Senior Building Performance Analyst

dbHMS•Chicago, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The DataBased+ studio within dbHMS delivers data-based, human-centered design support services to clients with a vision for industry-leading performance across sustainability, resilience, human health and wellness, and operating cost. At DataBased+, Senior Building Performance Analysts ask and answer questions that lead to design decisions which improve the indoor air quality and thermal comfort, minimize the cost, and maximize the resource efficiency of buildings, campuses, neighborhoods, or regions. In addition, they facilitate the discussions that lead project teams toward higher performance. Every new building, major renovation, or community planning project at DataBased+ and dbHMS has a Senior Building Performance Analyst as part of the design team. It forms the backbone of our approach to delivering the best built environment for our clients. Additionally, Senior Building Performance Analysts play a strong part in the training and mentorship of junior team members. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in energy code compliance, HVAC system modeling in tools such as IES or OpenStudio, and energy performance analysis.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering; graduate degree is preferred.
Proficiency in IES or EnergyPlus/Open Studio.
Seven to ten years of experience with building projects in North America and a comprehensive understanding of energy use in buildings.
Strong background in heat transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid flow.
Ability to read and understand construction documents, floor plans, specifications, and details.
Ability to breakdown complex building science problems into models that accurately predict building performance.
Strong presentation skills.
Excellent communication, presentation, and team-building skills.
Strong software and computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Bluebeam, etc.).

Nice To Haves

Active membership in IBPSA and/or ASHRAE.
ASHRAE Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP) certification or similar.
Professional engineering license.
Experience with TRNSYS, Grasshopper and other "bug suite" tools, Python, or similar scripting/coding.
Experience with design of Building Systems.
Experience with public speaking.
Experience with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software.
Experience in sustainability certification programs (LEED, Enterprise Green Communities, PHIUS, Living Building Challenge, etc.).
Experience managing and mentoring junior team members.
Strong critical thinking skills.
Ability to communicate novel or complex concepts and related facts in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner in any format (e.g. written, oral, presentation).
Well-developed interpersonal skills, maturity, credibility, confidence and integrity,
Strong time-management skills and experience managing multiple priorities at once,
Collaborative with strong focus on teamwork.
Excellent work ethic.
Self-motivated and able to work independently both in a group environment and remotely.
Passionate about optimizing buildings and building systems and improving the built environment.
Ability to provide a quality professional product in an aggressive timeline.

Responsibilities

Articulate building systems and science principles to clients in a meaningful way.
Analyze the resource use of engineered building systems and their components at all scales from the system level up through and including the regional grid level and accurately predict their impact on energy efficiency, human health, and environmental sustainability.
Conduct detailed energy code compliance modeling and predictive energy modeling, with a strong emphasis on building HVAC systems including DOAS VRF, ground-source heat pumps, radiant systems, and chilled beams.
Apply knowledge of passive and active engineered systems to make recommendations about building components and design elements.
Learn concepts rapidly, then apply them and articulate them appropriately. This includes but is not limited to: technologies/strategies associated with high performance building design, ever evolving building codes and standards, and benchmarking tools associated with high performance building design (e.g. Living Building Challenge, Passivhaus).
Collaborate with internal and external project design teams to provide guidance on building enclosure and system design based on the results of building performance modeling.
Survey existing buildings and identify systems and components.
Manage client relationships.
Schedule work responsibilities and perform quality reviews on work products within the studio.
Mentor junior staff in both technical and professional matters.