Director, HVAC-R Systems

Journey with us! Combine your career goals and sense of adventure by joining our exciting team of employees. Royal Caribbean Group is pleased to offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, and excellent career development opportunities, each offering unique ways to explore the world.

 We are proud to be the vacation-industry leader with global brands — including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises — the most innovative fleet and private destinations, and the best people. Together, we are dedicated to turning the vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacations for our guests.

The Royal Caribbean Group’s Global Marine Operations Team has an exciting career opportunity for a full-time Director, HVAC-R reporting to the SVP, Global Marine Operations.

The position is onsite and based in Miami, Florida.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the location where this position is based. Only current employees can be considered for sponsorship. For all others, this position is not eligible for immigration or work-visa sponsorship now or in the future.

At Royal Caribbean Group (RCG), we care about your health, financial security, and overall well-being. That’s why we provide a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support what matters most to you across every area of life: physical, intellectual, emotional, and social. Here’s an overview of the benefits available to you, including but not limited to:

• Cruise and Travel Privileges
• Health and Wellness Benefits
• 401(k) + Employer Contribution (US Only)
• Company-Paid Life and Disability Insurance
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Comprehensive Time Off Package
• Parental Leave
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Training & Professional Development
• Tuition & Professional Certification Reimbursement (US Only)

Specific benefits may vary by location and position. See more details about our benefits here.

What does the Marine Operations Team do?

The Marine Operations Team at Royal Caribbean Group ensures the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of the company’s global fleet. The team oversees navigation, technical operations, safety, regulatory compliance, and crew workforce planning, partnering closely with shipboard leadership and external authorities to maintain operational excellence, meet maritime regulations, and deliver consistently safe voyages across all brands worldwide.

How you can make an impact:

The Director, HVAC Systems sets the technical and strategic direction for all heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems across the fleet, and leads the teams that support them. Reporting into Global Marine Technology within Marine Operations, this senior leader owns performance, reliability, compliance, energy efficiency and lifecycle management of HVAC plant, and directs major repairs, dry-dock scopes, modernization and retrofit programs.

The Director leads a team of highly technical HVAC managers and engineers, builds the long-range fleet HVAC strategy, and is accountable for delivering a multi-million-dollar project and CAPEX portfolio safely, on time and on budget.

What your day-to-day will look like:

Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute the multi-year fleet HVAC strategy covering reliability, energy efficiency, obsolescence, lifecycle replacement and decarbonization goals.
• Translate company priorities into HVAC roadmaps, KPIs and capital plans, and report progress to senior leadership.
• Evaluate emerging HVAC and refrigeration technologies, lead pilot and test programs with ship personnel, and approve adoption fleetwide.
• Serve as the senior subject-matter expert and escalation point for the most complex HVAC technical issues.

People Leadership and Talent Development

• Lead, coach and develop a team of highly technical HVAC managers, engineers and specialists; set objectives and manage performance.
• Build succession plans and training pathways for shore-side HVAC staff and shipboard personnel, including promotion candidates for Chief Refrigeration Engineer.
• Observe and evaluate shipboard HVAC work procedures to ensure quality and service standards are met.
• Foster a proactive, accountable, safety-first culture across a multicultural, geographically distributed workforce.

Project and Program Management

• Direct major HVAC repairs, upgrades, modernization, retrofit and capital projects, including dry-dock and revitalization scopes.
• Own project governance: scope, schedule, budget, risk, resourcing and stakeholder reporting from concept through close-out and warranty follow-up.
• Lead CAPEX and CAR projects, including multi-million-dollar HVAC system investments.
• Support newbuild ship projects with system specifications, testing and warranty follow-up.
• Oversee vendor selection, OEM relationships, long-term service agreements and contractor performance; review OEM technical bulletins and ensure fleetwide implementation of required actions.

Technical Oversight and Operational Management

• Provide advanced technical guidance to Global Marine Technology, Ship Managers and senior onboard leadership, with first- and second-level support for HVAC and refrigeration systems.
• Oversee overhauls and repairs of HVAC machinery, including air-conditioning and provision compressors, chillers, heat exchangers, air handlers, and duct cleaning and repair.
• Manage lifecycle strategies, obsolescence planning and reliability improvements; drive system up time and energy savings.
• Direct investigation of technical failures, define corrective and preventive actions, and communicate lessons learned fleetwide.
• Maintain regular communication with senior stakeholders and respond promptly to feedback from the fleet.

Compliance, Safety and Audit

• Ensure vessels operate in accordance with applicable regulations and company policies, with special attention to safety, security and environmental protection.
• Work with classification societies and regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with IMO, SOLAS, MARPOL and class requirements.
• Oversee ship visits, inspections and risk assessments; monitor conditions of class, audit findings and non-conformities to ensure timely closure.
• Ensure follow-up on audits and effective use of the MBQ onboard.
• Prepare technical reports, performance analyses and efficiency recommendations for executive review.

Supervisory and Financial Responsibilities

• Supervisory: Directly leads the shore-side HVAC team and provides functional guidance to shipboard HVAC and refrigeration personnel across the fleet.
• Financial: Owns the fleet HVAC operating budget, spare-parts planning and long-term service agreements, and makes recommendations for annual budget planning.
• Leads CAPEX and CAR projects, including multi-million-dollar HVAC system investments, with accountability for business cases, cost control and return on investment.

How to achieve success:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Marine Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent maritime qualifications. Advanced degree or MBA preferred.

Experience

• 20+ years of technical HVAC and refrigeration expertise in maritime, industrial or commercial settings, preferably on passenger ships.
• 15+ years leading and providing strategic direction to technical project teams and managing people, including recent senior management experience.
• Proven record delivering large-scale HVAC projects and programs, including dry-dock, retrofit, modernization and capital projects, with full budget and schedule accountability.
• Deep knowledge of large-scale chillers, air-handling units, provision and air-conditioning compressors, control systems and energy-efficient HVAC technologies.
• Experience with fleet technical management, maintenance planning, and classification society and regulatory engagement (IMO, SOLAS, MARPOL).

Skills and Competencies

• Strategic mindset with the ability to define problems, analyze data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
• Strong project and program management foundation, including risk, vendor and stakeholder management.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and spoken English communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels in a multicultural environment.
• Proactive, organized and able to take initiative; proven leadership of technical teams.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and email, and proficiency with condition-monitoring and fleet-management software.
• Strong ability and willingness to extensively travel internationally to shipyards and vessels.

Preferred

• Certification in HVAC or refrigeration systems.
• Project management certification (e.g., PMP).
• Familiarity with maritime environmental and efficiency technologies.

Agency and Third-Party Submissions: Please note this is a direct search by the Company, and applications through agencies and other third parties will not be accepted, nor will fees be paid for unsolicited resumes. Any unsolicited resumes will be considered the Company's property.

We know there's a lot to consider. As you go through the application process, our recruiters will be glad to provide guidance, and more relevant details to answer any additional questions. Thank you again for your interest in Royal Caribbean Group. We hope to see you onboard soon!

It is the policy of the Company to ensure equal employment and promotion opportunity to qualified candidates without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and related medical conditions), age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sexuality, gender identity or expression, marital status, citizenship or immigration status, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Royal Caribbean Group and each of its subsidiaries prohibit and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to support candidates with disabilities during our hiring process. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at hraccess@rccl.com. This email is for disability-related accommodation requests only.