Building Engineer I/II/III

Salary : $48,191.26 - $84,805.24 Annually
Location : Alexandria, VA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 2026-00241
Department: Department of General Services
Division: Facility Maintenance
Opening Date: 01/14/2026
Closing Date: 7/31/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
Bargaining Unit: AFSCME Labor & Trades

Building Engineer I/II/III
The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. About one-quarter of the City's square miles have been designated as a national or local historic district. We proudly embrace our rich history and seize the endless opportunities that lie ahead. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Building Engineer position.

An Overview
Under general supervision, the Building Engineer is assigned and performs full performance or journey level skilled maintenance repairs and preventative maintenance in HVAC, plumbing, and/or electrical work as a licensed journeyman. The purpose of this work is to ensure maximum efficiency, economy and quality of work on the City's buildings. The Building Engineer performs full performance work on building systems including but not limited to building automation systems, HVAC (including boilers, chillers, cooling towers, VAV's etc.), fire protection equipment, emergency generator back-up systems, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, roof and other structural and non-structural building systems.

What You Should Bring
The ideal candidate should have a broad base of knowledge, skill, and ability in various maintenance and repair disciplines. Must also possesses the skill and ability to operate the tools and equipment associated with these functions.

The Opportunity - Examples of Work

• Perform preventive maintenance, monitor, repair and replace controls for major/minor HVAC equipment to include VDF drives, pneumatic and digital thermostats, and replaces consumable parts on major/minor HVAC equipment to include belts, filters, pumps, bearings and couplings.
• Check gauges regularly to assure that boilers and air conditioners are operating properly and performs adjustments and repairs.
• Calibrate and maintain control systems; make combustion efficiency tests on boilers and adjusts burners to give optimum performance.
• Monitor computer information regarding HVAC equipment and responds as required and maintains logs of operations and temperature readings.
• Repair and replace plumbing parts and fixtures to include supply lines, sloan valves, faucets and O-rings; and clears out large and small drain lines.
• Access work order maintenance system in order to determine what needs maintenance, perform administrative duties including answering emails, inputting information into City works system and communicating with vendors.
• Read building drawings and blueprints to locate equipment and identify sources of problems.
• Access BAS system to clear alarms, alter building schedules, and identify equipment that needs repairs or maintenance.
• Respond to after-hours emergency repair calls when serving in an on-call capacity.
• Perform other duties as required.

About the Department
The Department of General Services mission is to provide exceptional management of the City's real estate, property and other support services for all our customers, internal and external. The Department of General Services staff strives to provide our customers with unmatched services by proactively managing the City's assets to support the delivery of services to the City of Alexandria, responding to service requests in a timely manner, listening to our customers, and ensuring that our customers are satisfied with the resolution.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

The minimum qualifications listed below are written at each level. You must meet the minimum requirements for the level you are applying for to be considered.

Building Engineer I
High School Diploma or GED supplemented by building trades or technical maintenance courses, and one year of experience in the operation and maintenance of boilers, air conditioning, refrigeration, electrical, mechanical or plumbing systems; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities. Must possess a valid driver's license from state of residence.


Building Engineer II
High School Diploma or GED, HVAC, Electrical, or Plumbing Journeyman's License Five years of work experience repairing and maintaining HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems in commercial buildings, experience using and operating automated building systems, experience servicing boilers, possession of Universal CFC Recovery License and Low-Pressure Boiler Certification. Must possess a valid driver's license from state of residence.


Building Engineer III
High School Diploma or GED, HVAC, Electrical, or Plumbing Master license, Three years of journey level work experience and two of the four certifications: (1) Air Balancing Certification, (2) Hydraulic Balancing Certification, (3) Indoor Air Quality Certification, and/or (4) Backflow Certification. Must possess a valid driver's license from state of residence.

Preferred Qualifications


The ideal candidate will possess plus significant experience, in more than one of the following areas: plumbing, electrical, generator and/or general mechanical repairs. Working knowledge for the operation of boilers, HVAC equipment, other auxiliary equipment and controls, demonstrate means, methods and practices used in maintaining boilers, air conditioning, electrical, mechanical and plumbing equipment, be aware of hazards and safety precautions particular to the trade. Ability to understand, operate, and troubleshoot Building Automated Systems (B.A.S.), Energy Management Systems (E.M.S.) and other computer-based control and monitoring systems in buildings. Ability to identify problems in the system to ensure early detection of breakdowns is also preferred.

Notes


This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment background checks including but not limited to drug testing and criminal background.

The Department of General Services (DGS) is a first response department and as such all DGS employees are deemed essential or emergency personnel and maybe required to report to work when the City government is open with liberal leave or closed during emergencies.
Outside of general business hours the Building Engineer will be required to work evening and weekend hours on a rotational bases.

The Building Engineer job class is part of a career ladder program, this position may be filled at either the Building Engineer I, II or III level depending on education and experience.
Building Engineer I Salary: $48,191.26 - $84,805.24 Annually


Building Engineer II Salary: $53,148.68 - $93,528.76 Annually


Building Engineer III Salary: $58,597.76 - $103,119.64 Annually
The City of Alexandria is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in its workforce. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, military status, or disability.
We are proud to welcome you to explore the City of Alexandria's excellent benefits and programs!
The benefits referenced on this site, may be changed from time to time without notice. Temporary and some part-time positions are not eligible for these benefits. For further information, please contact the Talent Acquisition Team of Human Resources at
01


Do you have a High School Diploma or GED supplemented by building trades or technical maintenance courses; and one (1) year of experience in the operation and maintenance of boilers, air conditioning, refrigeration, electrical, mechanical or plumbing systems; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities?

• Yes
• No

02


Do you possess a valid driver's license issued by your state of residence?

• Yes
• No

03


Do you have a Universal CFC Recovery License?

• Yes
• No

04


Do you have at least five (5) years of experience operating and maintaining air conditioning and refrigeration, electrical, mechanical or plumbing equipment?

• Yes
• No

05


Have you held a position that required you to maintain HVAC systems and/or automated building systems at multiple sites?

• Yes
• No

06


Do you possess a Journeyman's or Master's License in HVAC, plumbing or electrical?

• Yes
• No

07


The Building Engineer job class is part of a career ladder program, this position may be filled at either the Building Engineer I, II or III level depending on education and experience. What level are you applying for?

• Building Engineer I
• Building Engineer II
• Building Engineer III

Required Question