Building Engineer - Commercial Office

About Cousins Properties:

Headquartered in Atlanta, Cousins is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). Cousins has a simple, compelling strategy: Premier urban Sun Belt office portfolio, Disciplined about capital allocation, Best-in-class balance sheet, with Strong local operating platforms. Acting through its operating partnership, Cousins Properties LP, primarily invests in Class A office buildings located in high-growth Sun Belt markets. Cousins Properties (NYSE: CUZ) develops, owns, and manages a 20+ million square foot trophy office portfolio in the high-growth Sun Belt markets of Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Nashville, Tampa, and Phoenix.

Founded in 1958, Cousins creates shareholder value through its extensive expertise in the development, acquisition, leasing, and management of high-quality real estate assets. The Company has a comprehensive strategy in place based on a simple platform, trophy assets, and opportunistic investments. For more information, please visit

Job Summary :

The Building Engineer - Commercial Office will be responsible for the hands-on maintenance of building systems for the safe, efficient, and proper operations of all assigned properties. This role will perform repairs and help in the operation, monitoring, and performance of preventative maintenance on building systems as necessary.


This position is located in Tempe, AZ. This position is on-site. This is not a remote or hybrid position.

(For Cousins' internal candidates - this is equivalent to a Grade I Engineer position.)

Responsibilities :

Electrical Systems

• Possess an understanding of A.C. circuits and safety procedures
• Trouble-shoot and find short circuits or ground in single or three-phase A.C. circuits
• Replace outlets, switches, lighting ballasts, circuit breakers and motor control starters

HVAC Systems

• Possess an understanding of the refrigeration cycle. Must have passed the test for a universal CFC license
• Conduct preventative maintenance of air handling units
• Respond to HVAC calls and make repairs or adjustments as needed
• Test and adjust chemical treatment levels in water system
• Perform daily inspections on chillers. Make adjustments as necessary. Record findings in the chiller log.
• Replace belts, motors, bearings, actuators, and valves on air handling units and cooling towers
• Adjust pneumatic or direct digital control (DDC) controllers and actuators for proper operation
• Adjust set points, start-up and temperature on building energy management system
• Trouble-shoot power induction units (PIU) or Fan Powered Terminal Units (FPIU) to determine if operating properly
• Trouble-shoot, adjust, and balance pumping system

Plumbing Systems

• Possess an understanding of the plumbing systems
• Rebuild and repair flush valves and faucets.
• Responsible for the replacement of wax bowel seal, remounting of toilet urinals and lavatories.
• Responsible for the preventative maintenance of a systems pump.
• Adjust and service pressure-reducing valves

Life Safety Systems

• Possess an understanding of the operation of the property's life safety systems
• Identify and respond to fire alarm and trouble calls. Properly enable and disable points.
• Conduct a weekly inspection of Emergency Generator and Fire Pump and record results in log. Make recommendations for outside service as appropriate.

Miscellaneous Systems

• Repair and replace door closures, door hardware and door operators
• Adjust and repair security systems
• Possess an understanding of mechanical drawings and wiring diagrams

The above statements are intended only to describe the general nature of the job and should not be construed as an all-inclusive list of position responsibilities.

Required or Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

• A minimum of 6 years of experience in the building maintenance industry and/or a certified and credited trade school degree in HVAC, electronic, or other industry related trade preferred
• High School Diploma or GED required
• Must be knowledgeable in the safe and proper use of the following tools: ladders, lifts, basic hand tools, voltmeter, manual drain auger, plumber's helper, safety goggles, ear protection, and fire extinguisher
• Extensive knowledge in Chiller and Boiler operations is required. Must be able to operate heavy equipment such as chillers, generators, switchgear, pumps, air handling units etc.
• Must have excellent organizational and problem-solving skills
• Must possess excellent customer service skills
• Must be a team player, able to work outside the core business hours when needed and willing to accept a variety of tasks associated with this position.
• Must possess strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work and communicate effectively with all levels of operations.
• Must be a self-starter and able to work well with minimal supervision.
• Must be able to speak, read, write, and understand the primary language(s) used in the workplace.
• Must be available for overtime and/or on call outside your normal working hours.
• Responsiveness - Need to perform responsibilities with an acute sense of urgency to meet the needs of others; respond to solve problems; willing to accept a variety of tasks associated with this position
• Integrity - Demonstrate sound business ethics; consistently comply with organizational values; protect confidential information
• Customer Service - Demonstrate optimum customer service delivery while performing all job functions
• Communication - Able to clearly express ideas; present verbal information in a straightforward manner; ask questions in order to open channels of communication; listen to understand perspective of others

Physical Demands :

• Must be able to stand and exert well-paced mobility for up to 4 hours in length
• Must be able to bend, stoop, squat, and stretch to fulfill cleaning and repair/maintenance tasks
• Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs. on a regular and continuing basis
• Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, bending, climbing, handling objects, reaching with hands and arms, talking, listening and hearing ability, and visual acuity

Cousins is an equal opportunity employer where employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and aptitude. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunities or employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other class or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.