Engineering Manager - Design

Engineering Manager – Design

Buena Vista, VA | Onsite

Full-Time | 0–10% Travel

$140,000 - $200,000

Lead Product Design & Engineering for a Global HVAC Manufacturer

Our client is a global leader in thermal management and HVAC technologies, developing heating, cooling, and ventilation solutions for commercial, industrial, and mission-critical applications.

They are seeking an experienced Engineering Manager - Design to lead product design and development activities at their Buena Vista, VA facility. This position will manage multiple engineering functions while remaining closely involved in technical design, product development, testing, and engineering standards.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced HVAC or mechanical engineering leader looking to take ownership of engineering teams, product development, and technical strategy within an established global manufacturer.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop multiple engineering functions, including Product Development Engineers, Drafting & Standards personnel, and Laboratory Test Technicians.
• Serve as a technical leader for the business, establishing and maintaining engineering design standards, processes, documentation, and best practices.
• Review and approve engineering designs, technical decisions, calculations, models, and project deliverables.
• Oversee the complete product development lifecycle from initial customer requirements through design, validation, testing, and production.
• Provide technical oversight of physical and thermal product design, modeling, simulation, and validation.
• Partner with Product Management, Operations, Quality, Manufacturing, and Sales teams to translate customer and business requirements into successful product designs.
• Plan and prioritize engineering resources across multiple concurrent product development initiatives.
• Evaluate engineering trade-offs involving performance, manufacturability, cost, schedule, sustainability, and technical risk.
• Drive innovative product solutions focused on performance, reliability, manufacturability, customer requirements, and profitability.
• Recruit, onboard, mentor, and develop engineering talent while building a strong culture of technical excellence and accountability.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on engineering quality, efficiency, standardization, and risk reduction.
• Monitor engineering performance, project progress, resource requirements, and technical risks while communicating updates to senior leadership.
• Maintain awareness of emerging technologies, industry developments, and evolving commercial and industrial HVAC/heating strategies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Engineering, or a related technical discipline required.
• 8–10+ years of progressive design engineering experience.
• At least 3–5 years of engineering management, people leadership, or technical leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading engineering teams and delivering complex product development or technical projects.
• HVAC product design experience strongly preferred, ideally within commercial or industrial heating/cooling equipment.
• Strong understanding of mechanical product design, engineering analysis, modeling, simulation, testing, and validation.
• Experience establishing and enforcing engineering standards, processes, and design best practices.
• Proven ability to manage multiple engineering teams, projects, and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and engineering talent-development skills.
• Experience with project planning, budgeting, resource allocation, and engineering performance metrics.
• Ability to evaluate technical decisions based on cost, schedule, performance, manufacturability, and risk.
• Experience within a manufacturing, HVAC, industrial, or regulated engineering environment preferred.
• Master’s degree, MBA, PE license, or relevant leadership certifications are advantageous.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan with company contribution.
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with employer contribution.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).
• Company-paid short-term disability.
• Long-term disability and life insurance.
• Paid maternity and parental leave.
• Competitive paid time off.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Employee Assistance Program.