Mechanical Air Systems Lead

IRC Trane Technologies Company • Lexington, KY

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

As a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable, and efficient climate solutions for buildings, homes and transportation, it's our responsibility to put the planet first. For us at Trane Technologies, and through our businesses including Trane® and Thermo King, sustainability is not just how we do business—it is our business. The Mechanical Air Systems Lead is the senior technical authority responsible for defining, shaping, and advancing next generation, integrated solutions across Trane Technologies with a focus on advanced mechanical air systems. This role drives the rapid development of future system architectures, breakthrough solutions, and integrated platforms that will underpin long term business growth. This position concentrates on future state, cross business, and cross technology solutions—de-risking emerging concepts, guiding early technical decisions, and influencing platform strategies before they enter formal development. The Lead is expected to operate with significant autonomy, deep technical rigor, and strong enterprise leadership, with a mandate centered on creating what comes next. This role has global scope and the opportunity for significant financial impact by shaping the technologies and system architectures that drive enterprise value creation across multiple Trane Technologies businesses.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline from an accredited four-year college or university.
• A minimum of 10 years of combined graduate education and progressive engineering experience, with strong emphasis on advanced system integration.
• At least 5 years working with airside design including air transport, coils, fans, energy recovery, dehumidification, and control.
• Proven ability to define system architectures and drive technical decisions that influence complex, multi-domain solutions.
• Experience guiding ambiguous or early-stage technology concepts into validated, scalable directions.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate complex system behavior into clear insights.
• Experience developing patents and ensuring Intellectual Property is protected.

Nice To Haves

• Multiple years of experience in data center applications and/or experience with heat rejection/reuse is strongly desired.
• Prior roles that include technical strategy, platform definition, or cross-functional system leadership are preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creation and technical direction of advanced, integrated system architectures including complex thermodynamic systems (e.g., HVAC, process heating/cooling) with a focus on airside solutions.
• Serve as a principal subject matter expert for emerging airside technologies including air transport, coils, fans, energy recovery, dehumidification, and multi-domain integration.
• Guide enterprise stakeholders on long term technology tradeoffs (sustainability, performance, cost, manufacturability, serviceability, and risk).
• Evaluate and mature high impact future technologies from early concept through feasibility, de-risking critical assumptions and identifying pathways to commercialization.
• Conduct system level analyses integrating airside subsystems with hydronic, refrigeration, power distribution, and control subsystems.
• Translate ambiguous technology challenges into structured, actionable workstreams and lead those workstreams with a goal to get the concepts adopted by the relevant business unit within Trane Technologies.
• Partner with corporate Innovation, Advanced Concepts and Capabilities, and Sustainability teams with a strong connection to relevant business unit teams across Trane Technologies.
• Shape and harmonize technology direction across the enterprise by influencing roadmaps, identifying shared solution sets, and aligning future platform strategies.
• Provide early technical recommendations that affect investment decisions, portfolio choices, and enterprise innovation priorities.
• Drive decisions that significantly influence long term revenue, margin expansion, cost structure, and enterprise competitiveness.
• Identify innovation opportunities that unlock new markets, reduce risk exposure, or improve system lifecycle economics.
• Provide technical leadership that shapes multi-year enterprise investment strategies.
• Establish system expertise for the enterprise with a focus on emerging global markets such as data centers, industrial process heating and cooling, and selected others.
• Maintain awareness of the latest technologies and market trends in the relevant technical domains.
• Deliver technical analyses, evaluation reports, concept briefs, and design recommendations for leadership and cross-functional teams with the goal to get concepts adopted by the relevant business unit within Trane Technologies.
• Establish thought leadership excellence for both the enterprise and industry.
• Mentor engineering talent globally, strengthening technical depth across the enterprise.
• Develop patents and protect IP for future integrated solutions.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Holistic wellness programs with generous incentives
• Family building benefits include fertility coverage and adoption/surrogacy assistance.
• 401K match up to 6%, plus an additional 2% core contribution = up to 8% company contribution.
• 15 vacation days
• 9 paid holidays
• 3 floating holidays
• Sick leave
• Additional options to support volunteer and parental leave.
• Educational and training opportunities through company programs
• Tuition assistance
• Student debt support.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior