
Product Development Manager - Packaged Industrial Refrigeration Systems
Job Description
- Lead development of packaged industrial refrigeration systems, including prototype units and standardized product lines.
- Drive system-level design coordination across mechanical modules, electrical modules, vessels, condensers, and controls.
- 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 system capability and operation
- Lead efforts to standardize components and instrumentation across refrigeration product lines.
- Evaluate and recommend components, instrumentation, electrical layouts, and piping strategies for packaged systems.
- Work directly with external suppliers and consultants on vessels, compressors, controls, and fabricated components.
- Review quotes, approve purchase orders, and manage submittal and approval workflows for critical components.
- Coordinate with consultants on structural, vibration, and hazard analyses supporting packaged system designs.
- 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 packaged systems.
- Support compliance with applicable industrial refrigeration codes and standards
- IIAR, UL, safety and hazard reviews
- Participate in standards discussions affecting packaged refrigeration systems and relay impacts to product development and marketing teams.
- Prepare and maintain hazard review and safety documentation associated with packaged refrigeration equipment.
- 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.
- 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, vessels).
- Experience coordinating with suppliers, consultants, and manufacturing teams.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for technical documentation and leadership updates.
- Industrial Refrigeration Product Development Structure
- Personnel
- 35 – 40 Team Members
- Engineers
- Designers / Drafters
- Laboratory Technicians
- Product Focus
- Packaged Industrial Refrigeration Systems
- Direct Expansion and Recirculated Liquid
- Ammonia and Carbon Dioxide
- Personnel
- This position will report to the Vice President, Product Development – Industrial Refrigeration
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- 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
- Commercial HVAC
- Industrial Process
- Power
- Industrial Refrigeration
- Higher System Efficiency
- Environmentally Friendly
- Lower Annual Operating Costs
- Reliable, Simple Operation and Maintenance
Pay Range: $115,000 - $140,000 per year