Principal Design Engineer
Leads full-lifecycle engineering design of modular data centers, owning electrical, mechanical, thermal, and structural domains for AI infrastructure. Requires 10+ years in data center design, partner management expertise, and mastery of safety standards and CAD tools.
About the job
What You’ll Be Working On
- Design Ownership & First-Principles Engineering: Drive the medium- and low-voltage electrical architecture, structural enclosure design, and thermal management for Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC/CDU).
- Design for Manufacturing (DFM): Embed DFM best practices into every design revision, ensuring engineering packages are optimized for high-volume production at Crusoe Industries and external manufacturing partners.
- Safety & Compliance: Ensure all designs comply with applicable safety standards including UL, CE, NEC, NFPA, and OSHA for modular and containerized electrical equipment.
- Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT): Own the development and continuous improvement of FAT protocols to verify electrical distribution, protection, UPS performance, and structural integrity before unit release.
- External Partner Management: Serve as the primary engineering contact for all external design firms and specialty consultants, owning scope definition, deliverable quality, and schedule accountability.
- Liquid Cooling Transition: Lead systems-level engineering for the shift from air-cooled units to DLC/CDU architectures, managing integration impacts on power density and structural loads.
- Technical Documentation: Own the complete engineering design package for each Spark version, including drawings, specifications, BOMs, and interface control documents ready for manufacturing hand-off.
What You’ll Bring to the Team
Education: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline. A Master’s degree and an active Professional Engineer (PE) license are strongly preferred.
Experience: 10+ years of progressive engineering experience in data center design, modular infrastructure, or industrial power systems.
Partner Management: 10+ years of demonstrated experience managing external design engineering partners with direct accountability for budget and schedule.
Technical Depth: Mastery across medium-voltage power distribution, structural analysis for containerized systems, heat transfer fundamentals, and seismic/wind load calculations.
Safety Mastery: Expert knowledge of electrical safety standards (NFPA 70E), arc flash hazard analysis, and UL/CE compliance.
Software Proficiency: Proficiency with CAD/BIM platforms, electrical single-line design tools, and/or thermal simulation software.
Bonus Points:
- Familiarity with the physical layer requirements of high-performance computing (HPC) and large-scale AI workloads.
- Experience with agency certification strategies for modular electrical equipment in multiple global jurisdictions.
- Track record of scaling a physical product from prototype through high-volume production.
Benefits
- Competitive compensation
- Restricted Stock Units
- Paid time off & paid holidays
- Comprehensive health, dental & vision insurance
- Employer contributions to HSA account
- Paid parental leave
- Paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability
- Professional development & tuition reimbursement
- Mental health & wellness support
- Commuter benefits (parking & transit)
- Cell phone stipend
- 401(k) Retirement plan with company match up to 4% of salary
Compensation Range: $200,000 – $240,000 + Bonus. Restricted Stock Units are included in all offers. Compensation to be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and market alignment.
Skills
CAD, Bim, Electrical Single-Line Design, Thermal Simulation, Medium-Voltage Power Distribution, Structural Analysis, Direct Liquid Cooling, Cdu, Ul Compliance, Ce Compliance, Nfpa 70E, Arc Flash Analysis, Seismic Analysis, Wind Load Calculations
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