Heating And Air Conditioning Engineer

The Automotive Interiors Climate Validation Engineer (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) is ensuring that a vehicle's climate control system meets performance, safety, and regulatory standards before it reaches production. They act as a bridge between design team (electronics and cab), performance team and manufacturing, in verification of requirements regarding customer user cases on vehicle level, testing components, calibration of software and performances for the complete system under real-world and simulated conditions to validate the function on the vehicle as intended.

Benchmarking Heavy Commercial trucks to get an expertise knowledge for customer user cases and designs, to be robust in state‑of‑the‑art truck design.

Validation of ergonomics and intuitive application for Interiors Climate system.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Test Planning: Defining test procedures and test cases, creating validation plans based on internal specifications and project milestones, conforming to industry standards.
• Performance Testing: Measuring airflow, temperature control (heating/cooling), and humidity regulation inside the truck cab, including defog/defrost performance verification and calibration, as well as validating climate comfort for customer user cases.
• Testing environments: HVAC systems in climate‑controlled test chambers (wind tunnels) that simulate extreme environments (hot and cold) and all weather conditions, as well as conducting vehicle tests on road under real environmental conditions (day, night, four seasons, parking, driving).
• Data Analysis & Troubleshooting: Analyzing test data to verify the requirements and identify failures, conducting root‑cause analysis, and collaborating with design teams to resolve issues. Provision of test data for correlation with simulation models.
• Instrumentation: Set‑up and maintenance of measurement equipment required for data acquisition during tests.
• Documentation and Reporting: Creating test reports, documenting evidence of compliance with requirements, configuring issues and managing release documentation.
• Specific Subsystem Validation: Testing single components, like additional heating function and performance, parking cooler function and performance on electric vehicle high‑voltage PTC heaters and heat pumps.
• Virtual Pre‑Checks: Performing 3D checks by evaluating the design in consideration of customer user cases as well as verifying virtual performance simulations.
• Collaboration: Working within the vehicle validation community, e.g., exchange with neighboring testing engineers/departments and participation in joint test campaigns.
• External Provider Management: Managing external providers and partners during the preparation and execution of tests, e.g., Statement of Work, control of test deliverables and planning/costing.
• Cab Conformity Focus: Ensuring compliance with legal requirements, energy efficiency and comfort for internal combustion vehicles and electric vehicles across heavy, medium and light commercial vehicles.
• Innovation: Implementing creative ideas and technical solutions in the design phase.

Job Requirements and Qualifications

Required

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or similar.
• Experience: Proven experience in automotive validation, preferably in truck or heavy‑duty vehicle cabin development.
• Expertise: At least two years of experience in Interior Climate Validation.
• Professional Record: Experience with automotive OEMs, suppliers or testing facilities/engineering providers.
• Technical Background: Mechanical, Thermal or Automotive Engineering.
• Hands‑on Testing: Experience with laboratory test equipment, instrumentation (temperature sensors, pressure transducers) and data acquisition systems (e.g., CAN bus, sensors).
• Simulation and Diagnostic Tools: Knowledge of simulation tools and automotive test software and diagnostic tools (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink, Vector tools).
• Analytic Skills: Problem‑solving and exploration of new solutions.
• Communication: Ability to work within cross‑functional teams, providers, including design, manufacturing and suppliers.
• Customer User Cases: Understanding of Interior Climate control in general (HCV/MCV and LCV range).
• Planning and Reporting: Skills in MS Office, Polarion, Sketch modules.
• Language: English fluency (reading, writing and speaking).
• Interest: Passion for automotive and truck development.

Preferred

• HVAC Design Skills: Knowledge of OEM interiors/climate design and features.
• Truck Customer User Cases: Deep knowledge required.
• Mechanical Confidence: Practical skills with technical products and equipment.
• DFMEA & Risk Analysis: Familiarity.
• CAD: Proficiency in CATIA and Teamcenter preferred.
• Truck Driving: Experience and C/CE license.

Competencies and/or Key Behaviours

Soft Skills

• Excellent communication skills in English and eventually Italian or German.
• Team‑oriented with passion to work in international and multidisciplinary environment.
• Independent and methodical, self‑organised.
• Hands‑on approach and pragmatic practical attitude towards problem solving.
• Ability to perform under time pressure.