Product Development Manager

EVAPCO, Inc.; Taneytown (MD); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Vision, & Dental Insurance

Employee Stock Ownership Program

Profit Sharing Bonus

Paid Holidays

Paid Vacation

Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave

Bereavement Pay

Life Insurance

Job summary

EVAPCO, Inc. in Taneytown, MD seeks a Product Development Manager to lead the technical development, standardization, and release of industrial refrigeration heat transfer units, including ammonia and CO₂-based solutions.

This role integrates mechanical, electrical, controls, and compliance work with manufacturing, suppliers, consultants, and internal teams from concept to prototype and product line release.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering required.
• Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering preferred.
• 8+ years of multi-discipline engineering experience.
• Experience with industrial refrigeration equipment (ammonia and CO₂).
• Experience coordinating with suppliers, consultants, and manufacturing teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication for technical documentation.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of packaged refrigeration heat transfer units and standardized product lines.
• Manage design reviews, track action items, and ensure readiness for prototype builds and releases.
• Support transition from prototype designs to repeatable, standardized architectures.
• Lead laboratory testing and analyze performance data for component capability and operation.
• Collaborate with suppliers and consultants for critical components.
• Review quotes, approve POs, and manage submittals workflows.
• Coordinate with consultants on structural, vibration, and hazard analyses.
• Provide engineering support to manufacturing during prototype production builds.
• Resolve build issues related to drawings, hardware, and assembly sequencing.
• Support cost analysis and manufacturability improvements.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Documentation

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

FEA

CFD

Microsoft Office

Job description

Position Summary

The Product Development Manager is responsible for leading the technical development, standardization, and release of industrial refrigeration heat transfer units, including ammonia and CO₂-based solutions. This role serves as the technical integrator across mechanical, electrical, controls, and compliance activities, while coordinating closely with manufacturing, suppliers, consultants, and internal stakeholders to bring new industrial refrigeration heat transfer component product lines from concept through prototype, validation, and product line release.

Key Responsibilities

Product Development & Technical Leadership

• Lead development of packaged industrial refrigeration heat transfer units, including prototype units and standardized product lines.
• Manage design reviews, track action items, and ensure technical readiness for prototype build and product line release.
• Support transition from prototype designs to repeatable, standardized product architectures.
• Lead laboratory testing and analyze performance data for component capability and operation

Supplier & Consultant Coordination

• Work directly with external suppliers and consultants for supplied components of the heat transfer equipment.
• Review quotes, approve purchase orders, and manage submittal and approval workflows for critical components.
• Coordinate with consultants on structural, vibration, and hazard analyses supporting heat transfer unit designs.

Manufacturing & Production Support

• Provide direct engineering support to manufacturing during prototype production builds.
• Resolve build issues related to drawings, hardware, purchased parts, and assembly sequencing.
• Support installed cost analysis and manufacturability improvements for industrial refrigeration heat transfer units.

Compliance, Codes & Standards

• Support compliance with applicable industrial refrigeration codes and standards
  • IIAR, UL, safety and hazard reviews
• Participate in standards and code discussions affecting industrial refrigeration heat transfer units and relay impacts to product development and marketing teams.
• Prepare and maintain hazard review and safety documentation associated with industrial refrigeration heat transfer units.

Cross Functional Collaboration & Communication

• Technical liaison between engineering, manufacturing, sales, marketing, and field support.
• Provide regular updates to leadership through staff meetings, written updates, and design review documentation.
• Support field issues, customer escalations, and site visits related to system performance.

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering minimum
  • Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering desired
• Minimum 8 years’ work experience with proven ability to learn new skills and responsibilities
• Experience with industrial refrigeration equipment, including ammonia and CO₂ systems.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multi-discipline engineering efforts (mechanical, electrical, controls).
• Experience coordinating with suppliers, consultants, and manufacturing teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for technical documentation and leadership updates.

Reporting Structure

• Industrial Refrigeration Product Development Structure
  • Personnel
    • 35 – 40 Team Members
    • Engineers
    • Designers / Drafters
    • Laboratory Technicians
  • Product Focus
    • Industrial refrigeration heat transfer units
    • Liquid Recirculated and Direct Expansion Evaporators
    • Evaporative Condensers

Position Requirements

• Communicate professionally & effectively and build consensus across organizational boundaries with conflicting goals, accountabilities, and drivers
• Drive the development process to deliver results in a fast-paced, performance oriented environment
• Manage resources, priorities, budgets and schedules for on time delivery of quality products
• Strong attention to detail, consistent follow through and reliable documentation skills
• Observe and identify changing market needs for developing new product designs
• Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills required along with, the ability to interface and report project status across all levels of management.
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office applications
• Experience with FEA, CFD and programming software desired
• Ability to develop customized heat transfer capacity software
• Experience with laboratory heat transfer testing and data reduction desired
• Position will interface internally with Product Development Engineering, Manufacturing, Controls, Sales, Marketing, Field Support, EHS
• Position will interface externally with component suppliers, fabrication vendors, consultants, standards organizations

Location

• Position is based in Taneytown, MD
• Candidate should expect travel no more than 10% of the time to the various conferences, work locations and customers in the US.

Evapco’s Summary of Pay & Benefits

• The salary range consists of base pay and most recent profit sharing bonus amounts
• Medical, Vision, & Dental Insurance
• Employee Stock Ownership Program – we are an employee-owned company
• Profit Sharing Bonus – which is paid twice per year
• (k)larity Plan - Voluntary Employee Retirement Savings Plan
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Vacation
• Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave
• Bereavement Pay
• Company Paid Basic Life Insurance equivalent to base salary, with option for Supplemental Life election
• Paid Sick Leave
• Long Term Disability