HVAC Systems Senior Design Engineer - CAB

The position is embedded in the Cabin Systems team within the Body Engineering department of a leading European OEM.
The candidate will act as a technical reference for the design and development of HVAC systems across Light, Medium, and Heavy commercial vehicles, with full ownership of selected subsystems and components.
The scope includes Diesel, CNG/LNG, Battery Electric and Fuel Cell vehicle applications.
This role is expected to take technical leadership on design maturity – from concept feasibility to serial release – ensuring integration, performance, cost, and compliance within a co-design and supplier-driven development model.

HVAC perimeter includes: HVAC units, HV/LV heaters and PTCs; air ducts; louvers; dry/wet auxiliary heaters; parking coolers; condensate drains; air quality sensors; and control logics.

Essential responsibilities

• Act as design authority on assigned HVAC systems or components

• Define interface architecture, packaging and integration constraints with the vehicle team

• Perform and review 3D/2D CAD models and validate technical documentation

• Support system sizing and early simulation (1D, CFD, FEA); perform pressure drop and thermal performance analysis

• Drive the specification of HVAC components, including filtration, flow control, heat exchangers, actuators, flaps, sensors, insulation and sealing

• Lead co-design activities with suppliers and coordinate external engineering service providers

• Define and maintain requirements (MBSE approach is a plus); contribute to system documentation and product cards

• Ensure cross-functional alignment with validation, purchasing, manufacturing and quality teams

• Promote best practices, reuse and lessons learned across projects

• Prepare all technical correspondence and documentation in English

Requirements

• Master's or Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Automotive or Mechatronics Engineering

• Minimum 5–7 years of experience in HVAC system development in the automotive/commercial vehicle industry

• Proven ability to work with co-design partners and drive system delivery end-to-end

• Sound knowledge of HVAC layout, functional performance and physical integration

• Expertise in CAD (CATIA V5/V6); experience with PDM tools

• Working knowledge of 1D thermo-fluidic simulation and/or CFD/FEA is a strong plus

• Experience in climate chamber or vehicle testing environments is an advantage

• Familiarity with MBSE and requirement management tools is appreciated

• Strong communication, autonomy and teamwork skills in international contexts

• Fluent in English and Italian (spoken and written); additional languages are a plus

Digital Skills
MS Office 365, Outlook and Teams
Catia V5 / V6
PLM Teamcenter