Lead Laboratory Engineer — Build a Next-Gen Testing Lab

Nortek; Oklahoma City (OK); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, Vision

401K match

First year 4 weeks vacation

Job summary

Nortek Data Center Cooling in Oklahoma City is hiring a Lead Laboratory Engineer to drive thermal testing and lab operations for Nortek’s data center cooling solutions. You will manage equipment, testing activities, and facility resources to support development and validation programs with precision and compliance.

You will help establish a new state‑of‑the‑art laboratory, selecting equipment, designing layout, and ensuring safety, efficiency, and readiness to enable innovation and future growth

Qualifications

• Experience leading the startup, expansion, relocation, or commissioning of a laboratory or engineering center.
• Experience managing capital projects and laboratory infrastructure investments.
• Knowledge of lab design, equipment qualification, commissioning, and operational readiness.
• Experience supporting HVAC, thermal management, refrigeration, or data center cooling product testing environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the startup and commissioning of a new engineering and product development laboratory facility.
• Partner with Engineering, Facilities, EHS, and Leadership to establish infrastructure, workflows, and testing capabilities.
• Manage installation, qualification, and commissioning of test equipment and laboratory utilities.
• Coordinate facility expansion projects, equipment relocations, and future laboratory capability enhancements.
• Conduct thermodynamic tests per ANSI/AMCA/ASHRAE/ISO standards and oversee data acquisition setups.
• Develop and manage lab budgets and capital equipment requests.

Skills

Lab startup leadership

Capital project management

HVACR knowledge

Data center cooling testing

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Tools

VBA

LabVIEW

PLC

Job description

Nortek Data Center Cooling in Oklahoma City is hiring a Lead Laboratory Engineer to drive thermal testing and lab operations for Nortek’s data center cooling solutions. You will manage equipment, testing activities, and facility resources to support development and validation programs with precision and compliance.

You will help establish a new state‑of‑the‑art laboratory, selecting equipment, designing layout, and ensuring safety, efficiency, and readiness to enable innovation and future growth