Mechanical Engineer/Designer
At Salas O’Brien we tell our clients that we’re engineered for impact. This passion for making a difference applies just as much to our team as it does to our projects. That’s why we’re committed to living our values every day: inspiring, achieving, and connecting as shared owners of our success with a focus on a sustainable future.
Building for the long-term means that all our team members can expect to work on amazing projects with a people-first approach to problem solving. It also means that each member of our team has truly limitless potential to build a unique, meaningful, and high-impact career—and they’ll receive great total rewards along the way.
About Us:
Founded in 1975, Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and professional services firm focused on achieving impact for our clients, our team, and the world. We know that tomorrow’s requirements are today’s opportunities, and we are here to design lasting solutions for pressing challenges.
We work across a variety of industries providing integrated engineering and consulting services. Our specialized experience includes design for data centers, healthcare, science and technology, high-rise buildings, clean energy, education, and other building types as well as structural and building sciences, infrastructure asset management, advanced robotics, and more.
Our technical expertise is paired with an exceptional team of business development, human resources, finance and accounting, information technology, and marketing professionals, all of whom play a key role in bringing our commitments to life every day.
Job Summary:
The Mechanical Engineer/Designer serves to focus on the design of mechanical systems for new facilities, additions, and renovation projects. This will require providing technical design for the creation of construction drawings and specifications, and existing system studies. Qualified candidates will meet with clients, project teams, code officials, contractors, and others to address mechanical issues to develop effective working relationships. The project clientele includes K-12 Education, Higher Education, Commercial, Health Care, Science and Technology, municipal, and institutional facilities.
In this role, you will:
- Develop HVAC system designs for a given project based on scope of work and/or client RFPs
- Provide engineering design, evaluation, and planning of mechanical systems for a variety of market types
- Perform Load/Energy calculations with software such as Trace 700, IES and similar programs
- Conduct existing building surveys and documentation of existing HVAC systems
- Develop system design calculations and selection of equipment for use in buildings
- Write/edit project specifications
- Prepare detailed design documents, reports, and studies
- Coordinate and communicate information and progress with all three disciplines (mechanical, electrical and plumbing)
- Code compliance research
- Coordinate work with other disciplines
- Provide construction administration services
You will be a great fit if:
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering is preferred; equivalent education and relevant experience will be considered.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred.
- LEED accreditation and/or sustainable design experience is a plus but not required.
- You have a minimum of 2–4-year design experience
- You have knowledge in the design of HVAC systems
- You have knowledge and understanding of codes, standards, and design guidelines
- You have an excellent work ethic and attitude
- Coordinate work with other disciplines
- Provide construction administration services
- Oversee and provide guidance to junior engineers
Skills/abilities:
- Must have strong verbal and written communications skills in design and specifications
Location: Richmond, VA
Travel: Less than 10%
Compensation:
This is a full-time position as a Salas O’Brien employee. Benefits include a health insurance plan, a 401K profit sharing plan, and PTO. The position offers competitive compensation. based on candidate experience.
Equal Opportunity Employment Statement
Salas O’Brien provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial, or local laws. Salas O’Brien will accommodate the disability-related needs of applicants as required by law.
Third-Party Agency Notice
Salas O’Brien does not accept unsolicited resumes from external recruiters or agencies. We only work with approved partners engaged directly by our Talent Acquisition team for specific searches. Unsolicited submissions will not be eligible for placement fees.
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent education and relevant experience
- Minimum 2-4 years of mechanical design experience
- Knowledge of HVAC system design
- Knowledge and understanding of codes, standards, and design guidelines
- Strong verbal and written communication skills in design and specifications
- Professional Engineer (PE) license
- LEED accreditation or sustainable design experience
- Ability to coordinate work with other disciplines
- Ability to provide construction administration services
- Ability to oversee and guide junior engineers
Salas O'Brien Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Salas O'Brien and has not been reviewed or approved by Salas O'Brien.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare options include multiple medical, dental, and vision plans with an individual medical option at no premium, plus no‑cost preventive medications and mental‑health resources. Employer‑paid disability and life coverage further strengthen the safety net.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off includes a base PTO allotment plus company office‑closure days and paid parental leave for births, adoptions, and foster placements. Feedback suggests the breadth of leave is a standout component of the package.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits include a 401(k) employer match with a potential additional company stock contribution, along with RRSP support in Canada and a student‑loan payment 401(k) match in the U.S. These features provide structured long‑term savings support beyond base pay.
Salas O'Brien Insights
What We Do
Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and technical services firm focused on advancing the human experience through the built environment. Our team is engineered for impact™, helping clients achieve critical goals, advancing our team members through growth and opportunity, and operating at the center of important global issues, including sustainability and decarbonization. We are a top firm as ranked by Engineering News-Record and Consulting-Specifying Engineer, and we have appeared for over a decade on the Inc. 5000 list of North America’s fastest-growing private companies.
