Principal Physical Design Engineer , Data Center Engineering

About the role

Join AWS Data Center Engineering and play a critical role in delivering hyperscale infrastructure at scale. As a Senior Engineer, you'll drive the physical design of data center buildings—from site planning through permitting and construction—translating capacity demands into efficient, repeatable building designs that power AWS's cloud infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Drive site planning, architectural development, and permitting through construction for assigned projects, translating capacity demands into efficient, scalable building designs
• Contribute to the development and refinement of architectural standards for data center layouts, modular construction approaches, and phased expansion strategies, identifying opportunities to improve density, cost, and deployment speed
• Deliver integrated designs across electrical, mechanical, and structural disciplines, evaluating trade-offs between cooling strategies, structural performance, and environmental requirements with data-driven analysis
• Support regulatory engagement and permitting strategies across assigned geographies, ensuring designs meet building codes, fire/life safety standards, and environmental regulations
• Collaborate with construction, procurement, and supply chain teams to improve site logistics, support prefabrication strategies, and identify bottlenecks that impact time-to-market
• Partner with architecture, engineering, and construction teams to drive alignment on priorities and navigate complex trade-offs within your project scope
• Contribute to continuous improvement through lessons learned, industry benchmarking, and exploration of high-density design, sustainable building strategies, and advanced construction techniques

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field
• 10+ years of experience in mission-critical facilities or large-scale infrastructure
• Demonstrated experience across: Concept design, Permitting and regulatory engagement, Construction execution and constructibility
• Strong understanding of: Building systems integration (architecture + MEP + structure), Building codes and permitting processes, Construction methodologies and sequencing