Staff Engineer, Data Center

About the role

This role will be based in Hillsboro, OR.

At LinkedIn, our approach to flexible work is centered on trust and optimized for culture, connection, clarity, and the evolving needs of our business. The work location of this role is hybrid, meaning it will be performed both from home and from a LinkedIn office on select days, as determined by the business needs of the team.

This role focuses on Field Engineering and owner-side Infrastructure Delivery, ensuring data center infrastructure is planned, built, validated, commissioned, and transitioned into reliable production operation.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the field engineering lead for data center infrastructure systems, ensuring technical validation, commissioning readiness, and operational performance.
• Own technical oversight of infrastructure system performance and integrity across mechanical, electrical, cooling, liquid cooling, and white space systems.
• Review engineering drawings, specifications, and submittals to identify system risks, constructability issues, and integration gaps.
• Provide field technical leadership for liquid cooling systems, including CDU operation, coolant distribution performance, controls integration, leak detection diagnostics, startup validation, troubleshooting, and optimization.
• Validate field conditions and ensure installed systems meet design intent, technical standards, and operational requirements.
• Lead commissioning activities including startup, integrated systems testing, and operational readiness validation.
• Investigate field issues, installation conflicts, equipment deficiencies, and design discrepancies, driving timely resolution and corrective actions.
• Perform root cause analysis and resolution of infrastructure performance issues across mechanical, electrical, and cooling systems.
• Partner with operations teams to support system reliability, optimization, and post-turnover performance improvement.
• Lead owner-side execution of data center infrastructure delivery, including white space buildouts, retrofits, capacity expansions, and infrastructure upgrades.
• Drive field execution of data center infrastructure deployments, ensuring mechanical, electrical, cooling, liquid cooling, networking, and supporting infrastructure systems are installed, integrated, and delivered in accordance with design and operational requirements.
• Work directly with contractors, subcontractors, vendors, landlords, and commissioning teams to ensure successful infrastructure delivery.
• Drive field execution planning, including sequencing, logistics coordination, constraints management, and installation readiness.
• Monitor construction progress, schedule performance, field risks, and installation quality; drive resolution of execution issues as needed.
• Support procurement and execution activities including scope definition, technical vendor evaluations, and bid reviews.
• Conduct site walks and field reviews to ensure alignment with design intent, safety requirements, and delivery objectives.
• Own punch-list closure, turnover documentation, as-built validation, and readiness for operational handoff.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, Civil Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years of experience in field engineering, data center infrastructure delivery, commissioning, construction execution, or related infrastructure roles.
• Experience supporting installation, commissioning, and operational readiness of critical infrastructure systems in mission-critical environments.
• Experience with data center mechanical, electrical, cooling, and white space infrastructure systems.
• Experience supporting infrastructure deployment activities, including fit-outs, capacity expansions, retrofits, or infrastructure upgrades.
• Experience with liquid cooling systems or high-density compute environments (GPU/AI infrastructure preferred).
• Experience working in live or active data center environments during infrastructure deployment and operational activities.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering and construction documentation, including drawings, specifications, RFIs, submittals, schedules, and change documentation.
• Experience collaborating with engineering, operations, contractors, vendors, commissioning agents, and landlords.
• Experience with field troubleshooting, technical problem-solving, and issue-resolution skills.
• Ability to travel to project sites as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in AI infrastructure, hyperscale data centers, or other high-density compute environments.
• Experience with liquid cooling systems, including CDU integration, coolant distribution networks, thermal management, and cooling performance optimization.
• Experience supporting integrated systems testing, commissioning, startup, and operational handoff of critical infrastructure systems.
• Familiarity with data center infrastructure including servers, GPUs, racks, structured cabling, fiber networks, network infrastructure, and MMR/POP environments.
• Experience operating across both field engineering and construction execution responsibilities within mission-critical facilities.
• Experience working in live operational data center environments while supporting infrastructure deployment, upgrades, or expansions.