Senior Energy Consultant - Auditing

Brightworks Sustainability is seeking a Senior Energy Consultant - Auditing in Los Angeles, CA. The role involves contributing to sustainability programs for diverse clients, with a focus on energy optimization and building performance. Employees value flexibility, learning opportunities, and recognition. Brightworks offers competitive compensation, generous benefits, and hybrid work arrangements, allowing for 2 work-from-home days per week. The company is committed to diversity and sustainability.
About Brightworks Sustainability

One of the first sustainability consulting firms in the United States, Brightworks Sustainability has enjoyed a position of leadership and innovation in sustainability since its founding in 2001. We help our clients establish and implement operational sustainability programs that reduce their environmental footprints, advance their sustainability journeys, and increase their operational performance.

Brightworks’ creative and multi-disciplinary staff offer expertise in the following areas:
• Sustainable and Healthy Buildings
• Sustainable and Healthy Materials
• Energy Analysis and Optimization
• Building Performance, Operations, and Maintenance
• Corporate Sustainability and ESG Programs

Our major clients include leading technology firms, higher education institutions, life science organizations, and municipal entities. We provide our clients with unique solutions for the challenges they face meeting sustainability, innovation and community impact goals. unique to their organizations.

Your Experience as a Member of Brightworks’ Team

Our team members routinely cite the following aspects of their experience at Brightworks as most valuable to them:
• Making a difference
• High degree of flexibility
• Learning and growth
• Amazing colleagues
• Great clients and projects
• Recognition for performance
• Competitive compensation

You will be treated as an important strategic contributor, and you will be expected to make important contributions to the business while growing professionally, intellectually, personally, socially, and financially.

A certified B Corp since 2010, Brightworks Sustainability is committed to benefiting society while serving its customers. Brightworks has received B Corp’s “Best for the Environment” and “Best for Workers” honors.

Compensation / Total Rewards

Brightworks Sustainability is Tier 2 Leading Living Wage Certified. Our salaries are competitive and commensurate with experience.

Additionally, we provide generous employee benefits that include:
• Medical – Monthly Premium 100% Paid for Employee
• Dental - Monthly Premium 100% Paid for Employee
• Vision – Monthly Premium 100% Paid for Employee
• Life and Short-Term & Long-term Disability Insurance - Monthly Premiums 100% Paid for Employee
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Paid time off – starting at 4 weeks PTO accrual annually
• Paid holidays – 11 per year
• Paid Volunteer Time – 8 hours per year
• Paid Parental Leave – up to 12 weeks family bonding leave for either parent, in addition to 6-8 weeks childbirth recovery
• 401(k) plan with many sustainable & socially equitable fund options
• Company 401(k) match
• Sustainable Commuting & Connectivity Subsidy
• Employee Fitness Benefit
• Hybrid schedules – 2 work-from-home days per week
• Flexible schedules

Equal Employment

We are committed to an inclusive workforce that fully represents many different cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints. This is demonstrated by the representation of women in leadership roles, as well as a workforce that is strengthened by the significant contributions of our many employees from a variety of backgrounds, including our Latinx, LGBTQI+ and AAPI communities. We remain dedicated to enhancing our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Belonging (IDEB) strategy that fosters connections and creates a welcoming environment for all.

We invite and encourage ALL diverse candidates to apply to join our team.

About this Position

The Senior Energy Consultant - Auditing is responsible for guiding Energy Analyst 1 and 2 Auditing team members in delivering high-quality energy, decarbonization, and water audits – including utility analyses, site visit and efficiency measure development, overseeing analysis and costing approaches, developing complex project deliverables that effectively communicate results and next steps to stakeholders, providing strategic consulting to help clients achieve energy and water efficiency and carbon reduction goals, and supporting business development initiatives. The Senior Energy Consultant will oversee and execute complex projects at both building and portfolio scales, mentor team members, and establish long-term client relationships.

This position will engage in impactful work, particularly on more complex project types (e.g., district-scale, campus-scale, net zero pursuits, decarbonization collaborations, etc.) including ENERGY STAR benchmarking, energy auditing, and decarbonization studies.

These services will align with projects seeking LEED O+M certification, Building Performance Standards compliance (Washington, Seattle, Oregon, Los Angeles, New York City, etc.), net zero and decarbonization studies, campus energy master planning, and energy efficiency measure implementations.

Reporting directly to a Service/Practice Lead, the Senior Energy Consultant will play a key role in connecting with and supporting other Brightworks practices by addressing their business needs, ensuring seamless collaboration across teams, and seeking out cross-practice business development opportunities.

Essential Duties For This Role
• Collaborate with Service/Practice Lead to enhance, grow, and diversify Brightworks' auditing services.
• Review utility bills, building automation system trend data, and drawing sets (architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, landscaping, etc.) to identify energy, water, and carbon efficiency-related opportunities.
• Perform ASHRAE Level 1 and 2 energy, water, and decarbonization audits.
• Develop specific low-cost and capital recommendations for existing buildings, including optimizing, retrofitting, and/upgrading building systems identified in ASHRAE 211 (mechanical, electrical, lighting, plumbing, landscaping, building automation system control strategies, renewable energy, envelope, etc.) plus electrification, central plants, and heat recovery systems.
• Coordinate with Energy Modeling Analysts conducting building energy analyses within a range of building sizes and types, including district and central plant systems, multifamily residential, office, higher ed, and healthcare. Perform QA/QC as part of energy audit oversight, including assumptions, interactive effects, and results.
• Create detailed reports with actionable recommendations for energy/water/decarbonization efficiency/conservation measures, including life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and return on investment/payback calculations.
• Collaborate with clients and internal teams to communicate findings, recommendations, and project progress.
• Manage multi-discipline sub-contractors in executing audits and engineering feasibility studies, as well as cost estimating.
• Design and assign work for others. Provide timely, constructive feedback. Support the growth of direct reports and mentees towards independence. Allow mistakes without allowing failures.
• Support and provide development of proposal content and other business development efforts, as needed.
• Keep abreast of the latest advancements, equipment, and technologies for energy and water efficiency and decarbonization; share knowledge with the rest of the staff.
• Keep abreast of the latest in utility, state, and other incentive eligibility, documentation, and process.

Specific Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Possesses a thorough in-depth understanding of mechanical, electrical, lighting, plumbing, renewable energy, and landscaping systems; building automation/management systems and control strategies; electrification; building envelope; and energy and water usage patterns.
• Ability to analyze interval utility data and BMS trend data, create compelling illustrative charts/graphics, identify operational trends, and draw and communicate conclusions to inform strategic client decisions.
• Advanced expertise in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint required. Working knowledge of Tableau, PowerBI, or other graphing software preferred.
• Working knowledge and ability to implement the requirements of relevant codes and standards, including ASHRAE Standards 211, 36, and 100. Familiarity with ASHRAE Standards 180, 228, and 14; Building Performance Standards in multiple jurisdictions (WA, OR, Seattle, NYC, LA); and ISO 50001 preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for report writing, presentations, and client interaction, especially with complex, technical topics. Experience presenting technical/analytical information in a clear and concise manner. Ability to explain in-depth findings and recommendations to stakeholders of varying technical expertise.
• Experience using equipment like airflow and temperature sensors, infrared cameras, and data loggers preferred.

Education Requirement

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, e.g., engineering, architecture, construction management, environmental science, sustainability, planning, or related disciplines.

Experience Requirement

5+ years of experience in a related field of facilities operations, controls, commissioning, building design/construction, or similar, with 3+ years of experience in energy auditing or energy management and 1+ year of project management.

Professional Accreditation(s) Requirement

One of the following professional accreditations is required: Licensed Professional Engineer (PE), Registered Architect, Certified Energy Auditor (CEA), Certified Energy Manager (CEM) or Building Energy Assessment Professional (BEAP), Energy Management Professional (EMP).
• PE is strongly preferred.

Additional Considerations

Travel to client sites will be necessary.

Job Details

Grade: 4

Classification: Full-time, Exempt

Reports To: Energy Grade 5 Service Lead or Practice Lead or Grade 6 Director.

Direct Reports/Supervisory Responsibilities: This position may directly supervise a small team of staff in Grades 1-3.

This position may also mentor or oversee other team members to complete discrete tasks or perform roles on projects.

Compensation: The annual salary for this position in Portland, OR is $92,610 - $109,830.

Starting pay offered may vary depending on geographic region, external market value, internal pay equity, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. Starting pay offers will typically be made in the bottom half of the listed range. In compliance with Equal Pay for Equal Work Acts, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Location: The preferred location for this position is Brightworks’ headquarters office in the Pearl District in Portland, OR. Brightworks’ offices in Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, or New York City may be considered.
• Please indicate your preferred location(s) in your application and cover letter.

Office Schedule: Brightworks offers hybrid work schedules of 3 office days and 2 work-from-home days per week.

This position is not eligible to be fully remote.

Travel: This position may require infrequent travel for up to 15% of the position, including overnight or multiple days.