Remote Construction Project Engineer - Commercial Mechanical Insulation (Bogotá)

Mechanical Insulation Project Engineer / Assistant Project Manager
U.S. Commercial Construction | Remote from Bogotá, Colombia
Goel Services, Inc. is seeking a full-time Mechanical Insulation Project Engineer / Assistant Project Manager located in Bogotá, Colombia to work directly with our U.S.-based Project Executives, Project Managers, Superintendents and field operations team.
This is not a general administrative or virtual assistant position.
We are looking for candidates with actual mechanical construction knowledge who can read mechanical plans and specifications, understand piping and HVAC systems, perform quantity takeoffs, track project costs and labor, identify changes in scope, prepare project documentation, and communicate effectively with U.S.-based project managers and field supervisors.
Goel Services is a commercial mechanical insulation contractor performing work on large commercial, institutional, government, healthcare and other complex construction projects throughout the Washington, DC and Baltimore metropolitan region.

Candidate Selection Criteria
Applicants will be evaluated primarily on:
1. Mechanical Construction Knowledge
Candidates should have knowledge or experience with:

• Commercial HVAC systems
• Mechanical piping systems
• Plumbing systems
• HVAC ductwork
• Mechanical equipment
• Chilled-water piping
• Heating hot-water piping
• Steam and condensate piping
• Domestic water systems
• Refrigerant piping
• Mechanical insulation
• Construction drawings and specifications
• Mechanical schedules, details and riser diagrams

Prior mechanical insulation experience is preferred but is not required if the candidate has strong commercial mechanical construction experience and the ability to learn the insulation trade.

2. Project Management Experience
Prior experience managing or assisting with active commercial construction projects is strongly preferred, including:

• Cost tracking and budgeting
• Labor tracking
• Material tracking
• Change-order management
• RFIs
• ASIs
• PCOs
• Submittals
• Progress tracking
• Monthly billing
• Job-cost review
• Construction schedules
• Drawing and specification review

3. Quantity Takeoff
The candidate must be capable of learning or performing detailed quantity takeoffs from commercial mechanical construction drawings.
Takeoffs may include:

• Pipe by system, size and insulation thickness
• Pipe fittings
• Valves
• Flanges
• Mechanical equipment
• HVAC ductwork
• Duct fittings
• Duct insulation
• Equipment insulation
• Mechanical insulation accessories

You must be comfortable working with large commercial drawing sets and comparing mechanical drawings, architectural drawings, specifications, schedules and details.
4. Remote Work Capability
Candidates must have:

• Ability to consistently work the required U.S.-aligned schedule
• Professional home-office setup
• Reliable high-speed internet
• Multiple computer monitors
• Ability to communicate with U.S. field personnel throughout the workday

Previous experience working remotely for a U.S. company or supporting construction operations in another country is strongly preferred.

5. Communication
Strong written and spoken English is required.
You must be able to communicate directly with:

• U.S.-based Project Executives
• Project Managers
• Superintendents
• Foremen
• General contractors
• Mechanical contractors
• Vendors
• Other members of the project team

The candidate must be able to clearly identify and document a problem, research the supporting information, and communicate a proposed solution.
6. Microsoft Excel
Applicants must be comfortable working extensively in Microsoft Excel.
Excel will be used for:

• Labor budgets
• Material budgets
• Quantity tracking
• Cost tracking
• Change-order calculations
• Production analysis
• Job-cost reporting
• Budget-versus-actual comparisons
• Monthly project reporting
• Superintendent performance and bonus tracking

Strong Excel skills are highly valued.

7. General Computer Skills
Candidates must be comfortable using:

• Microsoft Office
• Excel
• Outlook
• Teams
• SharePoint
• PDF review and markup software
• Construction management software
• Cloud-based applications

The ability to learn new software quickly is required.
8. Education
Preference will be given to candidates with education or professional experience in:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Construction Management
• Architecture
• Quantity Surveying
• Project Management / PMO
• Building Systems
• HVAC
• Related construction or engineering disciplines

Compensation
Starting compensation is $1,000 USD per month.
Payment is made through PayPal or direct deposit.
This is a full-time position.

Required Work Schedule
You will work closely with a U.S.-based Project Executive five days per week.
The position is designed to overlap directly with our Washington, DC / Baltimore field operations.
Because Bogotá remains on UTC-5 throughout the year while the U.S. Eastern Time Zone changes for daylight saving time, your Colombian working hours will change by approximately one hour during the year.
The anticipated schedule is approximately:
Monday through Friday

• Approximately 5:00 AM to 3:00 PM Bogotá time while the U.S. is observing Eastern Daylight Time
• Approximately 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM Bogotá time while the U.S. is observing Eastern Standard Time

The workday spans approximately 10 hours, including a one-hour meal/break period, for approximately 9 working hours per day.
Our U.S. field crews typically begin work between 5:30 AM and 6:00 AM Eastern Time and finish between 2:30 PM and 3:00 PM.
Your schedule is specifically designed so you can communicate with our Superintendents and field personnel while construction is actively taking place.
Candidates who cannot consistently work this schedule should not apply.
Daily Responsibilities
You will initially assist with approximately eight active commercial mechanical insulation projects.
Your responsibilities will include:

1. Daily Field Reports
Review daily field reports from the previous day.

• Review reports for accuracy and completeness
• Correct administrative errors
• Follow up with supervisors regarding missing or incomplete information
• Verify manpower
• Verify work areas
• Review installed quantities
• Review photographs
• Verify reported progress
• Compare actual labor usage against budgeted labor

2. Track Daily Construction Progress
Communicate directly with field personnel and track the progress of work.
This may include:

• Microsoft Teams video calls with the field
• Field photographs
• Marked-up drawings
• Daily reports
• Installed quantities
• Labor reports
• Schedule information

Compare actual field progress against the estimate, labor budget and project schedule.

3. Identify Changes in Scope
Review project correspondence and documents for potential changes, including:

• ASIs
• RFIs
• PCOs
• Architect directives
• Engineer directives
• Field directives
• Revised drawings
• Bulletins
• Specifications
• Emails
• Meeting minutes
• Mechanical coordination changes
• Field conditions

The candidate must learn to recognize when the work being requested differs from Goel Services' contracted scope.
4. Change Orders
Identify potential change-order work and prepare draft change orders for review by the Project Executive.
Perform quantity takeoffs and develop supporting documentation for change orders.
Track all outstanding change orders and follow up regarding their status.
5. Quantity Takeoffs
Perform mechanical piping and ductwork quantity takeoffs for:

• Original estimates
• Change orders
• Revised drawings
• RFIs
• ASIs
• Coordination changes
• Added work
• Deleted work
• Field modifications

6. Monthly Billing
Assist with:

• Monthly invoice preparation
• Schedule-of-values review
• Percent-complete calculations
• Billing backup
• Submission
• Follow-up with clients

7. Material Tracking
Track materials by:

• Project
• Floor
• Area
• System
• Material type

Compare purchased and installed materials against the project budget.

8. Project Executive Support
Assist the U.S.-based Project Executive with day-to-day management of active projects.

9. Project Meetings
Attend online project, coordination and progress meetings when required.
Prepare notes and identify action items affecting Goel Services.

10. Project P&L
Prepare monthly project P&L and cost-versus-budget reports.
Analyze:

• Contract value
• Approved change orders
• Pending change orders
• Revenue
• Labor cost
• Material cost
• Other project costs
• Budget remaining
• Estimated cost to complete
• Project profitability

11. Change-Order Log
Maintain a comprehensive log of all open change orders and follow up with clients to update their status.

12. Schedule Coordination
Coordinate with our scheduling and schedule-analysis personnel.
Compare planned activities against actual field progress and identify potential schedule impacts.
13. Job-Cost Reporting
Review job-cost reports and prepare comprehensive monthly reports for the Project Executive.
14. Employee Documentation
Complete paperwork and documentation required for employees to enter commercial, institutional, government and secured facilities.
15. Submittals
Prepare mechanical insulation submittals, including:

• Product data
• Manufacturer literature
• Insulation materials
• Jackets and finishes
• Accessories
• MICA plates/details when required
• LEED documentation when applicable
• Warranty information
• Installer qualifications
• Other specification-required documentation

16. Labor Budget Management
Advise Superintendents regarding:

• Original labor budget
• Labor hours used to date
• Installed quantities
• Production rate
• Remaining labor hours
• Material budget
• Remaining material budget
• Current production performance
• Estimated labor required to complete the work

17. Superintendent Performance and Bonuses
Track labor production and project budgets associated with Superintendent performance and incentive programs.

18. Additional Responsibilities
Additional project-management and estimating responsibilities will be assigned as the candidate develops knowledge of Goel Services' operations and mechanical insulation systems.
Quantity Takeoff Requirements
The successful candidate must be capable of performing or learning detailed quantity takeoffs from complex commercial mechanical drawings.
Our projects include large commercial and institutional buildings that are being constructed, expanded, reconfigured or renovated.
You may be required to perform takeoffs of:

• HVAC piping
• Plumbing piping
• Steam piping
• Condensate piping
• Chilled-water piping
• Heating hot-water piping
• Refrigerant piping
• HVAC ductwork
• Pipe insulation
• Duct insulation
• Mechanical equipment insulation
• Valves and fittings
• Insulation accessories

You must be able to follow a mechanical system through plans, risers, schedules and details rather than simply measuring lines on a drawing.
Prior experience reading commercial construction drawings is strongly preferred.
Candidates whose experience is limited to residential construction or general administrative project management may not be suitable for this position.
Software
Goel Services provides the required business software through Amazon WorkSpaces.
Our systems include:

• Adobe Acrobat
• Bluebeam Revu
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft Teams
• Microsoft SharePoint
• Togal.ai
• STACK CT
• Procore
• Clearstory for change-order management
• Connecteam for field reporting
• Siteline for invoicing
• Amazon WorkSpaces

Candidates must be comfortable learning and working in multiple software platforms simultaneously.
Computer and Home Office Requirements
This is a professional remote construction position and requires a permanent home-office setup.
A laptop by itself is not sufficient.
Minimum requirements:

• Reliable computer
• Minimum two-monitor workstation
• Large monitors are strongly preferred
• 4K monitors are recommended
• Reliable high-speed internet
• Dedicated workspace
• Approximately 4-foot by 6-foot minimum work area
• Appropriate desk/worktable
• Professional office chair

Construction drawings frequently require reviewing plans, specifications, takeoff software, Excel, email and project-management systems simultaneously.
For this reason, multiple large monitors are important for this position.


Internet and Amazon WorkSpaces Requirement
All company work is performed through Goel Services' Amazon WorkSpaces environment.
Applicants must complete the Amazon WorkSpaces Health Check:
https://clients.amazonworkspaces.com/Health.html
Test your connection to:
US East / Northern Virginia
Latency greater than approximately 200 ms may make Amazon WorkSpaces difficult or impractical to use.

Applicants may be required to upgrade their internet service if their connection does not provide acceptable performance.
Applicants should be prepared to provide a screenshot of their Amazon WorkSpaces Health Check results during the application process.

Holidays and Vacation
The position observes the following U.S. holidays:

• New Year's Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day / July 4
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Day after Thanksgiving
• Christmas Day

Employees also earn two weeks of vacation per year.
This provides up to 17 vacation and observed holiday days annually, subject to company policy and scheduling requirements.
Who We Are Looking For
We are looking for meticulous construction professionals who take ownership of their projects.
The successful candidate should be able to look at a mechanical drawing, specification, daily report, job-cost report, RFI or email and immediately begin asking:

• What changed?
• Is this work included in our contract?
• What does the specification require?
• Does the drawing agree with the specification?
• Has the mechanical contractor changed the piping or ductwork?
• Does this create additional insulation work?
• Has the additional work been documented?
• Do we need an RFI or change order?
• What quantity has actually been installed?
• How many labor hours have we used?
• How many labor hours should we have used?
• Are we over or under budget?
• What remains to be completed?
• What materials remain?
• Is field production matching our estimate?
• What does the Project Executive need to know today?

We are not looking for someone who simply transfers information from one system to another.
We are looking for someone who can understand construction information, analyze it, identify problems, quantify the financial impact, document the issue and help the Project Executive manage the project.
Applicants should be prepared to demonstrate their:

• Mechanical construction knowledge
• Drawing-reading ability
• Quantity-takeoff ability
• Excel skills
• Analytical ability
• Written and spoken English
• Computer setup
• Internet performance

A practical skills assessment may be part of the interview process.

 

This is a non-management position
This is a full time position