Technical Lead – Applied Mechanics

Job description

Be a part of our mission! 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. Do you dare to look at the world's challenges and see impactful possibilities? Do you want to contribute to making a better future? If the answer is yes, we invite you to consider joining us in boldly challenging what's possible for a sustainable world. Learn about our benefits designed for you to Thrive at work and at home. We boldly go. Where is the work: Monday to Thursday, work onsite with your colleagues. Fridays, choose your work location, balancing what your work requires. The Technical Lead – Modeling & Simulation (Individual Contributor) will provide advanced structural and FEA simulation expertise for Thermo King’s global product portfolio, which includes truck, trailer, bus, rail, and marine temperature control systems. This role focuses on predicting product behavior in demanding dynamic, vibration, and shock‑load environments and enabling robust, durable, and optimized designs for transport refrigeration customers. The position requires hands-on analysis, deep technical judgment, and the ability to translate simulation insights into design guidance for product engineering teams worldwide. Experience with physical test correlation techniques—such as single and multi-axes shaker table testing, accelerated life testing, and strain measurement methods—is a strong plus. Demonstrated leadership or technical project leadership experience is also advantageous. Key Responsibilities • Lead and execute structural and FEA simulations for Thermo King components and systems across truck, trailer, bus, rail, and marine applications. • Analyze static, dynamic, fatigue, and vibrational loads that reflect real-world harsh transport conditions, including road-induced vibration, shock, mounting stresses, and thermal structural interactions. • Build high-fidelity finite element models for complex assemblies such as compressors, frames, mounts, enclosures, brackets, refrigerant line supports, and other mechanical subsystems within Thermo King units. • Provide clear, actionable design recommendations to global engineering teams to improve durability, manufacturability, reliability, and weight efficiency. • Partner with Reliability Engineering, Product Engineering, and Test Labs to align analysis assumptions with actual duty cycles, test profiles, and validation plans specific to transport refrigeration. • Develop and maintain simulation methods tailored for Thermo King’s dynamic, vibration, and shock‑load environments , including vibration durability, road load simulation, fatigue estimation, and structural integrity assessments. • Support new product development (NPD) programs with early-stage design evaluations and simulation-driven insights to accelerate development and reduce physical test iterations. • Prepare high-quality technical documentation summarizing analysis approach, boundary conditions, correlations, and engineering recommendations. • Contribute to capability growth within the Modeling & Simulation team through method development, knowledge-sharing, and informal mentoring of early career analysts. • Collaborate with global Thermo King stakeholders to understand program priorities, feasibility risks, and analysis needs. • Leverage experience with physical test techniques—such as single and multi-axes shaker table testing, accelerated life testing, strain measurement/strain gauging, and related methods—to improve model correlation and enhance simulation accuracy. • Provide technical leadership within projects, influencing decisions, guiding analysis strategies, and coordinating simulation activities across cross-functional teams (without formal people management). Required Qualifications • Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field. • PhD will be a plus. • 8–12+ years of hands-on experience in structural/FEA analysis, ideally in automotive, off-highway, refrigeration, or transport-related industries. • Strong proficiency in FEA tools such as ANSYS, Abaqus, or similar platforms. • Solid grounding in mechanical behavior under vibration, impact/shock, fatigue, and nonlinear material/structural response. • Proven expertise building and validating complex models that correlate well with physical testing. • Ability to convert simulation results into clear engineering guidance for multidisciplinary teams. • Strong communication, documentation, and collaboration skills. Preferred Technical Background • Experience with mobile equipment or transport-related engineering (automotive, rail, off-road equipment, refrigeration units, etc.). • Familiarity with Thermo King product categories or similar ruggedized HVAC/transport cooling systems. • Exposure to vibration spectrum analysis, random vibration, harmonic response, and durability methodologies aligned with transport environments. • Experience with scripting (Python, APDL, etc.) to automate workflows or develop reusable modeling templates. • Understanding of thermal-structural coupled simulations or refrigerant system component behavior is a plus. • Experience with single and multi-axes shaker table testing, accelerated life testing, strain measurement/strain gauging, and related structural validation techniques. • Technical project leadership, task leadership, or cross-functional technical coordination experience. Personal Attributes • Highly analytical with strong problem‑solving capability. • Self-driven, with the ability to manage work priorities independently. • Collaborative mindset with strong initiative to influence design improvements. • Proven ability to apply best‑practice approaches and engage in continuous learning. • Ability to lead technically within cross-functional programs and drive engineering clarity. We offer competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits and programs. We are an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, pregnancy, age, marital status, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any legally protected status.