Sr. Director, Cooling & Chiller Systems

Global Edge Group; Plano (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid vacation and sick time

15 paid holidays

Professional development opportunities

Hybrid work arrangement in Plano, TX

Job summary

Global Edge Group is seeking a Senior Director of Cooling & Chiller Systems to lead strategy, engineering development, and commercialization of advanced cooling technologies for North America data centers and energy management applications. The role requires extensive leadership in large-scale cooling projects and cross-functional collaboration.

The candidate will localization efforts for North America, ensure UL/ETL/NRTL certifications, and manage programs from concept to market, reporting to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 17+ years of professional experience in HVAC systems, cooling technologies, thermal engineering, or related industrial engineering fields.
• 7+ years of senior engineering leadership experience, including responsibility for engineering teams, complex technical programs, or product-development organizations.
• Extensive experience designing, developing, and integrating large-scale industrial cooling systems or thermal management solutions for mission-critical applications.
• Direct experience with data center cooling systems, Modular Chiller Plants (MCP), or large centrifugal chiller systems.
• Experience overseeing product localization and North American equipment certification processes, including UL, ETL, or NRTL requirements.
• Ability to work in a hybrid environment based in Plano, TX.
• Willingness to travel approximately 25–40%, including domestic and occasional international travel.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the North American cooling systems product strategy for Centrifugal Chiller Systems, MCP, and CDU.
• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams across mechanical, thermal, electrical, and controls engineering disciplines.
• Establish engineering standards, processes, and best practices aligned with global product-development frameworks.
• Oversee complex engineering development programs from requirements definition through design, prototyping, testing, certification, and commercialization.

Job description

The Global Edge Consultants, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Global Edge Consultants, LLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

Job Title: Senior Director, Cooling & Chiller Systems

Type of Role: Full-Time, Hybrid

Travel: Approximately 25–40%, including domestic and occasional international travel

POSITION OVERVIEW:

We are seeking an experienced Senior Director, Cooling & Chiller Systems to lead the strategy, engineering development, product localization, and commercialization of advanced cooling technologies for data center and energy management applications throughout North America.

This senior leadership position will oversee the development of Centrifugal Chiller Systems, Modular Chiller Plants (MCP), and Coolant Distribution Units (CDU), ensuring solutions meet demanding requirements for energy efficiency, scalability, reliability, performance, and North American regulatory compliance.

The ideal candidate brings at least 17 years of experience in HVAC, industrial cooling, thermal systems, or related engineering fields, including a minimum of 7 years in senior engineering leadership positions. This individual must possess extensive technical expertise in large-scale cooling systems, centrifugal chillers, system integration, and the development of cooling technologies for mission-critical environments.

This role is responsible for establishing and scaling engineering capabilities in North America, defining product and technology roadmaps, leading multidisciplinary engineering teams, and overseeing complex development programs from concept through certification and commercialization.

The Senior Director will also play a critical role in localizing global cooling technologies for the North American market, ensuring compliance with applicable UL, ETL, NRTL, and other industry certification requirements.

Reporting to the General Manager of Data Center & Energy Management (DCEM) America, this individual will collaborate closely with engineering teams in Japan, regional suppliers, technology partners, and cross-functional leadership across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, program management, quality, and service.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Define and execute the North American cooling systems product strategy, including Centrifugal Chiller Systems, Modular Chiller Plants (MCP), and Coolant Distribution Units (CDU).
• Lead the development of scalable, high-efficiency cooling architectures supporting large-scale data centers and mission-critical infrastructure.
• Establish technical roadmaps for next-generation air and liquid cooling technologies aligned with market demands, customer requirements, and business growth objectives.
• Evaluate emerging cooling technologies, system architectures, and optimization strategies to improve product performance, efficiency, and competitiveness.
• Ensure product development initiatives align with global engineering standards while addressing regional market requirements.

Engineering Leadership, System Design & Integration

• Oversee system-level engineering, design, integration, and optimization of centrifugal chillers, modular cooling plants, and coolant distribution systems.
• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams across mechanical, thermal, electrical, and controls engineering disciplines.
• Establish engineering standards, design methodologies, technical processes, and best practices aligned with global product-development frameworks.
• Direct engineering activities across concept development, detailed design, prototyping, testing, validation, and product release.
• Ensure proper integration between chillers, pumps, piping, controls, electrical equipment, auxiliary systems, and supporting infrastructure.
• Drive system optimization to improve cooling performance, reliability, energy efficiency, scalability, and overall lifecycle cost.
• Provide technical leadership and oversight in resolving complex engineering challenges, system integration issues, and product-development risks.

Product Localization, Certification & Regulatory Compliance

• Lead the localization of centrifugal chillers and advanced cooling systems for North American applications.
• Ensure compliance with applicable North American codes, regulations, technical standards, and equipment certification requirements.
• Manage certification activities involving UL, ETL, NRTL, and other applicable regulatory or testing organizations.
• Collaborate with global engineering teams to adapt existing cooling products to meet regional performance requirements, customer specifications, and regulatory expectations.
• Establish engineering processes and documentation necessary to support certification, product validation, and market introduction.
• Coordinate technical discussions with certification agencies, regulatory bodies, engineering partners, and external stakeholders.
• Lead the development and commercialization of Modular Chiller Plant (MCP) solutions integrating centrifugal chillers, piping, controls, electrical systems, and auxiliary equipment.
• Oversee mechanical, electrical, and controls integration to ensure reliable and efficient operation of modular cooling solutions.
• Collaborate with equipment manufacturers, suppliers, and technology partners to develop scalable, manufacturable MCP platforms.
• Direct the development and commercialization of Coolant Distribution Units (CDU) for liquid-cooled data center environments.
• Oversee CDU integration with facility infrastructure and IT cooling systems, ensuring dependable operation and thermal performance.
• Advance liquid cooling technologies through system optimization, improved controls strategies, and next-generation product development.
• Evaluate opportunities to standardize cooling platforms and improve manufacturing efficiency, installation flexibility, and system reliability.

Engineering Organization & Program Leadership

• Establish, develop, and scale the cooling systems engineering organization supporting North American operations.
• Define organizational structures, technical responsibilities, engineering workflows, and talent development strategies.
• Provide leadership, mentoring, and technical direction to engineering managers, technical leads, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Oversee complex engineering development programs from requirements definition through design, prototyping, testing, certification, and commercialization.
• Ensure programs are delivered within established schedules, technical scope, business objectives, and commercial milestones.
• Coordinate engineering activities with project management, manufacturing, procurement, supply chain, quality, and service teams.
• Establish engineering performance metrics and provide executive-level reporting on program progress, technical challenges, risks, and mitigation strategies.
• Support effective technical knowledge transfer and engineering collaboration between North American and Japanese teams.
• Align engineering priorities with organizational growth initiatives, product-development strategies, and customer requirements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

• Serve as a senior technical and strategic leader supporting internal business stakeholders, global engineering teams, suppliers, and external partners.
• Facilitate technical alignment between engineering, manufacturing, commercial, and program leadership teams.
• Identify and resolve engineering, supplier, integration, certification, and program execution challenges.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on engineering efficiency, product performance, standardization, reliability, and cost competitiveness.
• Implement lessons learned and engineering feedback into future product designs and development processes.
• Evaluate technical and program risks and establish corrective actions to maintain project performance and delivery commitments.
• Support strategic decisions involving new cooling technologies, engineering capabilities, and regional market development.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Minimum of 17+ years of professional experience in HVAC systems, cooling technologies, thermal engineering, or related industrial engineering fields.
• Minimum of 7+ years of senior engineering leadership experience, including responsibility for engineering teams, complex technical programs, or product-development organizations.
• Extensive experience designing, developing, and integrating large-scale industrial cooling systems or thermal management solutions for mission-critical applications.
• Direct experience with data center cooling systems, Modular Chiller Plants (MCP), or large centrifugal chiller systems.
• Strong technical expertise in thermodynamics, thermal system design, cooling system architecture, and multidisciplinary system integration.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex engineering development programs from initial concept through design, validation, certification, and commercialization.
• Experience overseeing product localization and North American equipment certification processes, including UL, ETL, or NRTL requirements.
• Strong knowledge of North American HVAC, industrial cooling, and equipment regulatory standards.
• Proven experience building, developing, and leading engineering organizations and multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Experience coordinating engineering activities across mechanical, electrical, thermal, and controls disciplines.
• Demonstrated ability to manage engineering project schedules, technical risks, design requirements, and commercialization milestones.
• Experience collaborating with global engineering organizations, regional suppliers, external partners, and cross-functional business teams.
• Strong leadership, strategic planning, analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical information and engineering recommendations to executive leadership.
• Proficiency with engineering and business tools, including CAD software, simulation platforms, Microsoft Office, and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems.
• Ability to work in a hybrid environment based in Plano, TX.
• Ability to travel approximately 25–40%, including domestic and occasional international travel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with centrifugal chiller technology and large-scale chiller system design, development, or commercialization.
• Experience leading the development of Modular Chiller Plant (MCP) solutions for data center or mission-critical infrastructure applications.
• Experience with liquid cooling technologies and Coolant Distribution Units (CDU) for high-density data center environments.
• Background supporting large-scale data center cooling, industrial thermal systems, or advanced energy management technologies.
• Experience localizing internationally developed cooling products for North American markets.
• Familiarity with advanced system engineering tools, thermal simulation software, digital engineering platforms, and optimization technologies.
• Proven experience establishing and scaling engineering teams, technical capabilities, and product-development functions.
• Experience within global industrial or engineering organizations involving international product development and commercialization.
• Previous collaboration with engineering teams in Japan, including cross-cultural communication and technical knowledge transfer.
• Experience developing cooling products and technologies from initial concept through market introduction.

TOP 3 MUST-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS:

• 17+ years of HVAC, cooling systems, or thermal engineering experience, including 7+ years in senior engineering leadership. Must have proven experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams and complex product-development programs, ideally involving industrial or mission-critical cooling systems.
• Extensive technical expertise in centrifugal chillers, large-scale cooling systems, and data center cooling applications. Must understand system-level design, integration, thermodynamics, and the development of cooling solutions such as Modular Chiller Plants (MCP), with exposure to liquid cooling and CDU technologies highly valuable.
• Proven ability to lead engineering development, North American product localization, certification, and commercialization. Must have experience overseeing the complete engineering lifecycle, navigating applicable UL/ETL/NRTL certification requirements, building engineering capabilities, and collaborating with global engineering teams and suppliers.

BENEFITS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) with company matching.
• Paid vacation and sick time.
• 15 paid holidays.
• Professional development and career advancement opportunities.
• Hybrid work arrangement based in Plano, TX.
• Standard Monday through Friday schedule, with additional hours as business needs require.
• Approximately 25–40% domestic and occasional international travel.
• Opportunities to collaborate with global engineering teams and contribute to advanced data center cooling technologies.

Opportunity Employer. The Global Edge Group, LLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.