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…