Engineering Director (IT Cooling, North America)
Calgary, AB
20% International Travel
Introduction
Our client is seeking an experienced engineering leader to oversee and develop a North American engineering organization focused on advanced thermal management and liquid cooling technologies. This role will be responsible for leading engineering capability, driving technical excellence, establishing best practices and processes, and building a team that delivers innovative, high-quality products in a fast-growing technology environment. The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping engineering strategy, supporting product development, and enabling long-term organizational growth.
Responsibilities
- Lead the North American IT Cooling engineering organization responsible for the design of cold plates, cold plate loops, manifolds, and related cooling technologies.
- Provide functional leadership to engineering managers and technical leaders, ensuring organizational effectiveness and technical excellence.
- Own engineering resource forecasting, and organizational scaling to support business objectives.
- Develop, coach, and retain a high-performing engineering team through talent management, performance development, and succession planning.
- Establish and continuously improve engineering standards, processes, tools, and best practices across the IT Cooling discipline.
- Partner with the Principal Engineer and the Advanced Technology Group to define technology roadmaps, innovation strategies, and long-term technical direction.
- Oversee the work of the Technical Solutions Group that is responsible for Technology Development and internal subject matter expert consultancy.
- Ensure robust technical governance through design reviews, risk management, validation activities, and engineering quality processes.
- Collaborate with Product Management, Program Management, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Customer Focus Teams to achieve business objectives.
- Represent the engineering organization in customer engagements, executive reviews, strategic planning, and key technical escalations.
- Represent our client at industry events by participating in speaking engagement and panel discussions.
- Participate in corporate strategic planning and yearly budget development. Manage the budget for the department.
- Drive continuous improvement in engineering productivity, capability development, product quality, and organizational performance.
Qualifications
- Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
- 12+ years of engineering experience in product development, thermal management, liquid cooling, or related industries.
- 5+ years of experience leading engineering managers, technical leaders, or multidisciplinary engineering organizations.
- Strong understanding of cold plate technologies, liquid cooling systems, thermal management, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics.
- Proven ability to build, develop, and scale high-performing engineering teams in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience establishing engineering processes, technical standards, design methodologies, and governance frameworks.
- Strong business and organizational planning skills, including budgeting, workforce planning, and resource management.
- Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
- Excellent communication, customer engagement, and executive presentation skills.
- Strategic thinker with strong technical judgment, risk-based decision-making abilities, and a passion for engineering excellence.
What We Offer
We offer a competitive contractor package and the opportunity to work with industry-leading clients on technically challenging projects. You will gain exposure to diverse project environments while being supported by Brunel’s experienced recruitment and workforce solutions team.
About Us
Brunel has a reputation for working with some of the best in the business. That’s what we continually strive for. Brunel provides the global recruitment and workforce services you need to lead your industry. With 45 years of market experience in Renewable Energy, Automotive, Oil & Gas, Life Sciences, Mining, and Infrastructure, we help you finish major projects safely, compliantly, on-time, within budget and at the highest quality, so you can keep growing – anywhere in the world.
