Sr Engineer - Refrigerant / HVAC

AAR Corp•Cadillac, MI

About The Position

Summary: The title of the position. A summary of the role’s overall purpose and how it fits into the organization. Information on who the role reports to and any direct reports the position might have.

Requirements

BSME or Engineering Bachelors Degree from ABET accredited school or equivalent, may have a Master Degree and may be a registered professional engineer.
Minimum 3-5 years of relevant work experience.
Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement tools.

Responsibilities

System Design and Component Selection: Proficiency in designing complete air conditioning systems, including heat exchanger design, compressor selection, refrigerant selection (with emphasis on low-GWP options compliant with DoD regulations), air flow design, static pressure calculations, and fan selection. Experience optimizing system COP (Coefficient of Performance) using specialized air conditioner design software. Experience with Excel and macros a plus.
Electrical and Control Systems: Expertise in electrical control design, including safety timers and switch selection, and controller programming in ladder logic and structured text. Skilled in electrical power design, such as wire size and type selection, with a focus on minimizing inrush currents to accommodate generator-based power budgets.
Mechanical and Structural Design: Strong experience with SolidWorks/Creo (or equivalent 3D CAD software) for part and assembly design, generating bills of materials (BOMs), assembly drawings, and part drawings, particularly for sheet metal components. Familiarity with AutoCAD for electrical and plumbing schematic design. Limited use of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) for airflow simulations.
Environmental and Durability Engineering: Knowledge of designing systems to withstand shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, blowing sand/dust, and blowing rain tests. Basic familiarity with MIL-STD-810 for environmental testing and MIL-STD-461 for EMI/EMC compliance. Expertise in material selection for corrosion resistance, lightweight construction, and overall robustness to ensure fault-tolerant operation under poor maintenance and harsh conditions.
Integration and Optimization: Awareness of system integration challenges, including power budgeting for military platforms. Ability to balance compact sizing with low noise levels, efficiency, and lightweight design while meeting air flow requirements and maintaining operational redundancy for mission-critical reliability.
Prototyping, Testing, and Validation: Hands-on experience building and validating prototypes, including thermal performance testing at non-standard conditions. Skills in noise reduction (including special considerations for stringent requirements), and occasional Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). Ensuring cooling capacity meets or exceeds ratings under military-specific demands.