Principal Mechanical Engineer Data Centers

About the role

The Principal Mechanical Engineer DTC (Data Centers) serves as Exentec’s senior technical authority for mission-critical mechanical infrastructure, providing expertise in cooling, thermal management, controls, and facility systems that support hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, and high-performance computing environments. Operating within Exentec’s 24×7 managed data center facilities, this role drives reliability, operational excellence, and uptime through technical leadership, incident response, engineering guidance, and continuous improvement initiatives across a global portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the global SME for data center critical infrastructure, including mechanical, electrical, controls, cooling, and environmental systems.
• Develop and maintain engineering standards, reliability strategies, commissioning requirements, and operational best practices.
• Review designs, technical documentation, and operating procedures to ensure compliance with Exentec standards.
• Drive system reliability, capacity planning, energy efficiency, and performance optimization initiatives.
• Lead root cause investigations, incident response efforts, and corrective action programs to improve uptime and reduce risk.
• Serve as the highest-level technical escalation point for critical data center events and operational challenges.
• Validate monitoring, analytics, and predictive maintenance strategies to enhance operational resilience.
• Develop and oversee technical training, Management of Change (MOC), auditing, and continuous improvement programs.
• Mentor technical teams and promote knowledge sharing, best practices, and operational excellence across the organization.
• Partner with clients, OEMs, and industry stakeholders to advance innovation, support business development, and deliver strategic data center improvements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
• 12+ years of experience in mission-critical data center engineering, operations, or design.
• Advanced degree or Professional Engineering license (PE).
• Deep expertise in data center infrastructure including:
  • Redundant electrical architectures (UPS topologies, MV/LV, STS)
  • Data center cooling technologies (air, liquid, hybrid)
  • Controls, automation, and alarm management
  • Airflow optimization and environmental control
• Strong capabilities in root cause analysis, failure mode identification, and reliability engineering.
• Proficient with BMS/EPMS platforms, CFD tools, trending/analytics, and reliability modeling.
• Excellent communication skills, able to influence across all levels.
• Ability to travel 30–40% globally.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in digital twins, predictive maintenance tools, or automated optimization algorithms.
• Technical Mastery: Deep and broad understanding of data center MEP systems.
• Reliability Focus: Expert in redundancy strategies, uptime protection, and incident prevention.
• Strategic Thinking: Able to shape data center designs, standards, and capacity plans.
• Leadership: Guides global teams and elevates organizational capability.
• Analytical Expertise: Uses data to predict failures, optimize cooling, and improve PUE.
• Client & Sales Support: Communicates technical value and supports new business wins.