Director, Engineering (IT Cooling, North America)

Ecolab; Calgary; On-site; CAD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation and flex days

Comprehensive benefits: Dental, Drugs,

Dress for your day

Retention rewards

Company-funded RRSP contributions

Job summary

CoolIT, based in Calgary, Alberta, seeks a Director of Engineering for IT Cooling to lead the North American engineering organization. You will drive design of cold plates, loops, and manifolds while setting technical direction and governance across teams.

You will mentor leaders, forecast resources, and shape roadmaps with the Principal Engineer and Advanced Technology Group. This role emphasizes strategic thinking, collaboration, and delivering high-quality liquid cooling solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.
• 12+ years of engineering experience in product development, thermal management, liquid cooling, or related industries.
• 5+ years leading engineering managers, technical leaders, or multidisciplinary engineering organizations.
• Strong understanding of cold plate technologies, liquid cooling systems, thermal management, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics.
• Proven ability to build, develop, and scale high-performing engineering teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience establishing engineering processes, technical standards, design methodologies, and governance frameworks.
• Strong business and organizational planning skills, including budgeting, workforce planning, and resource management.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Excellent communication, customer engagement, and executive presentation skills.
• Strategic thinker with strong technical judgment, risk-based decision-making abilities, and a passion for engineering excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead the North American IT Cooling engineering organization responsible for the design of cold plates, loops, manifolds, and related cooling technologies.
• Provide functional leadership to engineering managers and technical leaders, ensuring organizational effectiveness and technical excellence.
• Own engineering resource forecasting, and organizational scaling to support business objectives.
• Develop, coach, and retain a high-performing engineering team through talent management, performance development, and succession planning.
• Establish and continuously improve engineering standards, processes, tools, and best practices across the IT Cooling discipline.
• Partner with the Principal Engineer and Advanced Technology Group to define technology roadmaps, innovation strategies, and long-term technical direction.
• Oversee the Technical Solutions Group responsible for Technology Development and internal SME consultancy.
• Ensure robust technical governance through design reviews, risk management, validation activities, and engineering quality processes.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Program Management, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Customer Focus Teams to achieve business objectives.
• Represent the engineering organization in customer engagements, executive reviews, strategic planning, and key technical escalations.
• Represent CoolIT at industry events through speaking engagements and panels.
• Participate in corporate strategic planning and yearly budget development; manage the department budget.
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering productivity, capability development, product quality, and organizational performance.

Skills

Leadership of engineering teams

Strategic thinking

Budgeting & planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Engineering governance

Technical judgment

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline

Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline

Job description

Job Summary: The Director, Engineering - IT Cooling , is responsible for the leadership, capability, capacity, and technical excellence of the North American engineering organization supporting CoolIT’s IT Cooling product portfolio. This role develops and leads a high-performing team while establishing the engineering standards, processes, and technical direction required to deliver innovative, high-quality liquid cooling solutions and support the company’s long-term growth strategy.

What’s in it For You:

• Vacation and flex days , and paid company-wide shutdown during the holiday season.
• Comprehensive benefits including Dental, Drugs, Optical, Paramedical, and Health Spending. These costs are covered by CoolIT and are enacted from your first day.
• Dress for your day - in a casual yet professional environment.
• Retention rewards like The Big Coffee Break that reward tenure with additional vacation time and a monetary bonus.
• Company-funded RRSP contributions to support your long-term financial goals.

What You Will Do:

• Lead the North American IT Cooling engineering organization responsible for the design of cold plates, cold plate loops, manifolds, and related cooling technologies.
• Provide functional leadership to engineering managers and technical leaders, ensuring organizational effectiveness and technical excellence.
• Own engineering resource forecasting, and organizational scaling to support business objectives.
• Develop, coach, and retain a high-performing engineering team through talent management, performance development, and succession planning.
• Establish and continuously improve engineering standards, processes, tools, and best practices across the IT Cooling discipline.
• Partner with the Principal Engineer and the Advanced Technology Group to define technology roadmaps, innovation strategies, and long-term technical direction.
• Oversee the work of the Technical Solutions Group that is responsible for Technology Development and internal subject matter expert consultancy.
• Ensure robust technical governance through design reviews, risk management, validation activities, and engineering quality processes.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Program Management, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Customer Focus Teams to achieve business objectives.
• Represent the engineering organization in customer engagements, executive reviews, strategic planning, and key technical escalations.
• Represent CoolIT at industry events by participating in speaking engagement and panel discussions.
• Participate in corporate strategic planning and yearly budget development. Manage the budget for the department.
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering productivity, capability development, product quality, and organizational performance.

Location and Travel:

• Based in Calgary, AB
• Up to 20% international

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• 12+ years of engineering experience in product development, thermal management, liquid cooling, or related industries.
• 5+ years of experience leading engineering managers, technical leaders, or multidisciplinary engineering organizations.
• Strong understanding of cold plate technologies, liquid cooling systems, thermal management, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics.
• Proven ability to build, develop, and scale high-performing engineering teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience establishing engineering processes, technical standards, design methodologies, and governance frameworks.
• Strong business and organizational planning skills, including budgeting, workforce planning, and resource management.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Excellent communication, customer engagement, and executive presentation skills.
• Strategic thinker with strong technical judgment, risk-based decision-making abilities, and a passion for engineering excellence.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.

During pre-screening, we may use an AI tool, supported by human oversight, to efficiently manage tasks such as resume screening and/or interview scheduling. All hiring decisions are made by human reviewers.

Successful candidates will be required to undergo pre-hire background checks as a condition of employment.