Sr. Solutions Engineer

About the Role

R-Zero is hiring a Senior Solutions Engineer to drive the technical pre-sales motion for our Physical AI solution — a portfolio of occupancy sensors and intelligence that unlocks meaningful HVAC energy reduction in commercial buildings. This is a customer-facing, sales-forward role that pairs strong communication skills with mechanical engineering judgment. You'll be the technical voice in early-stage customer conversations, leading pitches alongside Sales Directors, qualifying buildings against R-Zero's occupancy-based demand-controlled ventilation criteria, and translating HVAC, BMS, and controls complexity into clear, compelling value for executive and engineering audiences alike.

This is a startup role, and we mean it. R-Zero is a fast-moving company building a category that doesn't have a textbook playbook yet — which means the right person here gets to help write it. You won't just execute against an established pre-sales motion; you'll own the evolution of the tools, qualification frameworks, and processes the Solutions team runs on. 

You'll operate as a senior pre-sales engineer on the Solutions team, partnering closely with the rest of the team to scale qualification velocity and feed a growing sales pipeline. You'll get hands-on with our internal tools, scope buildings from drawings and BMS data, and develop ROI narratives that move deals forward.

The ideal candidate is a mechanical, controls, or energy engineer at heart who is energized by customer conversations — someone who can hold their own in a technical discovery call, walk a CFO through energy savings logic, turn a stack of mechanical drawings into a qualified opportunity by end of day, and spot the broken process they want to fix while they're at it.

Key Responsibilities

Customer-facing pre-sales

• Lead technical discovery: Run discovery calls with facilities directors, energy managers, and BMS controls staff to capture HVAC system architecture, BMS configuration, occupancy profiles, and existing DCV strategies.
• Pitch and demo: Co-pitch with Sales Directors and deliver high-impact demos of R-Zero’s occupancy based DCV platform, savings models, and M&V approach — flexing message and depth based on audience.
• Translate to business value: Convert HVAC and controls detail into ROI narratives, energy savings ranges, and implementation pathways that resonate with executive decision-makers.
• Sales partnership: Partner with Sales on opportunity strategy, multi-stakeholder navigation, and objection handling — especially around BMS write-access, IT/security review, and capex versus EaaS commercial models.

Building qualification and scoping

• Building qualification: Use internal tooling and engineering judgment to assess buildings against the qualification criteria (AHU specs, OA strategy, BMS readiness, occupancy patterns, energy recovery, existing DCV).
• Scope of work development: Develop technical scopes, sensor counts, sequence-of-operation strategies, and integration approaches from mechanical drawings, BMS point lists, and trended data.
• Site surveys: Conduct remote and occasional in-person surveys to validate AHU configuration, BAS points, and field conditions.

End-to-end ownership

• Pre-sales to handoff: Own the technical journey from first call through clean handoff to implementation, ensuring scope accuracy and customer expectations are aligned.
• Implementation support: Stay engaged through deployment as needed — supporting BMS integration questions, validation visits, and customer escalations.
• Expansion opportunities: Surface portfolio expansion opportunities post-deployment by validating performance and equipping Sales to upsell additional buildings.

Team and tooling

• Tooling contribution: Provide structured feedback on R-Zero’s internal Solutions Engineering tooling and propose process improvements.
• Cross-functional partnership: Partner with Product, Engineering, and Sales to channel field insights into roadmap priorities and competitive positioning.
• Knowledge sharing: Author and maintain technical collateral, qualification heuristics, and customer-facing FAQs that scale the team’s capability.

Required Qualifications

• Customer-facing pre-sales: 3+ years in a Solutions Engineering or Sales Engineering role with demonstrated success leading technical discovery, delivering pitches and demos, and supporting enterprise sales cycles with multiple stakeholders.
• Technical depth: 5+ years of hands-on experience in HVAC system design, BMS/controls engineering, mechanical engineering, energy engineering, or building automation — with depth sufficient to read mechanical drawings and BMS point lists without supervision.
• Working knowledge of HVAC systems (AHUs, VAV, terminal units), BMS/BAS architectures, controls integration, and ventilation strategies.
• Experience working with internal AI/LLM-based qualification or scoping tools.
• Familiarity with ASHRAE 62.1, Title 24, and demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) approaches.
• Comfort reading mechanical drawings, BMS point lists, and trended controls data.
• Strong written and verbal communication — equally credible in front of a CFO, an energy manager, and a controls technician.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Building Science, Controls Engineering, Energy Engineering, or related field.

Nice-to-haves

• Background working at an MEP consultancy, energy consultancy, cleantech or HVAC technology company, and/or early-stage startup — environments where you've owned ambiguous problems and seen how buildings actually get designed, commissioned, or retrofitted.
• Hands-on experience with BACnet integrations and Niagara/Tridium supervisors.
• Exposure to DCV, IAQ, or smart building product categories.
• Industry credentials such as CEM, CBCP or CCP, CEA, and PE.
• Familiarity with energy modeling tools and M&V frameworks (IPMVP).

Travel Requirements

• Up to 25% travel for site surveys, key customer meetings, and occasional deployment support. Travel may include occasional overnight work or physical site tasks (e.g., walkdowns, mechanical room access).

Why R-Zero

• Join a purpose-driven team tackling one of the biggest challenges facing the built environment- energy and carbon reduction.
• Work with innovative technologies at the intersection of health, energy, and smart building automation.
• Competitive compensation, equity, and benefits.
• A culture of collaboration, taking ownership, and innovation.

Compensation Information

The salary range for this position will vary based on candidate level, experience, and location. The base salary for this position contemplates a range of $165,000 - $185,000. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Proof of eligibility to work in the United States and a background check is required upon employment.

Physical Requirements