Mechanical Designer - Recent Graduate

When you walk into a building, do you wonder how it actually works? We do too. Summer Consultants is looking for a recent graduate or early-career Mechanical Designer with up to three years of experience to join our McLean, VA team. This is a great opportunity for someone who is curious about building systems, wants hands-on project and field experience, and is ready to learn the MEP/FP consulting industry from experienced engineers.

At Summer Consultants, we design the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems that make buildings safe, comfortable, functional, and reliable. Much of our work involves renovating and modernizing existing federal, institutional, higher education, and historic facilities. That means our projects are technical, hands-on, and rarely routine.

Existing buildings do not give you a clean sheet of paper. Our engineers spend real time in the field walking buildings, surveying and documenting existing conditions, tracing systems, observing constraints, and figuring out how a new design can actually work within the building that is already there.  

The challenge of renovation work is solving real problems: how to make equipment fit into an existing mechanical room, how to route ductwork and piping through constrained spaces, how to work around active building operations and existing infrastructure, and how to develop a design that a contractor can actually build.

Field surveys are an important part of how our engineers learn. You will develop the ability to look at a building, ask the right questions, understand how mechanical and plumbing systems are installed and operated, recognize constraints, document what you find, and translate those observations into practical design decisions. That field experience helps build the judgment needed to become a well-rounded consulting engineer.

Curious about building systems? Let's see what we can do together.

WHAT SUMMER CAN DO FOR YOU

Summer Consultants will help you:

• Learn the ins and outs of the MEP/FP consulting industry through real project experience. 
• Gain hands-on experience with HVAC and plumbing design, calculations, equipment selection, layouts, documentation, and existing-building surveys. 
• Learn how to survey buildings, understand and document existing conditions, and translate field observations into practical design decisions. 
• Build experience with tools such as Revit, AutoCAD, and applicable mechanical design and analysis software. 
• Work on varied projects. We rarely have "typical" projects because buildings are unique, and so are their systems and constraints. 
• Develop into a well-rounded consulting engineer through mentoring, project exposure, field experience, feedback, and increasing responsibility from experienced engineers. 
• Collaborate across disciplines in a small, technically engaged environment where you can ask questions and build real competence. 
• Build the technical foundation for professional licensure and long-term growth in the engineering profession.

COMPANY BENEFITS

• Medical insurance: Options where Summer pays 100% of the employee-only premium. 
• Dental and vision insurance. 
• 401(k): 3% automatic Company contribution, plus up to a 2% additional match, with additional profit-sharing contributions historically made based on Company performance. 
• Eleven (11) paid holidays and seventeen (17) to twenty-two (22) days of PTO per year, based on professional experience. 
• Paid Parental Leave for eligible employees. 
• Professional licensure support: FE and PE exam and registration reimbursement, preparation support, test-day leave, and recognition payments. 
• Education Assistance up to $5,000 annually for qualifying job-related coursework. 
• Flexible scheduling, including a 4.5-day compressed workweek option for eligible employees. 
• Flexible work environment, including hybrid work options after six months with the company, based on role, project, and client needs. 
• Company-paid life, short-term disability, and long-term disability coverage. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR SUMMER CONSULTANTS

In this role, you will:

• Support mechanical and plumbing design for renovation and existing-building projects. 
• Participate in field surveys to observe, investigate, document, and understand existing building conditions and systems. 
• Assist with HVAC and plumbing calculations, equipment selection, ductwork and piping layouts, and system design. 
• Help turn survey findings, calculations, client requirements, and existing constraints into practical design solutions. 
• Support the development of drawings, calculations, reports, specifications, and other project documentation. 
• Coordinate with engineers and designers from other disciplines as part of integrated project teams. 
• Think about how designs will actually be constructed and operated, not simply how they appear on drawings. 
• Help solve client problems with curiosity, precision, quality, and follow-through. 
• Pursue EIT certification, if not already completed. 

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING WITH YOU

• Bachelor's degree in Architectural Engineering (HVAC focus), Mechanical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering Technology. 
• Genuine interest in HVAC, plumbing, building systems, existing-building renovation, and learning how systems work in the field. 
• Curiosity about how buildings are constructed, operated, maintained, and modified over time. 
• Willingness to spend meaningful time in the field surveying existing conditions. 
• Ability to learn from experienced engineers, ask questions, seek and apply feedback, and take increasing ownership as experience grows. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. 
• Strong Microsoft Word and Excel skills. 
• AutoCAD and Revit experience preferred. 
• Ability to support day-long field surveys outdoors and indoors, including conditioned and unconditioned spaces, with or without reasonable accommodation. Field work may include walking 10,000 to 20,000 steps in a day, climbing up and down a 6-foot ladder, kneeling, squatting, and bending. 
• Ability to obtain site access at client locations, including federal facilities, as required by project assignments. 
• Ability to travel up to 10 nights per year, in addition to day-long field surveys.