Mechanical HVAC Engineer SME - AI Data Centers

About the role

Your impact
This job opportunity is available at ANY location in the United States. Ideally, selected candidates will be near a Jacobs U.S. based office, but we intend to hire the “best” candidates.

Key Contributions

• Provide quality reviews of complex projects spanning HVAC, cooling, and mechanical systems for hyperscale data center facilities.
• Lead complex mechanical analyses and guide the selection of appropriate cooling methodologies — including airside/water-side economization, chilled water systems, dual temperature loop topology and direct liquid cooling — to ensure robust, code-compliant, and constructible design solutions.
• Develop and validate advanced mechanical simulation models (airflow, thermal, psychrometric), establish modeling standards, and mentor team members in best-practice simulation techniques.
• Oversee critical calculations for cooling load analysis, hydronic system design, and equipment selection; direct material take-offs and estimating inputs; and provide technical governance for schedules, design documentation, and interdisciplinary coordination.
• Drive energy performance strategy, including PUE optimization, heat rejection design, and thermal storage solutions aligned with hyperscale owner sustainability commitments.
• Partners with electrical, civil, structural, and controls disciplines to ensure mechanical systems integration across the full project lifecycle, from schematic design through commissioning and turnover.

Requirements

• Ability to quickly identify complex challenges, solve problems, communicate solutions, and direct junior and senior staff on best practices in mechanical design and systems integration.
• Understanding of the complexities of large contracts and different contract structures; ability to manage change orders and advocate for the engineering team against contractor liabilities.
• Experience with the full spectrum of data center mechanical systems — air-side and water-side cooling, heat rejection, chilled water plant design, power density thermal management, and liquid cooling — with the ability to speak to the executive level on any subject without advance notice.
• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. 15+ years of professional experience in mechanical engineering, with 5 or more years demonstrated depth in mission-critical and/or data center facility design.
• Registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Mechanical Engineering with the ability to obtain licensure in additional states.
• Proficiency with mechanical/HVAC design and simulation software such as Trane TRACE, Carrier HAP, Energy Plus, eQUEST, or equivalent.
• Knowledge of CAD and BIM platforms including AutoCAD MEP, Revit MEP, and MicroStation.
• Knowledge and application of ASHRAE 90.4 (Energy Standard for Data Centers) – including MLC Calculations, ASHRAE 55, ASHRAE 62.1, ASHRAE 9.9, NFPA 70, NFPA 110, IMC, and other industry-relevant design codes and standards.
• Proficiency with MS Office suite software including MS Teams for remote coordination.
• Able to travel to various client sites (approximately 10% to 40% travel).
• Ability to review and comment on drawings in Bluebeam.

Skills

• Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
• Experience with hyperscale facility design with key global clients (Microsoft, Google, Meta, Amazon, or similar).
• Deep familiarity with direct liquid cooling (DLC) and immersion cooling systems for high-density AI/GPU compute environments.
• Commissioning experience or ASHRAE/NEBB/AABC certification relevant to mission-critical mechanical systems.
• Ability to lead teams to deliver commitments on schedule and on budget while meeting quality and client expectations.
• Familiarity with thermal energy storage, district cooling, and heat recovery systems for large campus data center programs.

Pay

The base salary range for this position is $169,500.00 to $233,000.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.