Director/Vice President, Building Science

Donovan Energy helps organizations invest in clean energy solutions that create competitive advantages and improve the world we live in. We work with public and private sector clients on building efficiency, clean energy finance, electrification, resiliency, EV infrastructure, renewable energy, and broader decarbonization strategies. Energy is complex. We make it simple.

Position Summary

This Director or VP-level position over our newly formed Building Science division will lead Donovan Energy’s audit, energy modeling, and project operations functions. This person will be responsible for building and managing the systems, people, and workflows that allow Donovan Energy to deliver high-quality technical work across energy audits, building assessments, utility analysis, energy modeling, capital planning, and implementation support for all building types including single-family homes, multi-family buildings and other commercial asset types.

This role combines technical leadership, team management, project execution, and operational discipline. The ideal candidate will be comfortable moving between client conversations, field work, technical review, financial analysis, project management, and internal team leadership. The role is designed for someone who can bring structure to complex work, develop repeatable delivery processes, mentor technical staff, and ensure that Donovan Energy’s recommendations are practical, financially grounded, and ready for implementation.

Reports to: CEO / Partners

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Donovan Energy’s building audit and assessment work, including ASHRAE Level 1 and Level 2 audits, site investigations, building walkthroughs, utility data review, and development of energy conservation measures.
• Oversee Donovan Energy’s energy modeling function, including the ability to run baseline models, retrofit scenarios, electrification studies, decarbonization analysis, utility benchmarking, and model-based financial and carbon impact evaluations.
• Manage the operations team responsible for audit execution, project coordination, technical documentation, reporting, vendor coordination, implementation support, and quality control.
• Develop and maintain standard processes, templates, tools, and QA/QC protocols for building audits, energy modeling, utility analysis, site data collection, report writing, and client deliverables.
• Review technical work products for accuracy, completeness, clarity, and alignment with client objectives, project scope, incentive requirements, and applicable industry standards.
• Translate technical findings into clear, practical recommendations that help clients make capital planning, budgeting, financing, and implementation decisions.
• Work closely with Donovan Energy leadership to plan team capacity, assign resources, manage workloads, monitor budgets, and ensure that projects are delivered on time and within scope.
• Support business development by helping scope new opportunities, estimate level of effort, develop technical approaches, participate in client meetings, and contribute to proposals and statements of work.
• Coordinate with external engineering firms, contractors, utilities, software vendors, incentive program administrators, and client facilities teams to move projects from concept through analysis and into implementation.
• Help lead Donovan Energy’s Roadmap offering by connecting audit findings, energy models, capital plans, financing options, incentives, and implementation strategies into actionable client plans.
• Mentor and develop team members, including energy modelers, associates, analysts, project managers, and operations staff.
• Identify system improvements and efficiencies within Donovan Energy’s value delivery process.
• Communicate regularly with customers and internal team members to ensure alignment, transparency, and high levels of customer satisfaction.
• Enhance Donovan Energy’s reputation by confronting challenges directly, solving problems creatively, and maintaining a positive, customer-focused approach.

Knowledge and Experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, building science, construction management, sustainability, architecture, business, or a related field is preferred. Equivalent technical, operational, or field experience will also be considered.

Experience

7 or more years of experience in building performance, energy audits, energy modeling, engineering, project management, sustainability consulting, facilities operations, construction, or clean energy project delivery is preferred. Prior experience managing people, teams, vendors, or multidisciplinary technical work is strongly preferred.

Technical Knowledge

• Strong understanding of commercial and multifamily building systems, including HVAC, controls, lighting, building envelope, domestic hot water, electrical systems, utility metering, and building operations.
• Experience performing or overseeing ASHRAE Level 1 and Level 2 energy audits, building assessments, site investigations, and technical due diligence, with an emphasis on the single and multi-family sectors.
• Familiarity with building energy modeling tools such as EnergyPlus, OpenStudio, IES VE, eQUEST, TRACE 3D Plus, SnuggPro, or similar platforms.
• Ability to evaluate energy conservation measures, electrification strategies, solar, storage, geothermal, controls, demand reduction, and broader decarbonization measures.
• Strong ability to connect technical analysis to capital cost, payback, operating savings, greenhouse gas reductions, incentive opportunities, and financial decision-making.
• Comfort working with utility data, interval data, benchmarking, energy-use intensity, spreadsheets, and scenario-based analysis.
• Familiarity with utility incentive programs, clean energy financing, public-sector procurement, grant-funded programs, and project implementation workflows is a plus.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, cloud collaboration tools, spreadsheets, project management software, and customer relationship management systems.

Competence and Skill Sets

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to drive issues to resolution.
• Strong project management skills, including scope management, scheduling, budgeting, resource planning, risk management, and client communication.
• Demonstrated leadership ability, including the ability to manage multidisciplinary teams, technical staff, vendors, and contractors.
• Ability to create professional reports, technical memoranda, client presentations, proposals, scopes of work, and internal process documents.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work autonomously while keeping leadership and project teams appropriately informed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Credentials such as Certified Energy Manager, ASHRAE Building Energy Modeling Professional, LEED AP, EIT, PE, Project Management Professional, or similar industry certifications.
• Experience with multifamily housing, public-sector buildings, commercial facilities, airports, higher education, healthcare, municipal facilities, or other complex building portfolios.
• Experience building or managing a technical team.
• Experience developing internal standards, templates, quality control systems, training tools, or repeatable delivery processes.
• Experience with tax incentive applications, grant-funded programs, Property Assessed Clean Energy financing, Inflation Reduction Act incentives, utility rebates, or other clean energy financing tools.

What Success Looks Like

• Builds a high-performing audit, modeling, and operations team that delivers consistent, high-quality work.
• Improves Donovan Energy’s delivery systems so projects are easier to manage, easier to scale, and easier for clients to understand.
• Produces and oversees technical work that is accurate, well documented, financially grounded, and useful for decision-making.
• Helps clients move from analysis to action by connecting technical findings to budgets, financing, incentives, procurement, and implementation.
• Creates confidence among Donovan Energy leadership, staff, clients, and partners that complex technical work is being managed with discipline and care.

Personal Attributes

• High level of self-confidence, motivation, maturity, humility, and integrity.
• Comfortable finding answers to difficult questions.
• Driven to support customers, vendors, partners, and teammates.
• Entrepreneurial, practical, and comfortable building systems in a growing company.
• Able to balance technical rigor with business judgment.
• Positive, direct, and calm under pressure.
• Sense of humor.
• Excited about Donovan Energy’s mission of transforming our economy to run on clean, efficient energy.

Compensation

Compensation will be commensurate with experience, credentials, leadership capability, and demonstrated ability to manage technical and operational delivery. Range Envisioned $90,000 - $140,000 plus consideration of a variable comp/bonus structure tied to Key Performance Indicators. Benefits include 100% coverage of Employee’s health insurance, 29 days of paid time off (PTO and holidays), and more.