Engineering Director Jobs in Arizona

Who are we?

XNRGY Climate Solutions is a leading North American provider of sustainable design and state-of-the-art manufacturing of custom air handling and liquid cooling systems. The company is experiencing hypergrowth and will grow 2-3x in each of the next several years as it becomes a billion dollar plus company. XNRGY recently completed an over subscribed B round of funding that will enable its expansion (a round lead by a Blackrock company).

With decades of experience in thermal management solutions engineering and manufacturing, XNRGY is uniquely qualified to deliver innovative and energy-efficient solutions that meet the specific needs of a wide range of industries, including hyperscale and modular data centers, healthcare facilities, pharmaceutical labs, semiconductor clean rooms, EV battery manufacturers and life sciences facilities.

Opportunity - Director, Engineering Excellence

The successful candidate will be part of a team that is in the process of expanding a dynamic company which is in the process of disrupting one of the most exciting underlying markets in the last 50 years and that is the infrastructure needed for the expansion of AI.

This role leads a critical function in raising the technical bar across the engineering organization. As XNRGY scales the development and delivery of mission-critical air handling and liquid cooling products – including the XnChiller platform, the growth engine of the company – product reliability, design quality, and engineering discipline become direct drivers of revenue, margin, and client trust. The Engineering Excellence Director will build the standards, methodologies, and capabilities that allow the fast-growing industrial manufacturing company in North America to scale – a company that will exceed one billion in revenue faster than Tesla was able to achieve that milestone.

Position Overview

The Engineering Excellence Director is responsible for driving technical excellence, engineering best practices, product reliability, and continuous improvement across the engineering organization. The role develops and implements engineering standards, methodologies, tools, and governance processes that improve product quality, reliability, manufacturability, and engineering efficiency.

The position serves as the Company’s center of excellence for Engineering Processes, Reliability Engineering, Six Sigma Methodologies, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Design Verification, and Continuous Improvement. This is both a strategic and hands-on role: the successful candidate will set the engineering quality agenda, coach and develop engineering teams across the Mesa, Arizona and Saint-Hubert, Québec operations, and ensure that simulation, testing, and field performance tell one consistent story about every product XNRGY ships.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Excellence & Governance:

• Develop and maintain engineering standards, procedures, and best practices across all product platforms.
• Establish engineering design governance, including design review methodologies and technical gate reviews embedded in the stage-gate process.
• Promote engineering consistency between product lines and sites.
• Drive engineering maturity assessments and the improvement initiatives that follow from them.

Reliability Engineering:

• Develop and implement product reliability strategies, requirements, and reliability growth programs.
• Lead Design and Process FMEA activities and define reliability testing and accelerated life testing methodologies.
• Establish reliability prediction methodologies for critical components and systems.
• Analyze field performance data, drive corrective actions, and support warranty reduction and product robustness initiatives – essential for mission-critical data center applications where uptime is the client’s first requirement.

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Center of Excellence:

• Develop company standards for structural, thermal, vibration, and fatigue analysis.
• Establish FEA validation and correlation methodologies; review and approve simulation methodologies and assumptions.
• Support critical product development programs with advanced engineering analysis and develop engineering guidelines for structural integrity and mechanical robustness.
• Champion simulation-driven design practices that shorten development cycles and reduce prototype iterations.

Six Sigma & Continuous Improvement:

• Lead Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) initiatives and promote statistical engineering methodologies throughout product development.
• Apply DMAIC methodologies to engineering improvement projects and facilitate root cause investigations using Six Sigma tools.
• Establish process capability and variation reduction programs.
• Train engineering teams in statistical analysis and structured problem-solving methodologies.

Design Quality & Verification:

• Establish verification and validation standards and define engineering test requirements and methodologies.
• Ensure proper correlation between simulation, laboratory testing, and field performance.
• Support product certification and qualification activities, including AHRI, UL/ETL, and client-specific qualification programs.
• Partner with the test organization on chiller and air handler validation and witness testing.

Engineering Performance, Talent & Knowledge Management:

• Define and monitor engineering KPIs covering design quality, reliability, and engineering efficiency, with dashboards visible to engineering leadership.
• Develop engineering competency frameworks, identify capability gaps, and establish training programs for FEA, Six Sigma, and reliability engineering.
• Mentor engineering teams on advanced engineering practices.
• Establish lessons learned processes, promote design reuse and modular engineering approaches, and capture and share best practices across engineering teams.

First 12 Months

In the first 12 months, the successful candidate will need to understand the current business model, the challenges of developing new products and processes and the general direction of the Company. Also, he/she will focus on the following accountabilities:

• Complete a current-state assessment of engineering processes, design review rigor, reliability practices, and analysis capabilities – and publish a prioritized engineering excellence roadmap within the first 90 days.
• Stand up a consistent design review and technical gate review methodology across both sites and all product platforms.
• Establish the reliability engineering foundation: FMEA discipline on active NPD programs, reliability requirements, and a field data feedback loop driving corrective action.
• Launch the FEA center of excellence with documented standards, validation/correlation practices, and support to at least one major program (e.g., a chiller platform release).
• Establish baseline engineering KPIs (design quality, cycle time, change requests) and demonstrate measurable improvement by month 12.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will be an engineering excellence specialist who excels at building technical standards, reliability discipline, and continuous improvement culture in a fast-moving manufacturing environment. The ideal candidate will demonstrate the ability to execute at a tactical level but also be able to lead and participate in strategic level work. They must be detail oriented and meet deadlines and manage multiple projects at the same time.

Experience:

10+ years of progressive engineering experience, including 5+ years in engineering leadership or process excellence roles in discrete or industrial manufacturing. Demonstrated success establishing engineering standards, design governance, and reliability programs. Experience in HVAC/R, thermal management, data center infrastructure, or comparable mission-critical capital equipment is ideal. Experience supporting rapid-growth, multi-site engineering organizations and new product introduction programs.

Technical Skills:

Six Sigma certification (Black Belt or Master Black Belt preferred); strong command of DFSS, DMAIC, FMEA, and statistical engineering methods. Deep knowledge of FEA disciplines (structural, thermal, vibration, fatigue) and simulation validation/correlation practices. Solid grounding in reliability engineering, accelerated life testing, and verification and validation methodologies. Strong project management and change management skills, with the ability to multitask, prioritize, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

The successful candidate will also have the following performance and personal competencies:

Executing for Results: Builds engineering standards and governance that are rigorous enough to be auditable and practical enough that engineers actually follow them. Uses data and statistical evidence to drive decisions, measures what matters, and pursues root-cause fixes rather than workarounds. A passion and drive for winning and the desire to help take the company to the next level.

Relationships and Interpersonal Skills: The successful candidate must be able to build and sustain excellent relationships at multiple levels in the workplace and with various external constituencies. They will lead, by example, demonstrating a hands-on approach and a strong commitment to achieving results. A respectful and collaborative communicator and natural coach who raises the technical bar without slowing the organization down.

Success Metrics

• Engineering cycle time reduction.
• Design quality improvements and reduced engineering change requests.
• Product reliability growth and warranty cost reduction.
• Increased design reuse and adoption of modular engineering approaches.
• Engineering productivity improvements and process compliance rates.
• Employee competency development progress in FEA, Six Sigma, and reliability engineering.

Why choose XNRGY!

• Competitive salary
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401K
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid time off
• A dynamic team, open to change to bring its color
• Modern state of the art facility with Industry 4.0 technology in Mesa, Arizona
• Being part of a green industry transformation
• Fast-growing dynamic environment where entrepreneurial spirit is recognized
• Inclusive and diversity-friendly environment
• Career advancement: XNRGY promotes internal promotion
• Electric charging stations

At XNRGY Climate Systems, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe that a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are essential to driving innovation and achieving success. We welcome individuals who share our passion for sustainability and who are eager to contribute to a more positive environmental future.

Are you ready to join our driven team? Join a company that Values Courage, Community, Climate, Customer and Coherence. Be part of carving our footprint and joining a winning team!