Lead Mechanical Engineer, Data Center Design

About the role

The Data Center Design Team is seeking a Mechanical Cooling Strategy Owner to define and own Fluidstack's mechanical cooling strategy across the portfolio. This role involves leading the design, development, and execution of 50GW+ of data centers, driving the next generation of liquid cooling and electrical distribution systems, developing and scaling first-of-a-kind modular data centers, and influencing behind-the-meter designs and planning for multi-GW campuses.

Responsibilities

• Define and own Fluidstack's mechanical cooling strategy across the portfolio, from chip-level thermal interfaces through CDU and coolant distribution, chilled water plants, and heat rejection.
• Own the mechanical basis of design, master specs, standard drawings, and sequences of operation for every cooling system.
• Drive the architectural calls: coolant chemistry, chiller topology (air-cooled vs. water-cooled centrifugal), CDU elimination, medium-voltage chiller integration, and free cooling for best-in-class PUE and WUE.
• Define modular, prefabricated mechanical assemblies (containment cooling units, chiller skids, pump packages, piping modules) built for rapid deployment with minimal field interfaces.
• Own mechanical design delivery across multiple concurrent programs from concept through IFC, enforcing quality at each milestone and coordinating external MEP consultants.
• Build and manage the mechanical engineering team, and hold chiller, pump, and coolant vendors accountable on lead time, quality, and performance.

Requirements

• You've owned mechanical cooling design for hyperscale or high-performance data centers, from basis of design through commissioning.
• You have deep command of chilled water systems, air- and water-cooled chillers, direct liquid cooling, and heat rejection plant design at high rack densities (75 to 150+ kW/rack).
• You've built and led a mechanical engineering team and directed external MEP consultants through a full design lifecycle.
• You've developed and enforced design standards and master specs across a multi-site portfolio, not just delivered a single building.
• You've worked owner/developer-side with direct accountability for system performance, not just consultant or EPC scope.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• PE license or Chartered Engineer.
• CFD (6SigmaET, Ansys Icepak, Flotherm) and Revit/BIM.
• Medium-voltage and 800VDC chiller applications.
• ASHRAE TC 9.9.

Skills

• Strong understanding of HVAC systems, including chilled water systems, air- and water-cooled chillers, direct liquid cooling, and heat rejection plant design.
• Experience in designing and managing large-scale data center projects.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

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.

Pay

The base salary range for this position is $300,000 - $350,000 per year, depending on experience, skills, qualifications, and location. This range represents our good faith estimate of the compensation for this role at the time of posting. Total compensation may also include equity in the form of stock options.

Schedule

Full-time position.