Associate Engineer Jobs in Des Plaines, IL (NOW HIRING)

Position Title: Associate Engineer

FLSA Status: Exempt

Reports to: Regional Engineering Manager

About Us

Since 1991, Reserve Advisors has empowered communities by providing vital long-term capital planning. With over 37,000 completed studies, our dedicated team of engineers and project managers help associations foresee and fund essential maintenance and repairs, ensuring safe, thriving neighborhoods. We carefully assess physical assets and craft financial roadmaps that shield homeowners from risk and potential surprises. Backed by purposeful growth, we offer a stable, nurturing environment where your daily work deeply protects the places people cherish: the communities they live in.

About the Role

As an Associate Engineer, you become the trusted guide for community boards, blending hands-on asset evaluation and financial analysis with thoughtful client education. Working from the field, you independently evaluate shared community spaces and translate field observations and data points into comprehensive, but not complicated, financial plans. You embrace a highly consultative path that shapes vital capital decisions. Our structured training ensures you confidently develop the skills required to foster enduring client relationships and position you to take ownership of a dynamic, independent schedule.

What You'll Be Doing

Project Management & Client Coordination

• Act as the primary point of contact for assigned clients.
• Plan and coordinate site visits, inspections, and project schedules.
• Set clear expectations on scope, deliverables, and timelines; provide proactive status updates.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects while consistently meeting deadlines.

Property Inspections

• Conduct on-site inspections of community common elements (e.g., roofing, siding, pavement, mechanical systems, amenities).
• Verify and document asset condition, quantities, and key observations.
• Capture photos and detailed field notes to support accurate reporting.

Data Analysis & Reporting

• Compile inspection findings; research typical replacement costs and estimated remaining useful life.
• Use internal tools and templates to draft reserve study reports.
• Support the development of funding plans and reserve projections.
• Participate in internal QA reviews and incorporate feedback to finalize reports.

Team Collaboration

• Partner with engineering, QA, and operations to ensure consistent, high-quality deliverables.
• Contribute field insights during team reviews to improve methodologies and outputs.
• Continuously build expertise in reserve study standards, methodology, and best practices.

What You Won't Be Doing

• Sitting quietly behind a desk all day; this dynamic role demands continuous, hands-on field exploration and client consulting.
• Performing standard, repetitive engineering design or isolating lab testing.
• Enduring rigid micromanagement; our results-based culture deeply values achieving clear performance expectations and the quality of your insights.
• Fielding frantic weekend calls about sudden project emergencies or immediate deadlines.
• Fading into the background as a silent analyst; your compelling voice directly guides real-world capital decisions.

You're a Great Fit for This Role if You Have:

• A bachelor's degree in engineering
• Natural self-confidence and the warm communication style needed to guide and reassure community managers and volunteer Board members
• A sharp, curious mind eager to grasp long term capital modeling and financial forecasting
• A thoughtful approach to balancing multiple independent projects while honoring your commitments
• A valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and the appetite for frequent local travel and occasional overnight stays
• Motivation to work in the field (walking properties, climbing stairs, outdoor exposure)
• A genuine desire to step beyond solitary technical tasks and build meaningful, long-lasting partnerships with the people you serve.

While Not Required, These Experiences Stand Out:

• Experience working directly with HOAs, COAs, or townhome communities
• Familiarity with reserve studies, capital planning, or asset management
• Experience working with clients and providing consulting support

Working Conditions

• Frequent local and regional travel; occasional overnight stays
• Fieldwork involving walking properties, climbing stairs, and outdoor exposure
• Office-based work including report writing and computer use
• Occasional extended hours depending on project demands

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Equal Employment Opportunity/M/F/disability/protected veteran status