Product Development Manager – Packaged Industrial Refrigeration Systems
Position summary:
The Product Development Manager is responsible for leading the technical development, standardization, and release of packaged industrial refrigeration systems, including ammonia and CO₂-based solutions. This role serves as the technical integrator across mechanical, electrical, controls, vessels, and compliance activities, while coordinating closely with manufacturing, suppliers, consultants, and internal stakeholders to bring new packaged refrigeration system product lines from concept through prototype, validation, and product line release.
Key responsibilities:
Product Development & Technical Leadership
- 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
System Integration & Standardization
- Lead efforts to standardize components and instrumentation across refrigeration product lines.
- Evaluate and recommend components, instrumentation, electrical layouts, and piping strategies for packaged systems.
Supplier & Consultant Coordination
- 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.
Manufacturing & Production Support
- 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.
Compliance, Codes & Standards
- 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.
Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Communication
- 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.
Education:
- 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.
Department structure:
- 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
- This position will report to the Vice President, Product Development – Industrial Refrigeration
Position Requirements:
- 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
Location:
- 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.
Evapco Benefits and Compensation:
- 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
Additional Information:
EVAPCO, Inc. is a privately held, employee owned manufacturing company with global resources and solutions for worldwide heat transfer applications. Employees share ownership of the company in an Employee Stock Ownership Program (E.S.O.P.) and share in company profits through a profit sharing plan to foster a high degree of motivation, combined with an excellent benefits plan.
EVAPCO is dedicated to designing and manufacturing the highest quality products for the evaporative cooling and industrial refrigeration markets around the globe. Since its founding in 1976, EVAPCO, Incorporated has become an industry leader in the engineering and manufacturing of quality heat transfer products around the world. EVAPCO’s mission is to provide first class service and quality products in the following markets:
- Commercial HVAC
- Industrial Process
- Power
- Industrial Refrigeration
EVAPCO’s powerful combination of financial strength and technical expertise has established the company as a recognized manufacturer of market-leading products on a worldwide basis. EVAPCO is also recognized for the superior technology of their environmentally friendly product innovations in sound reduction and water management. EVAPCO is an employee owned company with a strong emphasis on research and development and modern manufacturing plants. EVAPCO has earned a reputation for technological innovation and superior product quality by featuring products that are designed to offer these operating advantages:
- Higher System Efficiency
- Environmentally Friendly
- Lower Annual Operating Costs
- Reliable, Simple Operation and Maintenance
With an ongoing commitment to Research and Development programs, EVAPCO provides the most advanced products in the industry – Technology for the Future, Available Today!
