Senior HVAC & Refrigeration Engineer — GMP Reliability

Bayer AG; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 132,000 - 197,000; Full time

Job summary

Bayer in Berkeley seeks an HVAC/Refrigeration Sr Principal Engineer to lead and coordinate technical initiatives across pharmaceutical manufacturing, driving innovation, safety, quality, and efficiency. You will oversee project engineering, maintenance strategies, and process improvements while building strong technical teams.

You will serve as the site-wide technical authority for HVAC and refrigeration systems, including GMP/non-GMP facilities, and you will partner with operations, quality,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in a relevant engineering or technical discipline.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in HVAC and industrial refrigeration systems and operations in regulated environments.
• Strong knowledge of GMP, OSHA, environmental requirements, and permit-to-work processes applicable to HVAC and refrigeration systems.
• Proven ability to coordinate and oversee contractor/vendor activities in the field, ensuring safe work execution and adherence to approved procedures.
• Exceptional troubleshooting and problem‑solving skills to diagnose equipment or system failures, identify deviations or risks, and drive corrective actions.
• Proficiency with CMMS platforms such as SAP PM, Maximo, or equivalent for work order management and maintenance data integrity.
• Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, mechanical drawings, equipment manuals, and technical documentation to support maintenance and system decisions.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills to interface effectively with Maintenance, Engineering, Operations, Quality, EHS, and external vendors.
• Excellent planning, organization, and execution ownership to manage multiple priorities and ensure work is completed to specification.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the site technical authority for all HVAC and refrigeration systems, including chillers, air handling units (AHUs), cooling towers, boilers, cleanroom air systems, exhaust systems, humidification/dehumidification systems, building automation systems (BAS/DeltaV/Desigo), compressors, evaporators, condensers, control systems, alarm systems, and associated utilities supporting +5°C and -30°C cold rooms.
• Lead and ensure the reliability, compliance, and continuous improvement of HVAC and refrigeration systems and GMP-critical infrastructure, including chilled and hot water systems, HEPA certification and air balancing programs, ISO 8 and sterile Class A/B environments, and SAP work order processes.
• Ensure HVAC and refrigeration systems maintain required environmental conditions and operate in full compliance with GMP, quality, regulatory, and environmental requirements applicable to a pharmaceutical manufacturing site.
• Provide expert troubleshooting and technical support for HVAC and refrigeration system failures, excursions, and performance issues, including root cause analysis, corrective action development, and recurrence prevention.
• Lead the development, optimization, and continuous improvement of preventive, predictive, and reliability-centered maintenance strategies for all HVAC and refrigeration assets, including spare parts management, lifecycle planning, and standardized maintenance procedures and SOPs.
• Maintain the technical integrity of HVAC and refrigeration asset information in the CMMS, including equipment records, PM plans, spare parts, and failure code strategy.
• Support the qualified state of controlled-temperature and GMP HVAC environments through qualification, requalification, temperature mapping, environmental monitoring review, and quality system activities including deviations, CAPAs, change controls, and risk assessments.
• Monitor and trend HVAC and refrigeration performance, alarm history, temperature data, energy use, and system reliability metrics to proactively identify risks, drive continuous improvement, and respond to environmental and utility excursions.
• Provide technical leadership and design review for HVAC and refrigeration-related capital projects, system upgrades, obsolescence remediation, and facility modifications, including contractor/vendor oversight.
• Leverage CMMS, Building Management Systems (Desigo, DeltaV), and industrial automation systems to support maintenance execution, operational excellence, and ongoing improvement efforts.

Skills

HVAC systems

Industrial refrigeration

GMP knowledge

OSHA knowledge

Contractor/vendor oversight

Troubleshooting

CMMS (SAP PM/Maximo)

Reading P&IDs/drawings

Communication & collaboration

Planning & execution

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in engineering/technical field

Tools

SAP PM

Maximo

Job description

Bayer in Berkeley seeks an HVAC/Refrigeration Sr Principal Engineer to lead and coordinate technical initiatives across pharmaceutical manufacturing, driving innovation, safety, quality, and efficiency. You will oversee project engineering, maintenance strategies, and process improvements while building strong technical teams.

You will serve as the site-wide technical authority for HVAC and refrigeration systems, including GMP/non-GMP facilities, and you will partner with operations, quality,