HVAC / Mechanical Design Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

HVAC / Mechanical Design Engineer

Location: Blackwood, NJ

Job Type: Full-time

Salary Range: $70,000 - $110,000 per year (Commensurate with experience)

Cold Technology is a specialized leader in supermarket refrigeration, HVAC, electrical integration, and full mechanical infrastructure design-build services. We partner with independent grocers and regional supermarket chains to design and deliver high-performance retail environments where refrigeration reliability, energy efficiency, and operational uptime are mission-critical.

Our work spans parallel rack refrigeration systems, CO2 and refrigerants, HVAC design, electrical coordination, lighting integration, and full-store mechanical infrastructure planning. We are not a traditional engineering firm—we are an energy management company specializing in retail infrastructure performance.

We are seeking a highly technical HVAC / Mechanical Design Engineer with deep experience in supermarket or commercial HVAC/refrigeration systems design. This individual will lead the development of integrated mechanical system layouts for grocery environments, ensuring seamless coordination between HVAC, refrigeration, electrical, and architectural constraints.

This role is ideal for an engineer who understands that a supermarket is not a building—it is a complex, thermally dynamic, continuously operating mechanical ecosystem. You will work directly with leadership, clients, and field teams to translate operational needs into constructible, code-compliant, highly efficient system designs.

You will serve as a technical anchor, executing end-to-end multi-disciplinary design-build plans for high-impact regional brands (such as ShopRite/Wakefern, McCaffrey's Markets, Giant, and the Fresh Grocer). You will translate client visions into scaled, fully coordinated, energy-efficient mechanical, electrical, and refrigeration layouts that excel in the real world

Key Responsibilities:

• Utilize AutoCAD (required) and Revit (plus) to create precise, scaled floor plans, fixture placement schemes, and multi-system pathing customized for large-scale grocery stores.
• Develop and maintain centralized CAD standards, dynamic block libraries, and data extractions to continuously advance the speed and quality of our technical deliverables.
• Develop mechanical plans, sections, schedules, and specifications
• Coordinate HVAC designs with electrical, lighting, plumbing, and refrigeration systems
• Engineer and layout commercial HVAC ductwork, ventilation paths, and mechanical spaces tailored to handle the intense thermal loads and precise humidity controls of food retail environments.
• Coordinate the integration of retail sales floors with centralized parallel rack refrigeration systems, remote condensing systems, walk-in coolers, and complex multi-evaporator case networks.
• Ensure total spatial harmony between mechanical piping, refrigeration lines, structural framing, and existing electrical runs to achieve zero field interference.
• Prepare detailed equipment power plans, point-to-point electrical circuitry connections, panel schedules, single-line diagrams, and equipment control/riser schemes.
• Design complete store lighting paths, localized case lighting integrations, and energy-compliant accent lighting focused on enhancing consumer spatial experience and energy conservation.
• Conduct precise electrical load calculations to ensure absolute compliance with national electrical codes, local regulations, and high-demand utility strains typical of supermarket infrastructure.
• Perform thorough on-site physical surveys, facility walkdowns, and technical infrastructure audits of active or proposed facilities to accurately document existing field conditions.
• Translate unstructured client feedback, conceptual sketches, and operational notes into actionable, buildable construction and permit drawing sets.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a heavily related Engineering Technology discipline is preferred.
• 5+ years of verified HVAC design experience, mechanical layout, electrical circuitry mapping, or multidisciplinary MEP design experience.
• Expert-level command of AutoCAD is strictly required; Revit is a plus.
• Ability to read and produce full construction drawing sets.
• Understanding of HVAC load calculations and design specifications.
• Innate understanding that design drawings must fit real-world field realities, construction tolerances, and service maintenance access.
• Strong project execution and multitasking skills needed to independently manage technical documentation for multiple active store sites simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication mechanics with the ability to confidently convey complex engineering load parameters to non-technical store operators and executive stakeholders.
• Familiarity with ASHRAE standards and applicable mechanical codes.
• Field experience supporting installation or commissioning teams
• Experience in fast-paced design-build environments

Award-Winning Benefits:

Cold Technology takes immense pride in offering an industry-leading, premier compensation package designed to recruit and retain the absolute top technical talent in the region.

• 100% Company-Paid Premiums for Family Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance plans.
• 401(k) Pension Plan featuring a dollar-for-dollar matching matrix up to 5%. Company match automatically doubles to 10% after 3 years of continuous tenure.
• Access to paid vacation tiers (increasing with overall company tenure), paid holidays, and paid flex/personal days.
• 100% company-paid life insurance and long-term disability coverage.
• Direct deposit paid reliably on a weekly schedule.
• Company-sponsored technical instruction, licensing, and continuous education allowances.

Cold Technology is an Equal Opportunity Employer