Lead Mechanical Engineer, Data Center Design

Responsibilities

Mechanical Strategy & Standards

• Define and own FluidStack's mechanical cooling strategy across the portfolio – from chip-level thermal interfaces through CDU/coolant distribution, chilled water plants, and heat rejection to atmosphere.
• Develop and maintain the mechanical basis of design, master specifications, standard drawings, and sequence of operations for all cooling systems.
• Drive key architectural decisions: coolant chemistry (e.g. clean PG25 circuits), chiller topology (air-cooled vs. water-cooled centrifugal), CDU elimination strategies, and medium-voltage chiller integration.
• Lead innovation on energy efficiency – free cooling, water-side economizers, waste-heat reuse – targeting best-in-class PUE and WUE across all sites.
• Establish thermal and hydraulic design criteria for high-density GPU deployments (75–150+ kW/rack) spanning direct liquid cooling, rear-door heat exchangers, and hybrid air/liquid architectures.
• Drive innovation and technology development across the mechanical and cooling discipline.

Modular Construction & Prefabrication

• Define the requirements for modular, prefabricated mechanical assemblies – including hot-aisle containment cooling units, chiller skids, pump packages, and piping modules – designed for rapid site deployment with minimal field interfaces.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and procurement to evaluate emerging cooling technologies and manufacturing partners – including 800VDC chiller platforms, CO₂-based systems, and integrated chiller/dry-cooler packages.
• Work with BIM and structural teams to ensure prefab mechanical modules integrate cleanly into the base-build design, with fabrication-ready models and coordinated BOMs.

Multi-Project Design Delivery

• Own mechanical design delivery across multiple concurrent data center programs – from concept through IFC, coordinating with external MEP consultants and internal discipline leads.
• Review and enforce mechanical deliverable quality at 30/60/90/IFC milestones; manage RFIs, design changes, and value engineering during construction.
• Produce and maintain project-specific mechanical documentation: P&IDs, equipment schedules, valve schedules, piping plans, cooling yard layouts, and pump room arrangements.
• Support factory acceptance testing, site quality inspections, and commissioning of mechanical systems including chilled water loop flushing, passivation, and hydraulic testing.
• Conduct CFD modeling and thermal capacity planning to validate airflow, pressure drop, and temperature targets for each deployment.

Team Leadership & Vendor Management

• Build and manage a mechanical engineering team – set priorities, mentor engineers, and create a culture of technical rigor and speed.
• Manage relationships with chiller, pump, dry cooler, and coolant distribution vendors; drive competitive procurement and hold suppliers accountable on lead time, quality, and performance.
• Represent FluidStack’s mechanical interests in cross-functional forums with electrical, controls, construction, operations, and customer engineering teams.
• Interface with customer technical teams on cooling requirements, thermal specifications, and rack-level integration for GPU and TPU deployments.

Basic Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent technical discipline.
• 10+ years of experience designing mechanical/cooling systems for data centers, with significant exposure to hyperscale or high-performance computing facilities.
• Deep technical knowledge of chilled water systems, air-cooled and water-cooled chillers, direct liquid cooling, and heat rejection plant design.
• Experience leading or managing a mechanical engineering team and directing external MEP consultants through a full design lifecycle.
• Working command of ASHRAE TC 9.9 thermal guidelines, liquid cooling best practices, and relevant mechanical codes (IMC, ASME, NFPA).
• Demonstrated ability to develop and enforce design standards, basis of design documents, and master specifications across a multi-site portfolio.
• Strong vendor network and procurement experience across chillers, pumps, piping, and cooling distribution equipment.
• Willingness to travel to project sites across the US (estimated 20–30%).

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineer (PE) license or Chartered Engineer credential.
• Direct experience with modular or prefabricated mechanical system design and off-site manufacturing coordination.
• Hands-on CFD experience (6SigmaET, Ansys Icepak, Flotherm) and proficiency with Revit/BIM workflows.
• Experience with medium-voltage (4.16 kV+) chiller applications and 800VDC power distribution architectures in data centers.
• Background in owner/developer-side roles (vs. pure consultant or EPC) with direct accountability for system performance and reliability.
• Experience commissioning large-scale chilled water plants, including chemical treatment, flushing programs, and hydraulic balancing.
• Familiarity with FM Global requirements for mechanical systems in mission-critical facilities.
• Exposure to AI/HPC-specific cooling challenges: high rack densities (75–150+ kW), GPU thermal management, and compute-refresh-ready infrastructure.

Benefits

• Competitive total compensation package (cash + equity).
• Retirement or pension plan, in line with local norms.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous PTO policy, in line with local norms.
• Base salary range: $300,000 - $350,000 per year, depending on experience, skills, qualifications, and location. Total compensation may also include equity in the form of stock options.