Buildings Research Engineer

Organization and Job IDJob ID: 311200Directorate: Energy and Environment DirectorateDivision: Electricity Infrastructure and BuildingsGroup: Buildings and Connected SystemsJob DescriptionThe Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution tackling some of the most challenging problems in energy, the environment, and national security. PNNL’s Buildings & Connected Systems Group performs applied research to that drives energy and water efficiency, occupant productivity, and resilient operation of buildings and their connected energy and water systems. We are a mission-driven organization providing economic, environmental, security, and societal benefits to the nation by applying to buildings our core research capabilities in energy simulation, performance evaluation, control system optimization, distributed energy and water system integration, and data analytics.The PositionThe Buildings & Connected Systems Group seeks an entry-level Buildings Research Engineer to support the development, upgrade, and use of PNNL’s large-scale building energy modeling infrastructure and associated analytical tools for the following research areas.

PNNL/DOE Residential and Commercial Prototype Building Models development in EnergyPlus and OpenStudio

National and regional building energy code upgrades, such as ASHRAE Standard 90.1, International Energy Efficiency Code, ASHRAE Standard 189.1

Energy impacts of building energy code compliance

Resilience of building energy systems

Grid interactive efficient building design and controls

Modeling of occupancy centric controls in buildings

Urban-scale building modeling for end use analyses and load predictions for building-to-grid research.

Key responsibilities include:

Applying science and engineering theories and developing technical approaches to solve building performance research challenges.

Executing tasks independently or with limited guidance on new assignments.

Defining and leading small tasks and executing within budget and timeframes allotted.

Contributing to or leading the development of sections of technical products, such as technical reports and journal articles, and presenting at conferences and technical forums.

Teaming with staff across the group and division to share resources and optimize approaches. Contributing to the development of proposals for business and capability development opportunities.

The successful candidate will be accountable to:

Project and/or Task Managers for performing assigned roles, following applicable project and field procedures, and performance of assigned tasks on time and within budget;

The Buildings & Connected Systems Technical Group Manager, and Building Energy Simulation Team Leader, for general staff performance and development, operational discipline (e.g., maintaining training qualifications, procedural compliance, safe operations), and project execution.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s with 2 years of experience or a graduate degree in engineering with 0 years of experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Graduate degree in Architectural Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Building Sciences or related fields

Solid background knowledge in building physics and building energy systems

Experience in creating simulation models for buildings with complex energy systems and controls in EnergyPlus, OpenStudio, or other similar software

Strong programming skills in Python, Ruby, R, Perl, or C Independent design or research experience in one or more of the building energy systems: building envelop, HVAC, lighting, controls, service hot water.

Experience in working with Git repository and parallel computing preferred

Experience in conducting field or laboratory measurements of building energy systems and indoor environment parameters preferred

Experience in developing technical reports and research papers

Project management skills on budgeting, planning, and control of cost, time and deliverables

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Strong research skills to develop research ideas and support research projects

A collaborative approach to problem-solving in areas that do not have clear or established solutions or outcomes and the ability to work well with inter-disciplinary and geographically distributed teams.

Equal Employment OpportunityBattelle Memorial Institute (BMI) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and supports diversity in the workplace. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital or family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information. All BMI staff must be able to demonstrate the legal right to work in the United States. BMI is an E-Verify employer. Learn more at jobs.pnnl.gov.Please be aware that the Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from participation in certain foreign government talent recruitment programs. If you are offered a position at PNNL and are currently a participant in a foreign government talent recruitment program you will be required to disclose this information before your first day of employment.Directorate: Energy & EnvironmentJob Category: Engineering/Engineering TechsGroup: Controls Optimization & NetworOpening Date: 2020-09-15Closing Date: 2020-09-19