Engineering Manager

Spheros is a global technology company and market leader in the development and manufacture of thermal management solutions for city buses, coaches, and refrigerated transport. With a strong focus on innovation, sustainability, and passenger comfort, Spheros supports the mobility solutions of today and tomorrow across international markets.

The R&D Manager is responsible for leading product development, engineering design, and technical customer interface activities for assigned product groups and customer programs within the Thermal North America region. This role ensures that engineering standards, product development processes, and technical requirements are effectively implemented while managing engineering resources and supporting innovation, product quality, and manufacturability.

The R&D Manager collaborates closely with customers, suppliers, and internal cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality thermal management solutions throughout the full product lifecycle.

• Serve as the primary technical interface with assigned OEM customers and engineering teams.
• Maintain strong customer relationships through regular technical meetings and proactive communication.
• Ensure alignment between customer technical requirements and internal engineering activities.

• Lead product development activities from concept phase through end of service life.
• Implement product standardization strategies and integrate lessons learned into engineering standards.
• Ensure robust product design aligned with manufacturing capabilities and industrial network requirements.
• Utilize engineering development tools such as validation plans, compliance matrices, health charts, and internal design documentation.
• Ensure engineering change management processes (ECR/ECO) comply with internal and customer requirements.
• Participate in key engineering reviews including design reviews, validation reviews, and product compliance activities.
• Ensure suppliers are technically capable of supporting project requirements.

• Benchmark current engineering capabilities against market requirements and customer expectations.
• Identify capability gaps and implement improvement initiatives to strengthen product performance and design excellence.
• Ensure adherence to engineering standards and design best practices across the development team.
• Review and challenge deviations from standard engineering practices before approval.

• Lead and manage the engineering team supporting assigned product groups and projects.
• Allocate engineering resources based on project priorities and business needs.
• Develop training and development plans for team members.
• Support succession planning and professional development within the engineering organization.
• Manage departmental budgets and resource planning in collaboration with regional R&D leadership.

• Work with global engineering teams to ensure alignment and standardization of development practices.
• Participate in engineering networks and cross-functional initiatives to improve R&D efficiency.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives within the R&D organization.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related engineering field.
• 8 years of experience in product development or engineering within a manufacturing environment.
• Previous leadership or engineering management experience preferred.
• Experience working with OEM customers and managing technical customer interfaces.
• Knowledge of product development processes, validation planning, and engineering change management (ECR/ECO).
• Experience with SAP is beneficial for project tracking, material coordination, and project management activities.
• Strong leadership, project management, and problem-solving skills.

Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate with cross-functional and international teams.