EMS Senior Technician - Energy Management & Building Controls

EMS Senior Technician — Energy Management & Building Controls

Los Angeles Unified School District | MAAS Companies

The Work

LAUSD operates over 1,000 school sites, each with HVAC systems controlled by Direct Digital Controls (DDC) and monitored through Energy Management Systems (EMS). When those systems work right, buildings are comfortable and energy costs stay reasonable. When they don't, you get hot classrooms, wasted energy, and principals fielding calls from parents.

As EMS Senior Technician, you're the person who keeps it all running. You'll troubleshoot DDC controllers in the field, analyze EMS data to catch problems before they escalate, respond to trouble calls when buildings aren't performing, and identify no-cost and low-cost fixes that save the district real money. You'll assist with commissioning, review submittals, scope small repairs, and work across multiple DDC platforms because no district is single-vendor.

This isn't a desk job. You're driving site to site, climbing ladders, opening panels, landing wires, and diagnosing problems across the whole stack — network, controller, sensor, actuator, mechanical device. But you're also pulling interval data, spotting consumption patterns, and recommending buildings for recommissioning based on what the numbers tell you.

You'll work closely with LAUSD's Technical Quality Support Team (TQST) and coordinate with mechanical contractors, electricians, and facilities staff to keep systems operational and performing.

What You'll Own

• Field troubleshooting and repair of HVAC DDC and EMS systems across LAUSD campuses — responding to trouble calls, calibrating sensors, resolving control and electrical issues
• EMS data analysis to identify energy waste, preventive maintenance needs, and buildings that need recommissioning or retro-commissioning
• Site visits to investigate and evaluate DDC/EMS conditions on identified projects — diagnosing what's actually broken vs. what the screen says is broken
• Scoping and implementing low-cost solutions to repair or extend the life of existing EMS systems when full replacement isn't in the budget
• Assistance with DDC and EMS design and submittal reviews — catching integration issues, missing points, or substandard spec before they become field problems
• Support for in-house commissioning projects — functional testing, deficiency tracking, startup troubleshooting, and sign-off
• Coordination with installation contractors and facilities staff on project sites to debug integration issues and keep controls from becoming the bottleneck

Requirements

What You Bring

• 3+ years of professional experience as an HVAC DDC technician — hands-on work programming controllers, troubleshooting networks, and commissioning systems in the field
• Bachelor's or associate degree in mechanical, electrical, computer science, or IT engineering, OR a two-year technical degree in HVAC or electronics with additional experience (two years of experience may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis)
• Strong understanding of computer networking — IP addressing, subnets, VLANs, gateways, and enough troubleshooting knowledge to get a controller talking to a server when IT says "not our problem"
• Ability to wire, start up, and troubleshoot DDC systems from the ground up — you've done startups where the drawings were wrong and figured it out in the field
• Fundamental understanding of HVAC operations — air handlers, chillers, boilers, pumps, terminal units, and how they sequence together; you know when a controls problem is really a mechanical problem
• Experience across multiple DDC platforms (Automated Logic, Carrier, Delta, Distech, Schneider Electric, Trane) — you adapt quickly to new software interfaces and hardware quirks
• Proven ability to debug installation issues during static and dynamic startup phases — you know the difference between a system that tests fine and one that works under live load
• Valid California driver's license and reliable transportation (mileage reimbursed) — you'll be moving site to site daily

Preferred

• Experience supporting installation personnel and contractors on project sites — you've been the controls lead coordinating across trades
• Extensive experience performing or assisting with commissioning of EMS systems — functional testing per spec, writing deficiency logs, witnessing re-tests

Benefits

Why MAAS

MAAS has spent nearly 40 years earning the trust of 50+ educational institutions across California, managing over $10B in projects. That track record means the work here is stable, funded, and consequential — you're not chasing the next contract.

As a MAAS employee, you're also an owner. The company is 100% employee-owned through an ESOP — a retirement benefit provided at no cost to you, on top of your salary. MAAS is a profitable, well-run organization and our share price has more than doubled since the plan's inception, with continued growth year over year. Your ownership stake builds the longer you stay, and ESOP participants nationally tend to accumulate 2.5x more in retirement savings than employees at non-ESOP companies.

In an industry not known for prioritizing culture, 96% of MAAS employees say it's a great place to work, and 100% say people genuinely care about each other. That's not a perk. It's how the company runs.

Ready to build something that lasts? Connect with Dominic Glover, Recruiting Coordinator or at check out our website at