Full-Time

Senior Solutions Sales Engineer

Posted on 9/25/2025

Gradient

Gradient

51-200 employees

Energy-efficient window ACs with heat pump

Compensation Overview

$148k - $155k/yr

+ Equity

Philadelphia, PA, USA

In Person

Onsite with clients in the Northeastern US; travel may be required.

Category
Sales & Solution Engineering (2)
,
Requirements
  • 5–10 years experience in HVAC design or building systems engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering degree or equivalent; Electrical Engineering also acceptable
  • Deep expertise in multifamily or commercial building electrification and energy efficiency retrofits
  • Familiarity with ASHRAE standards, mechanical codes, and building electrification trends
  • Strong understanding of mechanical and electrical systems interactions
  • Experience conducting or reviewing building energy models
Responsibilities
  • Provide optimized proposals and quotes to customer projects: Synthesize analyses to propose designs to customers that contain well designed solutions that integrate with customer needs and clearly articulate costs, energy savings, and ROI
  • Interface with Stakeholders: Collaborate with clients, building operators, architects, and engineers to understand project requirements and guide them through the retrofit process.
  • Lead Energy Retrofit Assessments: Manage comprehensive site assessments for multifamily retrofit projects, evaluating mechanical and electrical requirements to identify and prioritize electrification opportunities using our product.
  • Develop Retrofit Strategies: Identify and quantify energy improvement measures tailored to each building’s constraints. Align strategies with client financial and operational goals.
  • Conduct Energy & Load Modeling: Support energy modeling efforts (with potentially utilizing industry standard tools) to evaluate scenarios, project savings, and validate system sizing.
  • Assess Electrical Readiness: Optimize solutions for existing electrical infrastructure to the extent possible. Evaluate and recommend upgrades for electrical service, panel capacity, and submetering when necessary to support electrification retrofits.
  • Support the Implementation & Installation Phases: Conduct field inspections during implementation to ensure technical compliance and quality.
  • Apply Advanced HVAC Controls: Review control strategies for system optimization and integration with existing infrastructure.
  • Deliver Technical Presentations: Prepare and present retrofit assessments and technical findings to customers, utilities, and internal stakeholders.
  • Mentor & Provide Technical Guidance: Serve as a subject matter expert for internal engineering and sales teams; provide mentorship and guidance on HVAC and electrification best practices.
  • Collaborate Across Functions: Work closely with Product, Hardware, and Software Engineering teams to ensure smooth integration of our hardware and software into real-world applications. Partner with the Customer Experience team to deliver best-in-class customer support.
  • Drive Continuous Improvement: Identify recurring project challenges and propose solutions to improve processes, system design templates, and customer onboarding procedures.
Desired Qualifications
  • Sales experience – working in a sales support capacity
  • Experience participating in the sales process, including outlining creative or out-of-the-box solutions and collaborating with partners to align on solutions
  • Prior sales training, especially Force Management or MEDDPICC
  • Policy experience
  • BMS (Building Management Systems) experience
  • PE license or CEM certification

Gradient Comfort makes energy-efficient window air conditioners that also function as heat pumps. Its flagship unit cools and heats spaces without blocking the view, ideal for urban living. The company sells directly to consumers via gradientcomfort.com and uses R-32 refrigerant to improve efficiency and lower environmental impact. It has received a $17.5 million Defense Production Act grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to support clean energy manufacturing.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$39.5M

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2017

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Carroll Tower deployment proves scalability: 277 units, 450,000 kWh savings, 219 tons CO2e reduction.
  • Local Law 97 compliance deadline May 1, 2025 creates urgent retrofit demand across NYC.
  • Public housing partnerships with NYCHA and Providence Housing Authority establish replicable deployment model.

What critics are saying

  • Envr Air's faster installation model captures multifamily market share from Gradient's deployment.
  • Michigan manufacturing plant delays prevent 100,000 units annual capacity, limiting scaling against HVAC incumbents.
  • Local Law 97 2029 tightening requires deeper cuts; 120V units insufficient for high-rise retrofits.

What makes Gradient unique

  • 120V window heat pumps require no electrical upgrades, enabling rapid 12-day building retrofits.
  • Nexus software optimizes multifamily energy use by 25% while maintaining resident comfort.
  • $17.5M DOE grant funds Michigan plant with 100,000 units annual capacity.

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Benefits

Equity

Medical/vision/dental/life/disability insurance

401k

Paid parental leave

Commuter benefits

Unlimited PTO within reason

Relocation package ( out of state applicants only )

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

-3%

2 year growth

5%
TechCrunch
Feb 3rd, 2026
Gradient's Nexus software links window heat pumps to cut energy use 25% in old buildings

Gradient, a heat pump startup, has launched Nexus, software that links its window-mounted heat pumps across multifamily buildings. The system allows building managers to set temperature limits while maintaining resident comfort, with one building seeing a 25% drop in energy consumption after implementing controls. The company targets old buildings with aging boilers, particularly in New York City, where its heat pumps provide both heating and cooling without requiring electrical upgrades. Installation takes hours rather than days, as units fit in windows like air conditioners but don't block views. Gradient has deployed its technology in New York City Housing Authority buildings and affordable housing developments. The Nexus system can also reduce power draw during grid stress whilst maintaining comfort, using building data and sensors to identify which units can temporarily decrease consumption.

Gradient
Oct 7th, 2025
Gradient Wins Electric Innovation Award Alongside Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm

Gradient wins Electric Innovation award alongside former U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. Recognizing breakthrough design in electrification. Gradient has been named a winner in the inaugural Electric Innovation Awards, receiving top honors in the Design + Discovery category during Climate Week NYC 2025. Hosted by the Electric Innovation Initiative, the awards celebrate the people and projects making electrification real - everywhere it counts. This recognition highlights its commitment to designing climate-friendly heating and cooling solutions that combine comfort, cost savings, and climate impact. Honored by leaders in clean energy. The award was presented by Doreen Harris, President and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm was also honored for her leadership in advancing electrification. Gradient was nominated by David Hochschild, Chair of the California Energy Commission, whose continued support of innovation in clean energy has helped advance electrification nationwide. A win for design and Discovery. Gradient's All-Weather 120V window heat pump embodies what electrification can achieve - delivering high performance and year-round comfort without the cost or disruption of traditional HVAC systems. This recognition affirms that innovative design can accelerate adoption of clean, efficient, and accessible heating and cooling solutions for every building type. gradientcomfort.com is grateful to the Electric Innovation Initiative for this honor.

ACHR News
Jan 30th, 2024
In Line for Federal Money for Heat Pumps, OEMs are Ready to get to Work

Meanwhile, Gradient, a startup that makes window-mounted heat pumps, is in line for $17.5 million to establish a plant in Michigan that will employ about 300 and have a capacity of 100,000 units a year.

HVAC Informed
Nov 10th, 2023
Introducing The Gradient All-Weather 120 V Window Heat Pump: The Ultimate Solution For Year-Round Comfort And Savings

Gradient, a company built by thermal scientists to rethink HVAC and build products that are good for the planet and great at cooling and heating homes, announced the All-Weather 120 V Window Heat Pump.

Grist
Nov 1st, 2023
Can ACs cool the world without warming it?

Gradient has partnered with the New York City Housing Authority as the first customer for its new, all-weather unit - a take on a heat pump that more closely resembles a window AC unit.

INACTIVE