Senior Associate, Data Center Mechanical Engineering

Job Description

As the Senior Associate, Data Center Mechanical Engineering (North America), you will support the development and implementation of mechanical design strategies for data center projects across the North America region. This role focuses on ensuring that mechanical systems are designed to meet customer requirements, operational needs, and program objectives for safety, reliability, scalability, and speed to market. You bring strong technical expertise in mechanical systems for data centers, combined with a practical understanding of design execution, constructability, and operations.

Responsibilities

• Support development and implementation of mechanical design strategies for North America data center projects, including cooling plants, heat rejection systems, chilled water systems, condenser water systems, air distribution systems, and associated controls interfaces.
• Collaborate with design management and consultant teams to ensure mechanical systems are fully coordinated and integrated with all disciplines (civil, architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, fire protection & life safety, controls, and security).
• Provide technical guidance and perform design reviews of mechanical systems to ensure compliance with company standards, industry codes, and project requirements.
• Support evaluation of cooling strategies and system configurations to meet customer requirements, reliability objectives, energy performance goals, and constructability considerations.
• Collaborate with project teams and utility or infrastructure stakeholders, as applicable, to support regional implementation of mechanical infrastructure strategies.
• Support sales engineering team in the preparation of technical responses for customer RFPs, including mechanical design narratives, system concepts, and solution development.
• Evaluate and select mechanical equipment, technologies, and vendor solutions in alignment with program objectives.
• Collaborate with construction and operations teams to ensure mechanical designs support efficient construction, commissioning, maintainability, and long-term operations.
• Identify risks related to mechanical system design, constructability, coordination, and schedule, and proactively support mitigation strategies.
• Stay informed on advancements in mechanical engineering and data center cooling technologies, and recommend improvements to enhance performance, efficiency, and reliability.
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of global mechanical design standards, specifications, and best practices in coordination with international peers.
• Participate in cross-regional collaboration efforts to align on design approaches and share lessons learned across the global portfolio.

Skills & Experience

• Minimum Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• Professional Engineering (PE) license.
• 7+ years of relevant experience in mechanical engineering for data center, mission-critical, or similarly complex infrastructure projects.
• Strong knowledge of mechanical systems including cooling plants, chilled water systems, heat rejection systems, air distribution systems, and controls integration for mission-critical environments.
• Familiarity with industry standards, codes, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience supporting design development and coordination with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Understanding of reliability, redundancy, and maintainability principles as applied to data center mechanical systems.
• Understanding of mechanical analytics tools, including load calculation, CFD modeling, and hydronic simulation modeling software.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and technical communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced project environment.
• Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience working on hyperscale or high-density data center projects.
• Experience with availability/reliability modeling.
• Familiarity with construction methodologies, cost considerations, and project execution for mechanical systems.
• Experience with prefabrication or modular design approaches.
• Experience participating in client-facing technical discussions and solution development.

Benefits

• The firm also offers robust Benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans; 401(k) program with company match; Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA); Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit.
• Ares offers a number of additional benefits including access to a world-class medical advisory team, a mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry, a mindfulness and wellbeing app, financial wellness benefit that includes access to a financial advisor, new parent leave, reproductive and adoption assistance, emergency backup care, matching gift program, education sponsorship program, and much more.