Co-Head of Engineering

The Co-Head of Engineering is responsible for leading Oakwell's engineering practice alongside the firm's existing engineering leadership — setting technical direction, upholding the highest standards of engineering rigor, and serving as the senior-most technical voice in front of Oakwell's hospital and university clients. This is a leadership-of-leaders role: the Co-Head guides senior engineers and discipline leads across mechanical, electrical, and energy engineering, builds the systems and standards by which the practice operates, and is accountable for the quality, profitability, and growth of Oakwell's engineering work.

The Co-Head is a client-facing principal who brings established, senior-level relationships within major health systems and universities — including at their current clients — and who knows how to cultivate those relationships into long-term partnerships. They translate an owner's mission, financial constraints, and campus master plan into multi-decade infrastructure and decarbonization strategies, and they earn the trust of C-suite and facilities leadership through candor, reliability, and demonstrable results.

This role is structured for a vesting co-owner of the business. The Co-Head of Engineering should expect to hold and vest into equity in Oakwell and to think and act like an owner — investing in the firm's people, reputation, and long-term enterprise value rather than in any single project, and comfortably leading other leaders.

Key Responsibilities

Practice Leadership & Ownership

• Co-lead the engineering practice with firm leadership, setting technical strategy, staffing, and standards across the mechanical, electrical, and energy disciplines.
• Operate as a vesting co-owner — accountable for the practice's profitability, growth, and long-term enterprise value, and personally invested in Oakwell's reputation and people.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop senior engineers and discipline leads, building succession and deepening the firm's technical bench.

Client & Relationship Leadership

• Serve as the senior technical relationship owner for Oakwell's largest hospital and university clients, engaging C-suite and facilities leadership directly.
• Shape multi-decade infrastructure-renewal and decarbonization strategies aligned with each owner's mission, financial constraints, and campus master plan.
• Represent Oakwell in high-stakes pursuits, presentations, and negotiations, converting senior relationships into long-term partnerships.

Engineering Rigor & Standards

• Own the firm's QA/QC program, ensuring reports, drawings, specifications, and analyses meet Oakwell's higher technical standard before issuance.
• Establish and maintain the MEP building and sustainability standards used across client engagements.
• Provide senior technical review and final engineering judgment on the firm's most complex and highest-risk projects.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or a related engineering discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• 20+ years of progressive engineering experience, including significant experience serving hospital and/or university clients.
• Established, senior-level relationships at current healthcare and/or higher-education clients.
• Professional Engineering (PE) license.
• Demonstrated experience leading other leaders and running an engineering team, practice, or firm.
• Readiness and desire to become a vesting co-owner of the business.
• Availability to travel as needed.

What Makes You a Great Oakwell Teammate

• Owner First: you engineer in service of the owner's mission and long-term success, and you set that tone for the entire practice.
• Accountability Without Excuses: you do what you say you will do and hold your leaders to the same standard.
• Systems Thinking: you solve problems at the root, balancing sustainability, resiliency, cost, and operational reality across a portfolio.

Benefits & Perks

Medical, dental & vision · Company-paid life and short/long-term disability insurance · HSA + medical and dependent-care FSAs · Voluntary accident & critical-illness coverage · 401(k) with company match · paid company holidays and PTO · Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Location & compensation

Remote, with travel as needed. Preference given to candidates residing within or near Boston, MA. Competitive compensation plus executive benefits.

Oakwell is an E-Verify and equal-opportunity employer.