Senior Mechanical Engineer - Team Lead, Vancouver
Alternates: Team Lead, Senior Engineer - Custom Heat Pumps & Refrigeration (Vancouver) | Senior Engineer / Vancouver Team Lead - Recreation Facility Decarbonization | Senior Mechanical Engineer - Large Custom Heat Pump Design, Team Lead
Location: Vancouver, BC (hybrid/flexible)
Employment type: Full-time
Seniority level: Senior Level
Compensation: CAD $150,000 - $220,000 total compensation (base + team-performance bonus)
Come join our team and help us build an energy-efficient, greener BC
We're young, fast-moving, and we enjoy taking on new challenges every day. On top of building an energy-efficient, greener BC, we're also engineering the CO2 refrigeration systems for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) and the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMTO), two of the largest telescopes ever attempted.
Who We ArePolar Engineering is an engineering, design, project management and commissioning consultancy. We specialize in recreation facilities, and we are experts at engineering large custom heat pumps.
That combination is the whole point. In a recreation facility you have an ice plant throwing away heat and a building, a pool and domestic hot water that all need it. We design large custom heat pump and energy recovery systems that capture that waste heat, shut down the natural gas boilers, and cut greenhouse gas emissions, while lowering our clients' operating costs.
These aren't catalogue units. They're engineered around each facility, which is where the interesting work is.
We've been recognized for it too. Danfoss named us EnVisioneer of the Year in the Engineering Consultant category for a heat pump project that cut natural gas use by 90% at a BC recreation centre, and we're a longtime award winner and sponsor with the Recreation Facilities Association of BC (RFABC), including their Climate Action Award. Ian (Polar's CEO) was named to Canadian Consulting Engineer's Top 10 Under 40.
Over the last year our clients have reduced their carbon emissions by more than 3,000 tonnes of CO2. That's the equivalent of planting over 150,000 trees.
Our clients are arenas, curling clubs and aquatic centres, along with industrial food processing facilities, large buildings like hospitals, and developments running district energy systems. We help them lead, choosing low global warming potential refrigerants and putting in large heat recovery systems.
We're growing more than 30% a year, and we're 17 people with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, and Victoria.
How We OperateWe run on EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System (the one from the book Traction, if you've read it). That means a real accountability chart instead of a fuzzy org chart, clear quarterly priorities, and no guessing where you stand. If you've ever wanted to build something with actual structure behind it instead of chaos dressed up as hustle, you'll feel right at home.
We also hire, and run the whole company, around five core values:
- Do what you say you're going to do
Nothing complicated. We just want people who genuinely live these, and we screen hard for them before anyone joins the team. As Vancouver's Team Lead, you'd be stepping into a team that already lives these values day to day - your job is to keep it that way as you grow it.
The RoleOur Vancouver office is growing quickly, and we're looking for a Senior Engineer to join us and lead the team.
The office is already built: eight people in Vancouver, a team of six reporting to you, and years of client relationships already in place. This isn't a seat you have to build from nothing - it's a great team and a cool office that's already running, and the job is to step in and keep it growing.
This is a player-coach seat, not a pure design chair. You'd own the technical work, lead the team, and grow the book of business, with a fast track to Principal Engineer for the right person.
What You'll Own- Your team's book of work, its revenue and its profitability
- Selling and growing that book of work in the Lower Mainland and around BC
- Stamping drawings as Engineer of Record, and leading design and deliverables
- Being the main point of contact for your clients, and owning their satisfaction
- Team and project resource management
- Managing the project managers and engineers on your team, and growing them
Day to day that looks like leading custom HVAC and energy recovery projects from first site visit to commissioning: scoping systems and selecting equipment, building detailed energy models, working with manufacturers on performance specifications, pricing work with contractors and explaining the specification, presenting to clients, and being on site when the carbon reduction system becomes real.
What We're Looking For- Senior experience in energy recovery, HVAC, boilers, and building mechanical systems
- Experience with Fortis BC and BC Hydro energy studies
- A track record of leading people and running projects, not just designing them
- Comfortable in front of clients, and interested in winning work rather than waiting for it
- Strong written and verbal communication
- Solid grounding in thermodynamics, this work rewards people who genuinely understand the cycle
- Genuinely cares about reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- Ability to travel around BC and Alberta
Nice to have: experience with energy studies and grant applications, and Revit.
How We WorkWe're a lifestyle company and we mean it. We like a real work/life balance, which means flexible hours and flexible days, and when the work allows, we knock off early for our favourite west coast activities. Ian's is kiteboarding.
At 17 people, this isn't a rung on someone else's ladder. You'd have a real seat on the leadership team: weekly meetings where we talk through what's most important that week, quarterly meetings to set new goals, and annual retreats where we set the direction for the next one to three years. You'd be helping set the direction of our Vancouver office and the company as we grow, instead of having that direction set for you. You'd be stepping into a strong team and a great office, not inheriting someone else's playbook - the job is to keep building on what's already working.
Compensation and BenefitsTotal compensation: CAD $150,000 – $220,000, made up of a base salary plus a performance bonus tied to your team's revenue and margin.
Plus a real road to Principal Engineer.
Benefits:
- Leaving the world a better place
- Set your own direction and find wins for your clients and team
- Flexible work hours and flexible work days
- Remote work for 3 days a week
- Medical, dental, vision, and massage
- International conferences and exposure
Start date: ASAP but we are looking to fill the role within the next 6 months.
How to ApplyApply through LinkedIn. Or reach out to Ian (Founder and CEO Directly) at ian@polareng.ca. If you're curious but not sure, a short conversation costs you nothing, I'm based in Victoria but I'm over in Vancouver constantly.
