Senior Compressor Development Engineer

Join the world's largest HVAC company, named by Forbes as one of America's Best-In-State Employers 2025!

Daikin Applied is seeking a Senior Compressor Development Engineer. The Compressor Development Engineer will interact with lab personnel on prototype concepts. In this role, you will be a part of new product design with the opportunity to enhance commercial HVAC products and strengthen the Daikin brand. Come be a part of an exciting journey at Daikin Applied, where innovation and excellence drive our every endeavor!

Location: Plymouth, MN – Onsite

What you will do:

• Create and implement planning for compressor development including Design and Review milestones

• Detailed and advanced centrifugal compressor design from each mechanical component to electrical components used in compressors. This includes the complete centrifugal compressor material selection, gear design, bearing design, housing design, and rotor dynamic analysis of both single and multi-stage compressors

• Evaluate all mechanical aspects to ensure the product designed and developed will meet life cycle requirements. This will include detail stress, vibration, modal, fatigue analysis of all designed components

• Be involved in all steps in the product development process/life cycle, from customer requirements, to design, to prototype manufacturing, to product qualification, to final product implementation and product launch

• Derive component-level requirements from assembly requirements to create part specifications and drawings:

  • Communication with all suppliers and vendors to determine manufacturability

  • Participate in inspection results to ensure all designed parts are manufactured as specified, within specified tolerances

  • Communicate and instruct designers to create specifications and check part drawings

  • Apply common manufacturing and inspection capabilities to choose materials and tolerances. Relevant experience with specifying tight tolerances and GD&T

• Create robust design using DFMEA method during design, analysis and testing

  • Create pass/fail criteria of analysis and test results by applying reason and logic to fundamental mechanics

  • Use simulation tools to simulate design performance and reliability to support DFMEA

  • Plan and develop test programs for prototypes using Design of Experiments as needed for complex problems with many variables

  • Communicate and instruct lab technicians to set up tests and gather data to meet the test parameters and accuracy requirements

  • Analyze test data and reports, making clear conclusions if designs meet functional, performance, and safety specifications

  • Develop parts qualification process/procedure and makes decisions pass/fail from developed criteria

  • In-depth involvement in all aspects of the test phase to validate design. Provides detailed analysis based on mathematical, finite element analysis, and experimental data

• Provide accurate and precise product performance results for marketing and sales for product selection

• Collaborate and communicate with other teams in the product development process/projects to ensure the final product meets all objectives and customer requirements in all product areas

• Provide documentation, both high-level and detailed documentation, for all projects and tasks throughout the development process

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree (Mechanical or Equivalent)

• 7+ years of related experience (Higher level degree can be substituted for years of experience)

• Experience with turbomachinery preferably centrifugal compressors

• Experience in common manufacturing capabilities and materials

• Solid fundamental understanding of mechanical engineering principles with a focus on stress analysis, mechanics of materials, vibration, fatigue, and failure modes

• Knowledge of centrifugal compressor component design such as gears, bearings, rotating equipment, motors, casting and machining parts

• Experience in product testing and data acquisition, with emphasis on compressor performance validation

• Basic skills with CAD applications

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with global HVAC principles and practices and Mechanical component design standards (ASHRAE, GB, ISO, etc.)

• Basic knowledge of test data analysis software and tools

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations

• Proficient in writing reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals

• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public

• Ability to support the development of highly variable products that can be dynamically configured at the time of order using rules-based engineering tools

Benefits: 

Daikin Applied offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:  

• Multiple medical insurance plan options + dental and vision insurance   

• 401K retirement plan with employer contributions matching 100% of the first 3% of employee contributions and 50% on the next 2% of employee contributions 

• Company provided life insurance + optional employee paid voluntary life insurance, dependent life coverage and voluntary accident coverage 

• Short term and long term disability  

• 3 weeks of paid time off for new employees + 11 company paid holidays 

• Vacation accrues on a monthly basis, unless applicable federal, state and local law requires a faster accrual 

• Paid sick time in accordance of the federal, state and local law  

• Paid parental leave and tuition reimbursement after 6 months of continuous service 

Work visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

The typical annual base salary for this position ranges from $109,100 - $188,700 + 15% bonus in Minnesota. The range displayed represents the pay range for all positions in the job grade in which this position falls. Individual base pay will depend on a wide range of factors including your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. 

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