About Helix Earth
Helix Earth (Houston/Jersey Village, TX 77040) is a clean tech startup fixing how buildings handle humidity. Air conditioning is on track to account for 10% of global CO2 emissions by 2050, and most of that energy is wasted fighting humidity. We spun out of Rice University and NASA in 2022 to solve it. Our core technology was developed by our CEO while he was at NASA, and we're now adapting it to dramatically cut AC energy use and improve indoor air quality.
Helix Earth has won numerous awards including the Smart Cities pitch contest at SXSW and our Co-Founder Dr. Rawand Rasheed was named to Forbes 30 under 30 for Energy and Green Tech.
About the Role
Helix Earth is seeking an HVAC Applications Lead to own the applications function for our dehumidification and HVAC products. This role is hands-on and onsite. You will train under the Director of Engineering to come up to speed on our technology and building-physics methods, then transition to report into Product as the company scales deployment and operations. You will own building load calculations and equipment sizing for prospective and active sites, build the standard methods and tooling that make applications work fast and repeatable, and serve as the technical bridge between engineering capability and customer-facing deployment. As the company scales, you will build and lead an applications team.
This is a player-coach role: you will do the applications work directly today, and grow into managing the function as volume increases.
About You
You are an HVAC field-applications professional who can run building load calculations and equipment sizing independently, without engineering hand-holding. You are diligent, organized, and take full ownership of a recurring technical workstream, making sure the work gets done right, on time, every time. You understand commercial HVAC systems well enough to reason about equipment fit, and you can translate site and customer requirements into clear sizing and applications recommendations. You communicate cleanly with both engineers and commercial stakeholders, and you are comfortable building the templates, methods, and documentation that let a function scale. You want to do the work now and lead a team later.
Responsibilities
- Own building load calculations for prospective and active sites, taking this work off the engineering team entirely
- Perform equipment sizing and applications analysis for the Helix MICRA™, translating site and customer requirements into recommended configurations
- Build and maintain standard methods, calculation templates, and documentation that make applications work repeatable, auditable, and fast
- Support pre-sales and pilot scoping by answering technical sizing and fit questions for the sales and business development team
- Interface with engineering on edge cases and non-standard applications that fall outside established methods
- Create and maintain installation documentation: installation guides, mounting and integration instructions, commissioning checklists, and standard work instructions (SWIs) for Helix MICRA™ deployments
- Create and maintain troubleshooting documentation: diagnostic guides, service procedures, failure-mode references, and field service reports that let technicians and customers resolve issues quickly
- Establish the applications workflow: intake, turnaround expectations, hand-offs to engineering, sales, and field teams
- Feed field learnings back into applications methods, updating sizing assumptions and guidelines as real-world data comes in
- As the function grows, hire, train, and manage an applications team, setting standards and reviewing work
- Support the broader deployment effort as needed, coordinating with field and engineering teams on site requirements
Qualifications
- 5+ years of experience in HVAC applications, sizing, or systems engineering
- Strong project management skills and the ability to lead a small team
- Ability to perform building load calculations independently, using standard commercial load methods and tooling
- Solid understanding of commercial HVAC systems: rooftop units (RTUs), ERVs, airflow, OA/RA mixing, and dehumidification fundamentals
- Working knowledge of refrigeration-cycle components (compressors, heat exchangers including fin vs. non-fin plate, refrigerant types) sufficient to reason about equipment fit
- Strong organization and ownership mindset: reliable follow-through on a recurring technical workstream under volume
- Proficiency with Microsoft suite and relevant load-calculation / engineering software
- Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present clearly to engineering and commercial audiences
- Strong technical writing skills, with experience producing installation guides, SOPs, service procedures, or equivalent field-facing documentation
- Ability to work effectively across functions in a fast-moving startup environment
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
- Experience with commercial rooftop / RTU applications and field integration constraints
- Pre-sales or customer-facing technical experience
- Exposure to dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS) or dehumidification technologies
- Familiarity with psychrometrics and energy calculations
- Experience building or leading an applications, sizing, or estimating function, or clear readiness to grow into team leadership
Why Helix Earth
- Take your career to the next level in a fast-growing startup, where your responsibilities and impact extend beyond traditional roles
- Work at the frontier of HVAC innovation, developing and scaling technologies that transform comfort and energy use in buildings
- Own a function from the ground up with a clear path to building and leading a team
- Collaborate with a driven, mission-aligned team focused on high impact and fast execution
- Help shape the future of cooling and carbon removal technology
Benefits
- Competitive salary + equity in the company
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching
- Flexible time off
- Growth potential in a rapidly scaling company
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