Manager, Research & Development (onsite)

Johnson Controls•Burlington, MA

2d•$140,000 - $200,000•Onsite

About The Position

Johnson Controls is a global leader in thermal management, mission-critical building systems, energy efficiency, and decarbonization. They help customers use energy more productively, reduce carbon emissions, and operate with precision and resilience in rapidly expanding industries. This role is for the Manager of the Stack Forging Thermal Solutions Research & Development team. The manager will be responsible for leading the team that develops new and innovative thermal management solutions. They will collaborate across the organization to contribute to a long-term thermal strategy grounded in commercial needs, the competitive landscape, and internal technology roadmaps. The position involves scoping, justifying, and executing projects both as an individual contributor and as a team leader. This position is based onsite at our facility in Burlington, MA. Candidates must be commuting distance to the facility, or able to relocate. Various relocation packages are available. This position also requires US citizenship and/or permanent resident.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
8+ years of industry experience.
3+ years of leadership experience with the ability to lead technical teams.
Expertise in thermal management and liquid cooling, preferably with experience in data centers or high-performance computing.
US Citizen and/or Permanent Resident.
Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred.
Ability to align technical development with strategic business priorities.
A background in customer-facing roles, such as a Solutions Engineer, Technical Fellow, or Applications Engineer.
Experience in manufacturing and emerging technology settings.
Expertise in design for manufacturability (DFM) principles, especially related to metal components or thermal systems.
Familiarity with thermal simulation software (e.g., CFD) and analytical modeling.

Responsibilities

Define research projects and report on them to leadership.
Take responsibility for leading a team to generate new, valuable ideas aligned with strategic priorities.
Work with leadership to blend first-principles analysis, experimental results, simulation, and techno-economic analysis to create a clear and compelling vision for the outcome of the team’s work.
Develop new thermal-fluid technologies by running structured R&D efforts both as an individual contributor and team leader.
Manage technical risk to ensure that impactful technologies can quickly be spun out of the team’s research efforts.
Hire, lead, and manage a lean and focused R&D team.
Act as a source of technical excellence, acting as a subject matter expert and mentor on a range of technical topics.
Oversee the advanced technology development life cycle, from initial justification and scoping through technology transfer.
Ensure that everyone on the team is working on the best idea, not just their favorite idea.