Senior Engineer, Advanced Research

Dana is a global leader in the supply of highly engineered driveline, sealing, and thermal-management technologies that improve the efficiency and performance of vehicles with both conventional and alternative-energy powertrains. Serving two primary markets – passenger vehicle and commercial truck equipment – Dana provides the world's original-equipment manufacturers and the aftermarket with local product and service support through a network of nearly 100 engineering, manufacturing, and distribution facilities.

We are seeking a  Senior Engineer, Advanced R&D based in Oakville to lead the technical exploration and development of next-generation electronics liquid cooling solutions. The role will initially focus on high-performance compute (HPC) cooling, which encompasses on-board vehicle compute cooling, including ADAS and infotainment systems, as well as datacenter chip cooling for GPUs, CPUs, and other high-heat-flux electronic devices. The role will also expand to support power electronics and battery cooling product development.

This position differs from a conventional product development engineering role. The successful candidate must be comfortable working in technically uncertain and rapidly changing environments, where requirements may be incomplete and the path to commercialization has not yet been defined. The engineer will organize complex technical, customer, manufacturing, and market information into a coherent engineering perspective that guides technology selection and product development direction.

The role combines advanced thermal-fluid analysis, simulation, experimentation, prototype development, customer engagement, and technical communication. The Senior Engineer will collaborate with global engineering, product, manufacturing, and business development teams to transform promising concepts into technically credible, manufacturable, and commercially relevant product opportunities.

Main Responsibilities

• Advance novel HPC thermal management solutions, balancing thermal performance with manufacturability and cost.
• Lead early-stage technical investigations using first principles analysis, simulation, experimentation, benchmarking, and review of emerging technologies.
• Apply strong analytical and critical thinking skills to organize incomplete or conflicting information, identify governing technical factors, quantify uncertainty, and recommend clear development directions.
• Engage deeply with customer advanced engineering and product teams to understand their technical challenges and define requirements for next-generation liquid cooling products.
• Guide Dana’s global CAE teams to apply thermal-fluid models, including CFD and thermal FEA, to evaluate concepts and guide engineering decisions.
• Participate in the design, fabrication and validation of advanced prototypes in coordination with customers, and internal product and manufacturing teams. Analyze customer feedback and translate learnings into product improvements and development priorities.
• Communicate highly technical information internally through reports, presentations, and design reviews to inform product development and technology roadmaps.
• Support business development activities by evaluating new opportunities, contributing technical content to customer proposals, and developing credible technical value propositions.
• Represent Dana in customer meetings, supplier discussions, conferences, and other technical forums, including travel and delivery of external technical presentations.
• Document and protect new technical knowledge through engineering reports, invention disclosures, and patent-related activities, as appropriate.

Qualifications

• Hold a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Physics, or a related field. A master’s degree or PhD is preferred.
• Bring seven plus years of experience in advanced development, applied research, technology development, product innovation, or customer-facing engineering.
• Demonstrate strong knowledge and practical experience in electronics thermal management, particularly liquid cooling of GPUs, CPUs, systems-on-chip, power electronics, embedded computers, or other high-heat-flux devices.
• Have a strong foundation in heat transfer, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, thermal interfaces, flow distribution, pressure drop analysis, and heat exchanger design.
• Demonstrate exceptional analytical and critical thinking skills, including the ability to decompose ambiguous problems, distinguish evidence from assumptions, reconcile information from multiple sources, and convert analysis into practical recommendations.
• Have experience with thermal simulation, including CFD and thermal FEA applied to electronics cooling, cold plates, heat exchangers, or related thermal-management systems.
• Have practical experience with prototype development, test planning, instrumentation, data acquisition, uncertainty assessment, and interpretation of complex experimental results.
• Have exposure to manufacturing processes relevant to heat exchangers and liquid cooling hardware, such as forming, machining, extrusion, joining, sealing, and leak testing. Knowledge of controlled-atmosphere brazing is an asset.
• Be proficient with Python, MATLAB, or similar tools for engineering analysis, data processing, automation, and development of small engineering utilities.
• Demonstrate fluency with modern software development and AI-assisted techniques, including use of large language models for research, coding, analysis, documentation, and internal tool development. Experience with high-performance computing is an asset.
• Be technically curious, self-directed, and comfortable operating in an Advanced R&D environment where requirements and solution paths evolve as knowledge is developed.
• Possess strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical subjects to customers, technical experts, commercial teams, and senior leadership.
• Communicate clearly in written and spoken English. Additional languages are an asset due to Dana’s global customer base.

Why Join Us?

�� Competitive salary & benefits package
�� Career growth opportunities in a dynamic manufacturing environment
⚙️Work with cutting-edge quality systems and improvement methodologies
�� Be part of a collaborative and forward-thinking team

The expected annual base salary range for this role is $ 90,000- 110,000 CAD.

The actual base salary offered to the successful candidate may vary based on multiple factors including but not limited to, individual's expertise and level of experience applicable to the role they are being offered.

This job is for a new position

We do not use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to screen, assess, or select applicants

Dana Canada is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing employment accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If contacted for an employment opportunity or testing, please advise Human Resources if you require accommodation.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

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