Sr. Solutions Engineer

R-Zero • California, CA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

R-Zero is hiring a Senior Solutions Engineer to drive the technical pre-sales motion for our Physical AI solution — a portfolio of occupancy sensors and intelligence that unlocks meaningful HVAC energy reduction in commercial buildings. This is a customer-facing, sales-forward role that pairs strong communication skills with mechanical engineering judgment. You'll be the technical voice in early-stage customer conversations, leading pitches alongside Sales Directors, qualifying buildings against R-Zero's occupancy-based demand-controlled ventilation criteria, and translating HVAC, BMS, and controls complexity into clear, compelling value for executive and engineering audiences alike.
This is a startup role, and we mean it. R-Zero is a fast-moving company building a category that doesn't have a textbook playbook yet — which means the right person here gets to help write it. You won't just execute against an established pre-sales motion; you'll own the evolution of the tools, qualification frameworks, and processes the Solutions team runs on.
You'll operate as a senior pre-sales engineer on the Solutions team, partnering closely with the rest of the team to scale qualification velocity and feed a growing sales pipeline. You'll get hands-on with our internal tools, scope buildings from drawings and BMS data, and develop ROI narratives that move deals forward.
The ideal candidate is a mechanical, controls, or energy engineer at heart who is energized by customer conversations — someone who can hold their own in a technical discovery call, walk a CFO through energy savings logic, turn a stack of mechanical drawings into a qualified opportunity by end of day, and spot the broken process they want to fix while they're at it.

Requirements

• Customer-facing pre-sales: 3+ years in a Solutions Engineering or Sales Engineering role with demonstrated success leading technical discovery, delivering pitches and demos, and supporting enterprise sales cycles with multiple stakeholders.
• Technical depth: 5+ years of hands-on experience in HVAC system design, BMS/controls engineering, mechanical engineering, energy engineering, or building automation — with depth sufficient to read mechanical drawings and BMS point lists without supervision.
• Working knowledge of HVAC systems (AHUs, VAV, terminal units), BMS/BAS architectures, controls integration, and ventilation strategies.
• Experience working with internal AI/LLM-based qualification or scoping tools.
• Familiarity with ASHRAE 62.1, Title 24, and demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) approaches.
• Comfort reading mechanical drawings, BMS point lists, and trended controls data.
• Strong written and verbal communication — equally credible in front of a CFO, an energy manager, and a controls technician.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Building Science, Controls Engineering, Energy Engineering, or related field.

Nice To Haves

• Background working at an MEP consultancy, energy consultancy, cleantech or HVAC technology company, and/or early-stage startup — environments where you've owned ambiguous problems and seen how buildings actually get designed, commissioned, or retrofitted.
• Hands-on experience with BACnet integrations and Niagara/Tridium supervisors.
• Exposure to DCV, IAQ, or smart building product categories.
• Industry credentials such as CEM, CBCP or CCP, CEA, and PE.
• Familiarity with energy modeling tools and M&V frameworks (IPMVP).

Responsibilities

• Lead technical discovery: Run discovery calls with facilities directors, energy managers, and BMS controls staff to capture HVAC system architecture, BMS configuration, occupancy profiles, and existing DCV strategies.
• Pitch and demo: Co-pitch with Sales Directors and deliver high-impact demos of R-Zero’s occupancy based DCV platform, savings models, and M&V approach — flexing message and depth based on audience.
• Translate to business value: Convert HVAC and controls detail into ROI narratives, energy savings ranges, and implementation pathways that resonate with executive decision-makers.
• Sales partnership: Partner with Sales on opportunity strategy, multi-stakeholder navigation, and objection handling — especially around BMS write-access, IT/security review, and capex versus EaaS commercial models.
• Building qualification: Use internal tooling and engineering judgment to assess buildings against the qualification criteria (AHU specs, OA strategy, BMS readiness, occupancy patterns, energy recovery, existing DCV).
• Scope of work development: Develop technical scopes, sensor counts, sequence-of-operation strategies, and integration approaches from mechanical drawings, BMS point lists, and trended data.
• Site surveys: Conduct remote and occasional in-person surveys to validate AHU configuration, BAS points, and field conditions.
• Pre-sales to handoff: Own the technical journey from first call through clean handoff to implementation, ensuring scope accuracy and customer expectations are aligned.
• Implementation support: Stay engaged through deployment as needed — supporting BMS integration questions, validation visits, and customer escalations.
• Expansion opportunities: Surface portfolio expansion opportunities post-deployment by validating performance and equipping Sales to upsell additional buildings.
• Tooling contribution: Provide structured feedback on R-Zero’s internal Solutions Engineering tooling and propose process improvements.
• Cross-functional partnership: Partner with Product, Engineering, and Sales to channel field insights into roadmap priorities and competitive positioning.
• Knowledge sharing: Author and maintain technical collateral, qualification heuristics, and customer-facing FAQs that scale the team’s capability.

Benefits

• Generous time-off policies and paid holidays
• Competitive total compensation with equity
• Health benefits (medical, dental, vision) and 401(k) program starting on day one
• Up to 12 weeks paid parental leave
• Monthly stipend to support home internet and cell phone for work purposes
• Budget for WFH equipment
• Monthly in-office lunches and happy hours for people based in the SF Bay Area
• Learning and development support

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior