Director, HVAC-R

Journey with us! Combine your career goals and sense of adventure by joining our incredible team of employees at Royal Caribbean Group. We are proud 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.

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

This position will work onsite in Miami, Florida.

This position is not eligible for work authorization sponsorship.

Position Summary:

The Director of HVAC-R is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational oversight, and continuous improvement of all Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (HVAC-R) systems across the global Royal Caribbean Group cruise fleet. This role ensures safe, efficient, reliable, and regulatory-compliant climate control systems that support guest comfort, crew welfare, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. The Director of HVAC-R together with their team serves as the company’s subject matter expert, setting technical standards, managing lifecycle planning, and leading cross-functional teams to support new builds, dry docks, refurbishments, and ongoing vessel operations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the long-term HVAC-R strategy for the fleet, aligning with corporate goals for safety, sustainability, guest experience, and operational excellence.

• Establish fleet-wide HVAC-R standards, specifications, and best practices.

• Serve as the primary technical authority for HVAC-R systems across global marine operations.

Fleet Operations and Reliability

• Oversee performance, maintenance, and reliability of HVAC-R systems on all vessels.

• Provide technical support and guidance to shipboard engineering teams and shoreside technical ship managers.

• Lead root-cause analysis for HVAC-R failures and implement corrective and preventive actions.

• Ensure HVAC-R systems support public health standards, including air quality, filtration, and humidity control.

New Builds, Dry Docks and Refurbishments

• Lead technical operational input to HVAC-R design reviews, specification development, and system selection for new build vessels.

• Oversee HVAC-R scope for dry docks, major upgrades, and refurbishment projects.

• Collaborate with shipyards, designers, and vendors to ensure systems meet performance, redundancy, and regulatory requirements.

• Manage commissioning, testing, and acceptance of HVAC-R systems.

Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

• Drive energy optimization initiatives to reduce fuel consumption and emissions related to HVAC-R systems together with newbuilding and Decarbonization team.

• Implement advanced control systems, automation, and data-driven performance monitoring.

• Support corporate environmental and decarbonization initiatives.

Compliance and Safety

• Ensure compliance with all applicable maritime regulations and standards (e.g., SOLAS, Class Society rules, Flag State, IMO, CDC/VSP where applicable).

• Maintain alignment with company safety management systems (QMS).

• Support audits, inspections, and regulatory reviews related to HVAC-R systems.

Project and Vendor Management

• Manage relationships with OEMs, shipyards, and service providers.

• Support the negotiation of service agreements, warranties, and long-term support contracts together with colleagues from Marine Procurement.

People Leadership and Development

• Lead and develop a global team of HVAC-R engineers, specialists, and technical managers.

• Works with Human Resources in recruiting and screening candidates for the recruitment of shipboard HVAC-R personnel.

• Provide mentoring, training, and succession planning for HVAC-R technical talent.

• Promote a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Financial Responsibilities

• Develop and manage HVAC-R related capital budgets and provide guidance on operational budgets.

• Oversee spare parts strategies and lifecycle cost management together with colleagues from Marine Asset Management.

• Manages HVAC-R CAR projects, including those valued at several million dollars.

• Accountable for budgets on assigned CAPEX projects.

Qualifications, Knowledge and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field (Master’s degree preferred).

• Professional Engineering (PE) license or equivalent is a plus.

• Minimum 12–15 years of progressive HVAC-R engineering experience, preferably in marine, cruise, offshore, or large hospitality environments.

• At least 5–7 years in a senior leadership or director-level role.

• Strong experience with large-scale marine HVAC-R systems, including chillers, AHUs, ducting, automation, and controls.

• Proven involvement in new builds, dry docks, or major retrofit projects.

• Experience managing large budgets and cross-functional technical teams.

• Marine HVAC-R design, operation, and troubleshooting.

• Chilled water systems and energy management.

• Automation, controls, and monitoring systems.

• Indoor air quality and public health standards.

• Regulatory compliance and class requirements.

• Lifecycle cost analysis and asset management.

• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen.

• Decisive leader with excellent problem-solving skills.

• Effective communicator across technical and non-technical audiences.

• Comfortable working in a global, multi-cultural environment.

• Willingness and ability to travel internationally and visit vessels as required.

Physical Demands:

• Must be able to sit, stand, write, review/type reports, compile data, operate a computer, communicate, and assess information.

• Office-based with frequent international travel.

• Shipboard visits, dry dock attendance, and shipyard oversight required, which requires one to board ships, be in confined spaces, work with higher levels of noise, and work in various types of weather.

• Availability for operational support during critical incidents.

• Work environment includes both office and non-office settings.

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'll 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, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sexuality, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Royal Caribbean Group and each of its subsidiaries prohibit and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment.