# Lead Mechanical Engineer, Data Center Design

**Company:** [Fluidstack](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/fluidstack)
**Location:** Austin, TX, New York, NY, San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Hardware Engineering
**Salary:** $250k – $300k/yr
**Experience:** 10+ years
**Skills:** Chilled Water Systems, Air-Cooled Chillers, Water-Cooled Chillers, Direct Liquid Cooling, Heat Rejection, Cfd Modeling, Revit, Bim, P&Ids, Ashrae Tc 9.9, Modular Prefabrication, Mep Coordination
**Posted:** 2026-04-12

> Leads mechanical cooling strategy and design for large-scale AI data centers, owning systems from chip to chiller across multi-site portfolios. Manages engineering team, modular prefab development, and vendor coordination for high-density GPU deployments (75–150+ kW/rack). Requires 10+ years data center cooling experience and BS in Mechanical Engineering.

## Job Description

## 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.

## Similar roles

- [Commissioning Mechanical Lead, Data Centers](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/ea181179-5f3f-45c2-8f79-3e6f79d5f23a) - Fluidstack - Austin, TX - $250k – $300k/yr
- [Senior Front End Design Engineer](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/d6446251-e94a-42ae-b284-133d476a2f0c) - Cerebras Systems - Sunnyvale, CA - $250k – $300k/yr
- [Advanced Packaging Reliability Engineer](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/1f944ac3-5adf-487d-bdc0-23d4349f8ba5) - OpenAI - San Francisco, CA - $266k – $445k/yr
- [Senior RTL Engineer, Interconnect Design](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/ca28e35f-ea12-46ec-b95e-bfaad6374b87) - OpenAI - San Francisco, CA - $225k – $445k/yr
- [Manager, Mechanical Engineering](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/387b7eae-b095-4c18-ba8f-c65a4cff3f50) - Eightsleep - San Francisco, CA - $225k – $300k/yr

**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/602f0463-5b7b-437e-b6b5-409269dd665b
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/602f0463-5b7b-437e-b6b5-409269dd665b