Senior mechanical engineering manager

Senior Mechanical Engineering Manager

Location: Edmonton Area

Company: Silent-Aire, a Johnson Controls Company

Time Type: Full-time permanent

About Us: Silent-Aire, a division of Johnson Controls, is a global leader in innovative solutions for data center customers. Our product portfolio includes large-scale, custom-engineered equipment such as Air Handling Units (AHU), Modular Data Centers (MDC), and Coolant Distribution Units (CDU). We are known for delivering high-quality, engineered-to-order solutions that meet the demanding requirements of hyperscale and mission-critical facilities.

Position Overview: Silent-Aire is seeking an experienced Senior Mechanical Engineering Manager to provide technical leadership and people management across complex mechanical engineering programs. This role serves as a technical authority, escalation point, and people leader, ensuring alignment between engineering execution, customer requirements, manufacturing constraints, and broader business objectives.

The Senior Mechanical Engineering Manager leads technical client conversations, oversees engineering execution throughout the full product lifecycle, and acts as the technical project manager coordinating across multiple engineering and manufacturing disciplines.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership and Development:
  • Lead, mentor, and grow a mechanical engineering organization consisting of approximately 6 direct reports and 25 indirect reports.
  • Foster a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and continuous learning.
  • Set clear technical expectations, priorities, and workload plans across multiple concurrent projects.
  • Support hiring, onboarding, performance management, career development, and succession planning.
• Technical Leadership:
  • Maintain technical accountability for mechanical system designs including AHUs, MDCs, CDUs, and custom data center solutions.
  • Act as the escalation authority for complex technical issues, design risk, and system performance challenges.
  • Ensure compliance with applicable codes, standards, customer specifications, and certification requirements.
  • Provide guidance on design development, code reviews, equipment testing, and construction documentation.
• Project Execution:
  • Ensure Mechanical Engineering fulfills its role as technical project manager and prime coordinator for assigned programs.
  • Lead technical planning, execution strategy, and engineering risk management.
  • Coordinate across electrical, structural, controls, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and program management teams.
  • Support estimating, proposal development, pricing alignment, and pre-award technical reviews.
  • Provide engineering leadership through manufacturing support, testing, commissioning, and warranty resolution.
  • Mentor Engineers-in-Training and support technical development across the team.
  • Develop customer relationships and support new business development initiatives.
• Product Optimization:
  • Lead and support testing activities to validate HVAC design solutions and equipment performance.
  • Champion standardization while maintaining flexibility for custom and client-specific requirements.
  • Drive improvements in engineering processes, workflows, and technical documentation.
  • Promote innovation, value engineering, and best practices across engineering programs.
• Documentation and Governance:
  • Ensure accurate, complete, and timely engineering documentation including drawings, design reviews, submittals, reports, and change requests.
  • Support disciplined execution of engineering change processes (ECR, ECN, TCN, FCN).
  • Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for design processes and VAVE initiatives.
  • Promote consistent engineering practices across teams and projects.
• Collaboration:
  • Work closely with manufacturing, quality, and supply chain teams to identify opportunities for cost reduction, performance improvement, and manufacturability.
  • Ensure ongoing compliance with local, national, and international standards and regulatory requirements.
  • Establish and improve workflows recognizing that mechanical engineers act as project technical managers.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSc. Eng., B.Eng.)
• Professional Engineering (P.Eng.) designation
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in mechanical engineering
• Experience supporting hyperscale data center customers or mission-critical facilities.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing engineering teams.
• Practical experience with risk management, product design and testing, estimating, and project management
• Ability to integrate new technologies into machines and converse with multiple departments spanning multiple disciplines
• Strong background in custom equipment design, HVAC systems, and complex project execution.
• Proven ability to balance technical depth with people leadership.
• Strong work ethic and positive team attitude

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience as an APEGA Responsible Member.
• Understanding of Electrical, Structural, and Controls engineering
• Experience as an APEGA Responsible Member
• Proficiency with AutoCAD, Creo, Revit, and ANSYS
• Minimum of 4 years HVAC design experience
• Minimum 8 years project management or coordination
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes and materials
• Familiarity with industry standards and regulations related to data center equipment
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, testing, and quality systems.