Project Engineer, HVAC Modeling

Brightcore Energy•New York, NY

6d•$100,000 - $130,000•Hybrid

About The Position

This role will help Brightcore accelerate its ability to model the advanced thermal performance of geothermal heating and cooling systems, working as part of a team across all of our modeling efforts. That includes ramping up our modeling capability for data center thermal performance, combining geothermal borefields, dry coolers, and chillers into a single, optimized thermal system. The Thermal Modeling Engineer will help expand the range of solutions we can model and offer to customers, across both our core geothermal business and our growing data center product line.

Requirements

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
2+ years of experience in thermal modeling.
Strong grounding in heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics; comfort reasoning through equipment performance metrics (COP, EER, approach temperatures, heat transfer rates).
Working proficiency with energy/load modeling tools (e.g., TRNSYS, Modelica, EnergyPlus, eQuest, HAP, or equivalent) and Excel-based engineering models preferred.
Working proficiency, or ability to quickly come up to speed, with AutoCAD.
Ability to carry ambiguous concept work — from first-light feasibility through prototype to product requirement — to a defensible, documented result without heavy supervision.
Fluent with AI tools.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with EED and/or pygfunction for borefield design and analysis preferred.
Experience modeling data center cooling systems preferred.
Basic proficiency in Python, or ability to quickly come up to speed preferred.
EIT certification or active progress toward PE licensure preferred.

Responsibilities

Perform geothermal modeling for core business projects, including thermal performance modeling for data center applications that combine geothermal borefields, dry coolers, and chillers.
Develop and enhance advanced thermal models for geothermal heating and cooling systems, with a focus on system performance, efficiency, and optimization.
Model integrated thermal systems combining geothermal borefields, dry coolers, chillers, and other HVAC technologies.
Support the development of thermal modeling capabilities for data center applications, including high-density and mission-critical environments.
Collaborate with engineering, design, and project teams to apply modeling insights to real-world customer projects and system designs.
Expand Brightcore’s modeling capabilities to evaluate new technologies, system configurations, and applications across the geothermal and data center markets.
Analyze modeling results to identify opportunities to improve system performance, energy efficiency, and overall project economics.
Help establish and improve modeling tools, methodologies, and processes to support scalable and consistent project development.
Translate complex modeling results into clear technical recommendations for internal teams and customers.
Build, run, and maintain models in Modelica and TRNSYS.
Apply other geothermal-specific modeling tools, including EED (Earth Energy Designer) and pygfunction.
Analyze model results and modify or calibrate models accordingly.
Write automated scripts to optimally size systems based on different customer priorities or needs.
Simulate fluid flow for large piping systems.
Design hydraulic piping to meet flow and pumping power requirements.
Model different control strategies and evaluate their impact on system performance.
All other duties and projects as assigned.