- Skilled in use of building science modeling software, such as WUFI, THERM, HEAT3 or energy modeling software is an added plus
PROFESSIONAL AND/OR COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES:- Member of and active in a professional practice organization
- Published article(s) in technical journals or in conference proceedings
- Active in community service or engineering educational outreach programs
- Active in local networking or marketing efforts
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:- Manages junior staff on projects but no direct supervisory responsibility
- Assigns tasks to and directs junior staff
- Prepares scopes, budgets, and schedules for projects
WORK ENVIRONMENT:The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The San Francisco Bay Area – Oakland office is a new “start-up” office that has a very demanding workload with schedules that can change from day to day depending on business development activities that result in new project opportunities. The “start-up” office culture requires an “all hands on deck” approach that requires an ability to drop what we are working on in any given day to focus on a new urgent priority.
HOW TO APPLY:Please submit your resume and cover letter in one PDF to hr@rdh.com. Subject line – OAK – Building Science Consultant/Engineer.
No phone calls please. While we appreciate all responses, only candidates under consideration will be contacted.
Please note that only those already entitled to work in The United States of America legally and permanently need apply. The salary is based upon the experience and qualifications of the individual employee.
