Senior Mechanical Engineer – Central Utility Plants (Chilled Water Systems)

We are searching for a Senior Mechanical Engineer – Central Utility Plants (Chilled Water Systems) as part of our Power & Infrastructure Department. In this position, you will have the opportunity to lead complex, high-visibility campus infrastructure projects in a collaborative, technically driven work environment. In addition, this position will provide you with long-term professional growth and leadership development.   This position will be on-site and have a hybrid schedule based on the project and campus requirements.   

POSITION SUMMARY 
We are seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer with a minimum of 10 years of experience specializing in 
central utility plants and large-scale chilled water generation and distribution systems serving institutional 
and mission-critical campuses. This role provides technical leadership for the planning, design, and 
execution of chilled water systems supporting hospitals, universities, and data centers. The successful 
candidate will bring deep technical expertise, strong leadership capability, and experience delivering 
reliable, efficient, and resilient utility infrastructure. 

RESPONSIBLITIES 
• Lead the design and engineering of central utility plant chilled water systems, including chillers, 
cooling towers, pumping systems, heat rejection equipment, and thermal energy storage. 
• Engineer large-scale chilled water distribution networks for campus environments, including 
hydraulic modeling, redundancy strategies, and future expansion planning. 
• Develop and review basis of design documents, engineering calculations, equipment specifications, 
construction drawings, and technical reports. 
• Perform cooling load analyses, energy modeling, system optimization, and life-cycle cost 
evaluations to support system selection and long-term campus planning. 
• Support reliability and resiliency requirements typical of hospitals, data centers, and research 
campuses, including N 1 and fault-tolerant system designs. 
• Provide technical leadership during construction and commissioning, including submittal reviews, 
RFIs, site observations, and functional performance testing support. 
• Coordinate closely with electrical, controls, civil, structural, and architectural disciplines to ensure 
integrated central plant solutions. 
• Interface directly with clients, facilities stakeholders, and operators to align designs with 
operational requirements and long-term maintenance strategies. 
• Mentor junior engineers and review technical deliverables to ensure quality, consistency, and 
adherence to best practices. 
• Ensure compliance with applicable codes, standards, and guidelines (ASHRAE, ASME, NFPA where 
applicable, local jurisdictional requirements). 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS 
• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or related discipline (Master’s degree preferred). 
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive mechanical engineering experience, with a strong focus on 
central utility plants and large chilled water systems. 
• Proven experience designing chilled water plants and distribution systems for hospitals, university 
campuses, data centers, or similar institutional facilities. 
• In-depth knowledge of chiller technologies, pumping configurations, heat rejection systems, 
thermal energy storage, and plant controls integration. 
• Proficiency with engineering design and analysis tools, including load calculation software, 
hydraulic modeling tools, and AutoCAD/Revit. 
• Professional Engineer (PE) license in the United States required or ability to obtain through 
reciprocity in a reasonable timeframe. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present complex technical 
concepts to non-technical stakeholders.  

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 
• Experience with campus master planning and phased utility plant expansion. 
• Familiarity with commissioning, retro-commissioning, and operational optimization of central 
utility plants. 
• Experience supporting mission-critical facilities with high uptime and redundancy requirements. 
• Knowledge of energy efficiency, decarbonization, and low-carbon campus utility strategies. 

KEY COMPETENCIES 
• Technical leadership and independent engineering judgment 
• Systems-level thinking with a focus on reliability and resiliency 
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration and stakeholder engagement 
• Mentorship and quality control of engineering deliverables 
• Client-focused, solutions-oriented mindset 

If you meet these qualifications, please apply now and share with your network.  Also feel free to reach out to Mary Ann Forde at mfode@aectac.com.