Senior Manager, HVAC

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).