Johnson Controls, a global leader in thermal management, mission-critical building systems, energy efficiency, and decarbonization, helps customers use energy more productively, reduce carbon emissions, and operate with the precision and resilience required in rapidly expanding industries such as data centers, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, and higher education.
For more than 140 years, Johnson Controls has delivered performance where it really matters. Backed by advanced technology, lifecycle services and an industry-leading field organization, we elevate customer performance, turn goals into real-world results and help move society forward.
Is this for you?
Are you a chiller expert who thrives at the intersection of engineering, product development, learning and development and field operations? Are you someone who can walk a production floor, sit in an engineering design review, and then turn around and make that same content accessible to a field mechanic or HVAC leader? Do you build relationships as naturally as you diagnose a centrifugal chiller? Are you energized by the idea of being the connective tissue between our product teams and the people who install, service, and maintain our equipment every day? Are you a lifelong learner who is always looking for a deeper understanding of the systems you work with? If so, Johnson Controls Inc (JCI) has an opportunity built for you.
This position is based near our JADEC training facility in New Freedom, PA.
What you will do
In the role of Chiller Subject Matter Expert, you will serve as a critical bridge between Engineering, Product Development, Learning and Development, and the Field (mechanics, HVAC leadership, branch and regional teams). You will leverage deep, hands-on expertise with York chiller products to ensure that technical knowledge flows accurately and accessibly across the organization. You will partner with design and product technical support engineers to stay at the leading edge of product design and performance, collaborate with L&D professionals to shape technically sound learning solutions, and remain deeply connected to the field to understand real-world application, challenges, and skill gaps. This role requires someone who is equal parts technical expert, relationship builder, translator, and learner.
What impact would you have?
Everyone wants to feel like they're having an impact. In this position, you absolutely will. You will have the opportunity to:
- Connect the dots across the organization by serving as the go-to technical voice that links product engineering decisions to creating and adapting learning content to increase field execution and readiness
- Elevate field capability by ensuring mechanics and HVAC leaders have access to accurate, digestible, and current technical knowledge about our chiller products.
- Shape the future of technical learning to ensure our training programs reflect the latest product changes, field conditions, and industry standards.
- Continue to grow by staying at the forefront of chiller technology, controls, refrigerants, and energy efficiency innovations.
How you will do it
- Serves as the Learning and Development Subject Matter Expert for York chiller products, maintaining deep technical knowledge of product design, operation, troubleshooting, startup, controls, and refrigerant systems across the chiller portfolio.
- Acts as a bridge between Engineering, Product Development, Learning and Development, and field operations, ensuring technical knowledge is accurately translated, transferred, and applied across all groups.
- Partners with product engineering teams to stay current on design changes, new product introductions, engineering bulletins, and known issues, and translates that information into field-ready and learning-ready formats.
- Drives collaboration with engineering, field and learning teams to develop, review, and validate technical training content, ensuring accuracy, relevance, and appropriate depth for the target audience.
- Can step in to support instruction of courses with new mechanics to experienced HVAC leaders.
- Gathers and synthesizes field feedback, common failure modes, recurring service challenges, and skill gaps, and channels that intelligence back to engineering, product development, and L&D teams to inform priorities.
- Mentors and coaches chiller mechanics, field engineers, and technical trainers, building technical confidence and capability through formal and informal development interactions.
- Supports the development of documents, learning materials, job aids, quick-reference guides, troubleshooting trees, and other field-facing resources that make complex product information accessible.
- Participates in product design reviews, field quality reviews, and cross-functional working sessions, representing the field perspective, gathering information for learning modules, and technician experience.
- Supports creation or use of lab equipment, chiller training units, and simulation environments at the JADEC facility, ensuring training assets reflect current product configurations.
- Evaluates and recommends new tools, technologies, and approaches for knowledge transfer, including AR/VR, simulation, digital job aids, and other emerging platforms.
- Builds and sustains relationships with regional and branch leadership, field service managers, and HVAC leaders to stay connected to the realities of field execution.
- Contributes to the development of competency frameworks, skill assessments, and technical certification pathways for chiller mechanics and service technicians.
- Tracks and reports on product knowledge gaps, training effectiveness, and field readiness metrics, making data-informed recommendations for continuous improvement.
- Stays current on industry trends, codes, standards, and competitor offerings relevant to the chiller market.
What we look for
Required
- Technical -- Deep, hands-on expertise with York chiller products is non-negotiable. Ten or more years of experience with York chillers is ideal, including operational checks, monitoring, troubleshooting, startup, controls, and refrigerant management across multiple chiller platforms (centrifugal, screw, air-cooled, absorption).
- Experienced -- Ten or more years of experience in chiller service, engineering, or product support, with a strong preference for time spent at Johnson Controls or in a closely related role.
- Cross-Functional -- Demonstrated ability to work effectively across engineering, product development, field operations, and learning/training teams. Comfortable navigating different cultures, priorities, and communication styles.
- Articulate -- Exceptional ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, digestible information for audiences ranging from new mechanics to senior engineers to HVAC leadership. Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Relational -- A natural relationship builder who earns trust across groups and is sought out as a go-to resource. Skilled at influencing without authority.
- Mentor-Minded -- Track record of developing others, whether through formal training, informal coaching, or on-the-job mentoring of chiller mechanics and technicians.
- Learner -- Genuine intellectual curiosity and a drive to continuously deepen technical knowledge. Comfortable admitting what they don't know and actively seeking to close gaps.
- Educated -- Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, HVAC/R Technology, or a related technical field preferred. Equivalent combination of education and extensive hands-on experience will be considered.
- Professional -- Personal integrity, a commitment to quality work, and a positive, team-first attitude.
Preferred
- Experience with Johnson Controls' product development or engineering processes.
- Familiarity with the JADEC facility and its role in product testing and validation.
- Prior experience in a technical training, mentoring, or SME role.
- Knowledge of adult learning principles or instructional design concepts.
- Experience with digital learning tools, simulation, or AR/VR technologies.
HIRING SALARY RANGE: $95,000 - $130,000 (Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, location and alignment with market data.) The posted salary range reflects the target compensation for this role. However, we recognize that exceptional candidates may bring unique skills and experiences that exceed the typical profile. If you believe your background warrants consideration beyond the stated range, we encourage you to apply. To support an efficient and fair hiring process, we may use technology assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to help identify and evaluate candidates. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by human reviewers. This position includes a competitive benefits package. For details, please visit the About Us tab on the Johnson Controls Careers site at https://jobs.johnsoncontrols.com/about-us.
Johnson Controls International plc. is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a qualified individual with a disability or any other characteristic protected by law. To view more information about your equal opportunity and non-discrimination rights as a candidate, visit EEO is the Law. If you are an individual with a disability and you require an accommodation during the application process, please visit here.