Director Performance Engineering Jobs in Washington

RE Tech Advisors, a Legence company
RE Tech Advisors is a growing, woman-led consulting firm of over 125 ESG professionals. We deliver results at the intersection of engineering, technology, and sustainability. RE Tech has a progressive and ambitious client base that includes numerous commercial real estate portfolios, private equity investors, federal agencies, industry associations, and manufacturing companies. By joining the RE Tech Advisors team, you will work closely with recognized industry leaders who are driving national and global sustainability initiatives providing you the opportunity to realize your own professional growth objectives in the ESG arena.
Summary
The Director, Engineering & Commissioning - Service Line Development is a senior technical leader focused on creating, validating, and scaling new performance engineering, commissioning, and decarbonization services for commercial real estate, particularly existing buildings. Positioned initially within the Growth Team, the role shapes market-ready service offerings, expands technical capabilities, validates client demand, and drives revenue growth.
The role partners closely with Account Management and Solutions & Services leadership to align technical solutions with market needs and commercial strategy. While execution is led by established delivery teams, this position provides senior technical guidance and may engage in early-stage or pilot work to test demand and reduce risk.
Designed to evolve over time, the role requires comfort with ambiguity and a proactive approach to defining priorities, structure, and long-term engineering leadership as services mature. It is hybrid-flexible and based in McLean, VA or New York City.
Key Responsibilities

• Service Strategy, Definition and Validation
  • Quickly assess market demand, client needs, internal capabilities and competitor offerings to identify and prioritize new performance engineering, commissioning, and decarbonization service offerings with near term and long term revenue potential.
  • Define, build and scale new engineering and commissioning service offerings from concept through market validation, translating execution-level expertise into clear, market-ready scopes, methodologies, and value propositions.
  • Establish technical frameworks, quality standards, and delivery assumptions that enable consistency, rigor, and scalability across portfolios and clients.
• Early-Stage Execution & Technical Oversight (as needed)
  • Provide senior technical oversight during pilot or early stage engagements to validate service approaches, confirm level of effort assumptions, and identify delivery risks or capability gaps.
  • Engage, where necessary, directly in project execution in coordination with existing technical team members to support early validation, prove demand, or accelerate readiness while delivery capacity is built.
  • Capture lessons learned from early work and translate them into refined service definitions, standards, and delivery models.
• Commercialization, Growth & Internal Enablement
  • Translate technical capabilities into clear, commercially viable service offerings that can be confidently positioned, sold, and delivered.
  • Partner closely with Growth, Account Management, and Solutions & Services leadership to support proposals, renewals, and client conversations, ensuring offerings align with client planning and investment decision cycles.
  • Support business development by contributing technical credibility, scoping input, and client facing narratives that connect services to asset performance, compliance readiness, and value creation.
• Organizational Enablement & Talent Development
  • Partner with delivery leaders to prepare services and delivery model for operational scale, including documentation, standards, and transition plans into Solutions & Services.
  • Build and mentor technical talent required to sustain new service growth, contributing to the design of future technical leadership pathways informed by service incubation.
  • Represent RE Tech externally through industry engagement, technical forums, and associations (e.g., BOMA, ASHRAE, USGBC.) contributing to thought leadership and market visibility.

How this Role Operates

• This role is accountable for defining and validating what the firm is prepared to sell and scale, rather than owning ongoing project delivery.
• Acts as senior technical authority and advisor, accountable for service definition and scale-up rather than day-to-day execution.
• Enables delivery through established technical teams.
• Focuses on scalability, rigor and repeatability, not bespoke one-off solutions.
• Works across the organization during periods of growth and transition.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to translate technical or operational analysis into financial or investment-relevant insights (e.g., impacts to NOI, CapEx, valuation, or risk exposure.)
• Ability to advise clients with a strong understanding of how institutional investors make decisions, translating complex analyses into financially relevant, defensible recommendations
• aligned with investment objectives, risk management, and long term value creation.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills, with the judgment to synthesize data, evaluate trade offs, and develop practical recommendations that support value creation, risk mitigation, and informed decision making.
• Exceptional communication skills (written and verbal), including the ability to produce clear, concise, and executive ready materials and to confidently engage in client discussions, presentations, and internal forums.
• Collaborative leadership capability, with demonstrated ability to work effectively across disciplines, levels, and organizations to co create solutions and deliver successful client outcomes.
• Ability to operate effectively in fast paced, evolving environments, managing multiple priorities, adapting to changing client needs, and maintaining quality and momentum under time pressure.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including the ability to manage relationships up, down, and across organizations, navigate complex interpersonal dynamics, and build trust with clients, partners, and internal teams.
• High degree of initiative, ownership, and follow through, with a proactive approach to identifying opportunities, improving how work is delivered, and supporting business growth.
• Sound professional judgment and business ethics, including discretion, integrity, and the ability to handle confidential and proprietary information appropriately.
• Growth mindset, with a commitment to continuous learning, professional development, and contributing to a culture of improvement for oneself, colleagues, and client work.
• Deep expertise on building enclosure systems.
• Expertise in HVAC, electrification, commissioning, and decarbonization.
• Strong understanding of CFD, heat transfer, thermal modeling.
• Advanced knowledge of ASRHAE, Energy Codes, MEES, CRREM.
• Advanced knowledge of LL97 and Building Energy Performance Standards.

Required Education and/or Experience

• 15+ years of progressive MEP engineering experience.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license
• Experience working directly with institutional investors or their operating platforms.
• Demonstrated experience with portfolio-level decision-making, not just single-asset or one-off project work.
• Experience serving in an advisory capacity, where success depended on influencing decisions rather than simply producing outputs.
• Experience in supporting business development and sales
• Experience leading complex technical work and cross-disciplinary teams, including the following types of engineering and commissioning projects:
• MEP modernization and building performance engineering.
• Energy studies, modeling, commissioning, IAQ testing, and compliance.
• Evaluation of whole-building performance and guide integrated solutions.

Preferred Experience

• Experience working in an advisory, consulting, and/or contracting firm, managing client engagements.
• Experience with eQuest, DOE-2, DesignBuilder, IES

Travel Requirements
Periodic travel is required for the role. Travel may include travel to RE Tech offices, if remote, or between RE Tech offices (Tysons Corner, VA and Dallas, Texas) for meetings (estimate of four times per year), as well as for Legence and/or client business needs, including attending industry events and conferences.
No sponsorship available for this position.
Salary Range: $160,000-$190,000 (depending on experience)
#LI-AC1 #LI-Hybrid
About Legence
Legence (Nasdaq: LGN) is a leading provider of engineering, consulting, installation, and maintenance services for mission-critical systems in buildings. The company specializes in designing, fabricating, and installing complex HVAC, process piping, and other mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems-enhancing energy efficiency, reliability, and sustainability in new and existing facilities. Legence also delivers long-term performance through strategic upgrades and holistic solutions. Serving some of the world's most technically demanding sectors, Legence counts over 60% of the Nasdaq-100 Index among its clients.
Benefits Overview
401(k) Plan with Company Match: Currently match contributions dollar-for-dollar up to 4% of eligible pay; immediate vesting.
Health & Welfare Benefits: Employer provided medical, dental, vision, prescription drug, Employee Assistance Program and accident & illness coverage.
Life and Disability Insurance: Employer provided basic life insurance and AD&D valued at 50K coverage amount with the option for voluntary buy up for additional coverage.
Time Off: Flexible non-accrual vacation; company holidays per policy. (For California employees, this is separate from California paid sick leave, if applicable.)
Expenses: Business travel and related expenses reimbursed per company policy.
Reasonable Accommodations
If you need assistance or accommodations during the application or interview process, please contact us at ta@wearelegence.com or your dedicated recruiter with the job title and requisition number.
Employment Eligibility
Candidates must have current work authorization in the U.S.; visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Third-Party Recruiting Disclaimer
Legence and its affiliates do not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies; any such submissions without a prior signed agreement authorized by Legence Holdings LLC's CHRO or Director of Talent Acquisition will not incur fees and are considered property of Legence.
Pay Disclosure & Considerations
Where pay ranges are indicated, please note that a successful candidate's exact pay will be determined based relevant job-related factors, including any of the following: candidate's experience, skills, and qualifications, as well as geographic and market considerations. We are committed to ensuring fair and competitive compensation for all employees and comply with all applicable salary transparency laws.
Equal Employment Opportunity Employer
Legence and its affiliate companies are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), marital or familial status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, other non-merit-based factors, and any other characteristic protected under applicable local, state or federal laws and regulations.
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