Mechanical Engineer

Put your HVAC and plumbing design expertise to work on mission-critical federal, healthcare, military, and institutional projects where you'll directly own calculations, Revit production, and technical engineering deliverables from concept through construction documentation.

Mechanical Engineer

Location: Sacramento, CA or Irvine, CA (Hybrid)

Employment Type: Contract-to-Hire

Job Description

We are seeking a hands-on Mechanical Engineer to support a growing portfolio of federal, military, healthcare, and institutional projects. This role is focused on direct design execution and technical ownership, providing an opportunity to contribute immediately to active projects through HVAC design, plumbing design, mechanical calculations, Revit production, and interdisciplinary coordination.

This is not a project management or oversight-only role. We're looking for someone who actively performs engineering calculations, develops construction documents, and takes ownership of the mechanical systems they design.

Why Join Us

• Work on federal, military, VA, healthcare, and mission-critical facility projects

• Join a team experiencing significant project growth and a strong project backlog

• Maintain a hands-on engineering role focused on technical design and production

• Opportunity to work on technically challenging building systems projects

• Long-term growth potential with conversion intent

• Hybrid flexibility available following the onboarding period

Professional Development

This role is ideal for engineers who want to remain actively involved in design and engineering while contributing to meaningful infrastructure and institutional projects. You'll gain exposure to complex mechanical systems, interdisciplinary coordination, and advanced project delivery environments while continuing to develop your technical expertise.

Compensation

Hourly Pay Range: $57.00 - $72.00 per hour

Compensation is based on hands-on design capability, technical ownership, calculation experience, and the ability to contribute independently to active project work.

Benefits

Benefits were not specified in the requisition and should be discussed during the interview process.

What You'll Accomplish

• Design HVAC and plumbing systems for federal, military, healthcare, and institutional facilities

• Perform mechanical engineering calculations, including:

• Load calculations

• Equipment sizing

• Pump calculations

• Plumbing calculations

• System performance analysis

• Produce mechanical drawings and construction documents using Revit MEP

• Coordinate with architecture, electrical, structural, and other engineering disciplines

• Support multiple concurrent projects while maintaining quality and schedule commitments

• Participate in field verification activities and occasional project site visits

• Contribute to controls coordination, building automation discussions, and sequences of operation where applicable

• Take ownership of project deliverables from design through construction documentation

• Help reduce production workload while supporting successful project execution

What We're Looking For

We're seeking a Mechanical Engineer who can demonstrate direct ownership of HVAC and plumbing design, calculations, and Revit deliverables. The ideal candidate is comfortable working independently, coordinating with multidisciplinary teams, and contributing immediately with limited supervision.

Required Qualifications

• 5-10+ years of hands-on HVAC and plumbing design experience

• Experience personally designing HVAC systems and plumbing systems

• Strong proficiency with Revit MEP

• Experience producing construction documents and mechanical drawings in Revit

• Ability to independently perform:

• Mechanical load calculations

• Equipment sizing calculations

• Pump calculations

• Mechanical system calculations

• Experience coordinating with architecture, structural, electrical, and engineering disciplines

• Strong understanding of mechanical building systems and constructability

• Ability to support multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment

• Strong technical communication skills

• U.S. Citizenship required due to federal project requirements

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) or related engineering degree

• Professional Engineer (PE) license

• Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification

• Federal, Department of Defense (DoD), VA, or military project experience

• Healthcare or institutional facility experience

• Mechanical controls experience

• Building Automation Systems (BAS) experience

• Experience developing sequences of operation

• Design-build project experience

• AutoCAD experience

Travel Requirements

• Occasional local site visits for field verification and facility assessments

• Most travel consists of short-duration project site visits

Work Environment

• Hybrid work environment following onboarding

• Initial onboarding period requires increased in-office collaboration

• Long-term expectation of approximately three days onsite and two days remote

• Professional architecture and engineering office setting

• Flexible work schedule options

• Collaborative, deadline-driven environment focused on quality and technical excellence

• Opportunity to work alongside architects, engineers, and multidisciplinary project teams

If you're a Mechanical Engineer who enjoys owning the design process, performing calculations, producing construction documents, and solving complex engineering challenges, this opportunity offers the chance to make an immediate impact on meaningful projects while continuing to grow your technical expertise.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Sacramento, CA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $57.00 - $72.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: - Medical, dental & vision - Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital - 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available - Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) - Short and long-term disability - Health Spending Account (HSA) - Transportation benefits - Employee Assistance Program - Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Sacramento,CA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 8, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.