Technical Support Manager - HVAC Applied at Daikin Europe… · Riyadh

Daikin Middle East & Africa is a subsidiary of Daikin Industries Ltd. and the leading provider of heating, cooling, ventilation, air purification, and refrigeration technology. The company designs, manufactures and brings to market a broad portfolio of equipment, as well as tailor-made solutions for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). To date, Daikin EMEA has over 12 000 employees across more than 59 consolidated subsidiaries. It has 12 major manufacturing facilities based in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Austria, and the UK. Our aim is to drive sustainable and effective solutions, sparking a good climate for the generations to come. And all this can only be achieved because of our People.

About the Role

The Technical Support Manager – HVAC Applied will be based in Riyadh, KSA, and will be responsible for driving technical excellence, developing service team capabilities, and improving equipment reliability and service quality across the HVAC business. The role focuses primarily on Applied Systems, specifically centrifugal chillers, while collaborating closely with the Airside Equipment, VRV/DX Systems, and Refrigeration Systems teams to strengthen technical capabilities and drive service excellence across the business.

You will be working closely with the Service Director, Service Operations, factories, and regional technical teams, the manager will lead complex technical escalations, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), product quality investigations, factory claims, and technical training programs. The role aims to enhance technical competency, reduce recurring failures, improve service efficiency, and ensure high levels of customer satisfaction in line with company standards and business objectives.

How You Will Make an Impact

Technical Support & Engineering Excellence

• Provide advanced technical support and troubleshooting for Centrifugal Chillers, Applied Systems, Airside Equipment, VRV/DX Systems, and Refrigeration Systems.
• Lead the resolution of complex and recurring technical issues, supporting field teams in major breakdowns, equipment performance optimization, and critical service interventions.
• Develop and maintain technical procedures, troubleshooting guides, and service documentation while keeping up to date with product developments and factory technical updates.

Technical Training & Competency Development

• Develop and deliver structured technical training programs for service engineers and technicians, with particular emphasis on centrifugal chillers and Applied Systems.
• Identify competency gaps in coordination with Service Operations and HR and implement targeted training and development plans.
• Evaluate training effectiveness through competency assessments and field performance, ensuring lessons learned are incorporated into training materials and technical procedures.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) & Corrective Actions

• Lead RCA investigations for major equipment failures, recurring technical issues, and significant customer complaints in coordination with factories and regional technical teams.
• Prepare technical RCA reports identifying verified root causes, corrective and preventive actions, responsibilities, and implementation timelines.
• Track corrective actions to closure, verify their effectiveness, and share lessons learned across the service organization to prevent recurrence.

Product Quality Management & Factory Coordination

• Identify, document, and escalate product quality issues, manufacturing defects, and equipment performance abnormalities to factories and regional teams.
• Coordinate technical investigations, corrective solutions, warranty claims, and compensation requests, ensuring timely follow-up from submission through closure.
• Monitor quality trends and claim recovery, communicate significant findings to management, and ensure factory corrective actions are implemented effectively.

Service Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Work with the Service Director and Service Operations Management to improve technical service performance, equipment reliability, and service delivery quality.

• Monitor key technical KPIs, including repeat service calls, first-time fix rate, technical case resolution, warranty recovery, and training effectiveness.

• Identify improvement opportunities, standardize technical best practices, and provide regular reports on technical issues, performance trends, and corrective actions.

Customer Escalation & Technical Relationship Management

• Act as the senior technical contact for major customer escalations involving complex equipment failures, recurring issues, or significant service-quality concerns.
• Lead technical meetings and customer discussions, representing DKSA management and coordinating stakeholders until resolution or agreement on a corrective action plan.
• Maintain strong customer relationships through timely communication, technical ownership, and sustainable solutions that improve customer confidence and satisfaction.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Business Support

• Collaborate with Sales, Projects, Service Sales, and Service Operations to provide technical input for service contracts, installations, commissioning, and equipment performance assessments.
• Support technical evaluations for major repairs, equipment upgrades, retrofit opportunities, and system optimization.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to address technical risks, improve serviceability, and ensure effective knowledge sharing.

Quality, Health, Safety & Compliance

• Ensure technical support activities, training programs, and field interventions comply with applicable health, safety, environmental, and company requirements.
• Promote safe working practices for chiller servicing, electrical isolation, refrigerant handling, and other HVAC service activities.
• Ensure adherence to Daikin technical procedures, service standards, quality requirements, and applicable warranty policies.

What You Need to Succeed

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Minimum of 15 years of experience in HVAC technical services or engineering support, including at least 10 years of specifically centrifugal chiller technical experience.
• Proven experience in complex technical troubleshooting, RCA, technical training, customer escalations, factory coordination, and quality or warranty claims.
• In-depth knowledge of centrifugal chillers, chilled-water systems, HVAC performance optimization, and troubleshooting, with a good understanding of VRV/DX systems, refrigeration, and airside equipment.
• Strong expertise in RCA methodologies, technical reporting, corrective action management, and development of technical training materials.
• Familiarity with HVAC controls, diagnostic tools, service software, commissioning, maintenance practices, warranty processes, and applicable safety standards.
• Strong technical leadership, coaching, and mentoring capabilities, with the ability to develop service team competencies.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong customer focus, accountability, organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple critical technical issues while driving continuous improvement.

Good climate starts with people Our employees are the beating heart of our company. At Daikin, you get to work in a positive environment backed by trust, creativity and continuous improvement. Together, we create our top-quality solutions by empowering talented teams. You will get plenty of opportunities to learn and grow. We are deeply committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace culture that reflects the communities we serve. Good climate starts with people.