The Director of Technical Support leads the Canadian technical support function and ensures the successful application, certification, training, and ongoing technical support of the company's HVAC products in the Canadian market. This role works closely with manufacturers, customers, sales teams, and internal departments to ensure product quality, regulatory compliance, and a high level of customer satisfaction.
The Director of Technical Support will work closely with the Sales, Operations, Marketing, and Customer Service teams in Canada, as well as engineering, product, quality, and technical teams at our manufacturing partners.
What you should expect:
- Work closely with engineers and product teams from manufacturers to develop equipment applications, product improvements, and new product solutions specifically for the Canadian market.
- Manage product certifications and ensure compliance with applicable Canadian standards, regulatory requirements, and government incentive and rebate programs.
- Lead product listing and registration processes and ensure all certifications, performance data, and technical documentation remain accurate and up to date.
- Organize, localize, and maintain technical materials for the Canadian market, including installation and service manuals, specifications, technical bulletins, troubleshooting guides, and training materials.
- Lead and manage the technical support team, including setting priorities, assigning responsibilities, developing team capabilities, and ensuring consistent service quality and response times.
- Oversee warranty processes, including warranty policy implementation, technical assessment of claims, issue escalation, and resolution of recurring product or field issues.
- Work closely with manufacturers to investigate product quality and field performance issues, identify root causes, and implement corrective actions.
- Provide in-person and virtual technical and product training to distributors, dealers, contractors, technicians, and key accounts.
- Provide technical support to customers by phone, remotely, and at job sites when required, including troubleshooting complex installation, application, and service issues.
- Provide technical and product application support to the internal sales team, particularly for complex projects, new products, and key customer opportunities.
- Proactively engage with customers to provide technical advice, application recommendations, and best practices to improve product performance and ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction.
- Monitor recurring technical issues and customer feedback and work with manufacturers and internal teams to continuously improve products, documentation, training, and service processes.
- Travel as required (approximately 30%), including factory visits and technical training, as well as customer visits, field support, and training for key accounts across Canada.
What you should bring:
- Post-secondary education in Mechanical Engineering, HVAC, Refrigeration, Building Systems, or a related technical field. An equivalent combination of education and extensive industry experience will also be considered.
- Minimum 7–10 years of relevant experience in the HVAC industry, preferably with heat pumps, air conditioning, refrigeration, or related equipment.
- Strong technical knowledge of residential and light commercial HVAC systems, including equipment application, installation, commissioning, troubleshooting, and service.
- Previous experience leading or managing a technical support, engineering, service, or training team.
- Experience working directly with HVAC manufacturers and engineering teams on product applications, product development, quality issues, or technical problem resolution.
- Good understanding of Canadian HVAC product certification, regulatory requirements, efficiency standards, and applicable government rebate/incentive programs.
- Experience with product certification and listing organizations and processes, such as CSA, UL/ULC, AHRI, and NRCan, is a strong asset.
- Strong understanding of warranty administration, technical claim assessment, root-cause analysis, and field issue resolution.
- Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical information into practical guidance for contractors, distributors, customers, and internal teams.
- Strong presentation and training skills, with the ability to deliver effective technical training both in person and virtually.
- Strong leadership, organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a strong customer-service mindset and the ability to build trusted relationships with customers and manufacturing partners.
- Comfortable working in a fast-growing environment and taking ownership of technical issues from initial identification through final resolution.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and relevant technical/documentation systems.
- Valid driver’s licence and ability to travel within Canada and internationally as required.
- Ability to travel approximately 30% of the time, including factory visits, technical training, customer meetings, and on-site support.
Preferred Qualifications
- HVAC/R trade certification, refrigeration experience, or hands-on field service experience is an asset.
- Experience with heat pump technologies, including cold-climate heat pumps and inverter-driven systems, is strongly preferred.
- Experience supporting a manufacturer, distributor, or HVAC equipment brand in the Canadian market is highly desirable.
- Bilingual English/French is an asset, particularly for supporting customers across Canada.
Please send resumes to terpstra@summitsearchgroup.com
