Director of Design Engineering
About the role
The Director of Design Engineering at Willdan Performance Engineering leads the planning, design, and technical execution of complex mechanical infrastructure projects across various sectors including commercial, institutional, healthcare, higher education, and mission-critical facilities.
Essential Duties And Responsibilities
Technical Leadership: Serve as the senior technical authority for mechanical and central plant design projects. Lead conceptual design, feasibility studies, and detailed engineering for steam boiler plants, chilled water systems, condensed water systems, hot water plants, thermal energy storage, CHP and microgrid integration. Direct HVAC system design for large and complex facilities. Establish engineering standards, design guidelines, and QA/QC procedures. Conduct peer reviews and approve design deliverables.
Project Leadership: Manage multiple projects simultaneously, ranging from system studies to major capital programs. Coordinate with architects, owners, utilities, and contractors. Oversee budgets, schedules, staffing, and deliverable quality. Provide technical support during construction, commissioning, and startup.
Team Management: Lead and mentor mechanical engineers, designers, and project managers. Conduct performance reviews and create development plans. Recruit and retain top engineering talent.
Job Requirements / Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
New York State Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
20+ years of MEP engineering experience.
10+ years in leadership roles managing engineering teams.
Experience in healthcare, university and institutional projects.
Moderate travel required; overnight travel about 20%.
Benefits
Unlimited time off for vacation, personal matters, volunteer work, etc.
Employee discounted stock purchase plan.
401k match.
Health, dental, vision, life and wellness coverage.