Subject Matter Expert II, Schools and Nonprofits Program
Job Description
Job DescriptionDescription:
Position Location: 1000 Independence Ave SW, Washington D.C. 20585
Salary: $175,000 - $240,000
Work Environment: Remote
Travel Required: 15%
Position Summary:
The Subject Matter Expert II (SME II) will serve as the senior technical advisor to the Department of
Energy (DOE), Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP), Schools and Nonprofits (SNP)
programs. The SNP portfolio includes the Renew Americas Schools Program, which funds energy
improvements at K-12 public school facilities to reduce energy use and costs, improve indoor air quality,
and foster healthier learning environments, and the Renew Americas Nonprofits Program, which funds
energy efficiency improvements in buildings owned and operated by 501(c)(3) organizations so that
savings can be redirected toward mission-driven work.
The SME II provides expert technical consultation, analysis, and facilitation to the SNP federal teams on
complex building energy and facility engineering matters. This is a technical advisory role accountable
for the engineering merit of the portfolio: evaluating proposed and installed energy conservation
measures, resolving high-difficulty technical problems, and developing original technical approaches and
guidance of significant impact. The SME II does not perform grant administration or award management;
the role serves as the senior technical resource to the project monitoring and grants management staff who
do.
Specific requirements and responsibilities include:
- Serve as the senior technical authority for the SNP programs on building energy systems, advising federal staff on complex, high-visibility technical issues.
- Evaluate the technical merit and feasibility of proposed energy conservation measures at K-12 school and nonprofit facilities, including HVAC and heat pump systems, building envelope, lighting and controls, building automation systems, on-site renewable generation, and energy storage.
- Review energy audits, engineering studies, energy models, and design documents for technical adequacy, and assess whether projected energy, demand, and cost savings are reasonable and supportable.
- Provide technical review of measurement and verification approaches and results, including plans consistent with IPMVP, and confirm that reported savings are substantiated by the underlying data.
- Advise on indoor air quality and ventilation improvements at school facilities, including the interaction between ventilation strategy, thermal comfort, and energy performance.
- Resolve complex technical problems arising during design and construction, including commissioning and retro-commissioning findings, equipment substitutions, and performance shortfalls.
- Independently plan, conduct, and lead technical research and analysis resulting in guidance documents, technical assistance resources, and best-practice materials of significant impact to the SNP programs.
- Advise on portfolio-level energy performance analysis and benchmarking, including use of ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, to identify technical trends and improvement opportunities across the portfolio.
- Develop and deliver technical training, webinars, and briefings for federal staff, and facilitate technical working sessions with recipients and their engineering teams.
- Represent the SNP programs as a technical expert in engagements with other DOE offices, the National Laboratories, and external technical stakeholders.
Requirements:
Minimum Required Qualifications:
- PhD in engineering, architecture, building science, or a related technical discipline that provides the functional skills to perform the functions and responsibilities described above. A Bachelors degree and six (6) years of relevant experience, or a Masters degree and four (4) years of relevant experience, may substitute for the PhD.
- Minimum of fifteen (15) years of relevant experience performing technical work applicable to the functions and responsibilities described above.
- Extensive knowledge in an area of technical specialization directly applicable to building energy performance in institutional facilities.
- Demonstrated technical expertise across building energy systems, including HVAC, building envelope, lighting and controls, and on-site renewable energy, and the ability to evaluate projected and realized energy and cost savings across diverse project types.
- Demonstrated ability to independently plan, conduct, and lead extensive research and analysis resulting in products of significant impact.
- Demonstrated experience performing extremely difficult, high-visibility technical tasks requiring the application of new or original concepts.
- Ability to work independently and effectively under pressure and in the conduct of demanding assignments, and to express ideas well both orally and in writing.
- Experience providing expert technical consultation, analysis, and facilitation to Government clients.
Preferred Qualifications:
- PhD in mechanical engineering, architectural engineering, building science, or a closely related discipline.
- Professional Engineer (PE) licensure.
- Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Certified Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP), or Building Commissioning Professional (BCxP) certification.
- Direct technical experience with K-12 school facilities, including familiarity with the occupancy, scheduling, and operational constraints that shape energy projects in schools.
- Experience with energy projects in nonprofit-owned or other small-portfolio institutional buildings, where in-house technical capacity and capital are limited.
- Experience with whole-building energy modeling tools such as EnergyPlus, OpenStudio, or eQUEST, and with ASHRAE Level I through Level III energy audits.
- Familiarity with ASHRAE standards and guidelines applicable to institutional facilities, including those governing ventilation and indoor air quality.
- Experience with building electrification, heat pump retrofits, or on-site solar and storage in institutional facilities.
- Experience with energy savings performance contracting (ESPC) or comparable project delivery models.
- Experience supporting the Renew Americas Schools or Renew Americas Nonprofits programs.
- Experience supporting SCEP, the Department of Energy, or a DOE National Laboratory.
- Published technical work or recognized professional standing in the building energy field.