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Sustainable Design Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Mechanical Design Engineer

Norfolk, VA · On-site

$73K - $99K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Our projects are technically challenging, diverse, and incorporate sustainable design. * * Recognized by The Baltimore Sun Media and the Baltimore Business Journal as a Top Work Place All qualified ...

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Sustainable Design information

See Virginia salary details

$39

$59

$81

How much do sustainable design jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 15, 2026, the average hourly pay for sustainable design in Virginia is $59.73, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $46.25 and $71.49 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What careers are in sustainable design?

Careers in sustainable design include roles such as sustainable architect, green building designer, environmental consultant, and energy efficiency specialist. These positions often require knowledge of green building standards like LEED, proficiency with design software, and a focus on environmentally responsible practices.

What does a sustainable design professional do?

Professionals in Sustainable Design typically engage in tasks such as developing eco-friendly design concepts, analyzing materials and energy use, and ensuring projects meet sustainability standards and certifications. The role often involves close collaboration with architects, engineers, construction teams, and clients to integrate green practices throughout the project lifecycle. You may conduct site assessments, create presentations, and stay current on environmental regulations and technologies. Depending on the organization, work can range from hands-on site visits to office-based modeling and documentation, offering a dynamic and impactful work environment.

What is sustainable design?

A Sustainable Design job focuses on creating environmentally friendly and energy-efficient products, buildings, or systems. Professionals in this field incorporate sustainable materials, renewable energy, and resource-efficient practices into their designs. They work in industries such as architecture, product design, urban planning, and engineering to reduce environmental impact. The goal is to balance functionality, aesthetics, and sustainability while meeting current regulations and industry standards.

What skills and qualifications are needed for sustainable design?

To excel in Sustainable Design, you need a solid background in environmental science, architecture, or engineering, combined with knowledge of green building principles and sustainability standards. Familiarity with tools such as CAD software, energy modeling programs, and certifications like LEED or WELL is highly valuable. Strong project management, creative problem-solving, and excellent communication skills help you collaborate effectively and drive innovative solutions. These abilities are vital for creating built environments that minimize environmental impact while meeting client and regulatory requirements.

What are the most commonly searched types of Sustainable Design jobs in Virginia?

The most popular types of Sustainable Design jobs in Virginia are:

What are popular job titles related to Sustainable Design jobs in Virginia?

For Sustainable Design jobs in Virginia, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Sustainable Design job openings in Virginia as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 81% Full Time, 13% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $124,247 per year, or $59.7 per hour.

Sustainable Design Engineer Leader, Mission Critical

Hksinc

Richmond, VA

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 13 days ago


Job description

Overview:

A primary managerial position in whole-building dynamic thermal and energy building simulation models for various building types and scales and shares responsibility for project successes. Recognized ability to impact revenue and growth. Manages the firm's resources (people, processes and tools) and assignments with proficiency, fluency and aptitude. Teaches and mentors staff and effectively embodies and expresses the firm's values and mission. Advances enterprise level objectives for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).

Responsibilities:

  • Oversees the whole-building dynamic thermal and energy building simulation models for various building types and scales, including advanced mechanical systems evaluations, architectural response to enhancing daylighting, lighting control systems and detailed thermal and moisture response of building facade components
  • Understands business constraints and opportunities when developing energy modeling related service proposals
  • Manages the detailed engineering analysis for the purpose of minimizing energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions related to a building's architectural design, construction and operation
  • Manages the comfort studies, life cycle costs analysis, energy simulation, daylight simulations, solar shading analysis and renewable energy evaluation to provide analysis-based recommendations that inform design and operational decisions made by architects, engineers, contactors and operators
  • Supports DesignGreen team and Enterprise leadership to expand and further integrate design performance, building energy modeling and building operation modeling for all projects across the firm, including informing design decisions by predicting a building's performance with respect to energy efficiency, passive and active design strategies, building massing, daylight availability, glare control, shading analysis, thermal comfort, natural ventilation, mechanical systems alternatives, loads analysis, renewable energy systems integration and similar design factors/elements throughout the project's life cycle
  • Confidently predicts a building's anticipated energy use and corresponding energy savings, as compared to a standard baseline by applying whole-building energy simulation and verify performance through industry standard calibration procedures for post-occupancy evaluations
  • Oversees the Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) for design alternatives with a keen understanding of appropriate economic analysis parameters relevant to the project
  • Leads and/or assists design teams to promote integrative sustainable strategies and leverage complex data sets to support design decisions and research
  • Leads and/or assists with specialized project and enterprise research activities including but not limited to energy, environmental, carbon and general sustainability issues
  • Authors professional publications/journals (prime investigator) and identifies areas of opportunity (innovation) to increase energy efficiency by utilizing new or existing technologies, provide creative market transformation ideas, and/or innovative implementation strategies
  • Advances enterprise level Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts such as the AIA 2030 Commitment and the United Nations Global Compact
  • Oversees technical reports and presentation materials
  • May collaborate with HKS Research to lead and manage the development and use of indoor environmental sensors and instrumentation for the purposes of research, diagnostics, and post-occupancy evaluations
  • Participates in or leads team meetings to discuss project issues, technical issues and coordination with other disciplines
  • Travel may be required

Qualifications:

  • Accredited professional degree in Architecture, Engineering, Sustainable Design or related field; advanced degree preferred
  • Professional engineering licensure preferred
  • Typically 10+ years of experience
  • Modeling credentials such as ASHRAE Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP), Building Energy Simulation Analyst (BESA), or equivalent preferred
  • Sustainable design accreditation preferred
  • Familiarity with design and energy modeling applications such as Rhino, Grasshopper, Radiance, DIVA, REVIT, AutoCAD, Sketchup, IES VE, Sefaira, Insight360, Energy Plus, EnergyPro preferred
  • Experience with Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketchup and InDesign graphic software preferred
  • Proficiency in MS Office Suite preferred
  • Experience in LEED submission and regulatory compliance energy modeling
  • Familiarity with computational design and parametric modeling preferred
  • Familiarity with energy modeling preferred
  • Knowledge of sustainability and integrated design guidelines
  • Strong knowledge in interpreting and applying high-performance building standards such as ANSI, ASHRAE, IESNA and ASTM as well as building energy codes such as IECC and T24
  • Strong knowledge of architectural building systems
  • Working knowledge of building physics, energy transfer, mechanical design, system control strategies and economics is required
  • Knowledge of QA/QC and specification process
  • Knowledge of building codes and ability to research and apply/incorporate into technical documents
  • Strong organizational skills and the ability to work on multiple projects at the same time
  • Ability to maintain existing client relationships and build new client relationships
  • Ability to communicate and present ideas in a clear, concise and professional manner both verbally and in writing
  • Ability to problem solve and apply innovative solutions
  • Ability to collaborate and encourage collaboration in a team environment
  • Ability to effectively meet deadlines at expected quality

Base Salary Range: $104K - $130K annually - Chicago, Denver, Richmond, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Washington DC locations only

The estimate displayed represents the general base salary range of candidates hired in the above locations only. Factors that may be used to determine your actual salary may include internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.

HKS offers a comprehensive total compensation & benefits package with health, dental, and vision care coverage, 401(k) plans, life & AD&D insurance, short/long term disability plans, paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, vacation), and much more for benefits-eligible employees. To learn more about our benefits visit this page.

If you currently work for HKS, please submit your application via the Internal Careers Portal.

HKS is an EEO/AA Employer: M/F/Disabled/Veteran