Sustaining Engineer

Johnson Controls is a global organization focused on smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings. In this role, you will help support the performance, reliability, manufacturability, and lifecycle success of HVAC and pressure vessel products by working closely with operations and cross-functional engineering teams.

Role Overview

As a Sustaining Engineer, you will provide technical leadership on the operations shopfloor and support the full product lifecycle from launch through end-of-life. You will investigate product and manufacturing issues, drive continuous improvement, and implement engineering changes that strengthen quality, reliability, compliance, and cost competitiveness.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead sustaining engineering activities in the operations shopfloor to support product performance, reliability, manufacturability, quality, and lifecycle needs.
• Investigate and resolve product, manufacturing, and production issues through structured root cause analysis and effective corrective actions.
• Drive continuous product improvement initiatives focused on quality, reliability, manufacturability, customer satisfaction, and operational excellence.
• Identify, develop, and implement cost reduction and value engineering opportunities while maintaining product performance, compliance, and customer requirements.
• Support production operations by providing technical leadership and engineering solutions to manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and operations teams.
• Evaluate alternative materials, components, and suppliers to improve product performance, supply continuity, quality, and cost competitiveness.
• Generate, support, and implement sustaining engineering changes to improve product performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost efficiency.
• Support the product lifecycle from launch through end-of-life, including proper product assembly and ongoing operational support.

How You Will Do It

• Apply engineering fundamentals, HVAC knowledge, APQP methodologies, and structured problem-solving to address technical challenges and improve production outcomes.
• Use data-driven root cause investigations, testing, and engineering analysis to identify issues, confirm solutions, and prevent recurrence.
• Stay close to the work on the production floor, remove obstacles quickly, and focus on the issues that matter most to customers and operations.
• Partner closely with Product Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Procurement, Operations, and Global Engineering teams.
• Develop and execute validation plans, product evaluations, and reliability assessments to verify the effectiveness of improvements.
• Analyze manufacturing and operations performance data to identify trends, recurring issues, and opportunities for improvement.
• Participate in and help lead Kaizen events, risk assessments, APQP activities, and operational excellence initiatives.
• Maintain accurate engineering documentation, product records, specifications, and change history to support traceability and configuration control.
• Provide clear technical guidance and support on the production floor to help ensure safe, efficient, and repeatable processes.
• Work with candor, ownership, and a continuous improvement mindset so that every day the product and the process get better.
• Build strong cross-functional alignment and contribute as one team by listening, collaborating, and using diverse perspectives to solve problems.
• Communicate technical findings, recommendations, and project results effectively to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Support compliance with ISO 9001, ASME, EHS, and applicable regulatory and customer requirements.
• Support operational meetings on the production floor and rotate between shift 1 and shift 2 from Monday to Saturday as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Advanced English proficiency, with the ability to communicate effectively in global and cross-functional environments.
• Strong knowledge of HVAC systems, refrigeration fundamentals, manufacturing processes, and engineered products.
• Experience in sustaining engineering, product engineering, manufacturing engineering, or technical product support.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills.
• Experience conducting root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions.
• Knowledge of engineering drawings, specifications, BOMs, and product documentation.
• Experience with Creo, Windchill, SAP, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams and manufacturing environments.
• Strong sense of ownership, urgency, quality focus, and continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced production environment.

Nice to Have

• Pressure vessel and ASME code experience.
• APQP and Core Tools knowledge.
• Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, and Operational Excellence experience.
• Experience supporting cost reduction and value engineering initiatives.
• Product engineering process, quality validation, and operations experience.
• Experience collaborating with operational production lines.
• Knowledge of quality systems and manufacturing processes.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or similar continuous improvement training.

Why Join Us

You will join a collaborative environment where technical expertise, safety, quality, and continuous improvement are valued. This role offers the opportunity to work on meaningful products, support production teams directly, and help deliver reliable solutions for customers while developing your engineering experience across operations and product lifecycle support.

If you are ready to help improve products, processes, and performance, we would like to hear from you.