CFD Engineer, Data Centers

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Virginia.

📋 Description

• Conduct internal and external airflow, thermal, and equipment discharge analyses.

• Manage the complete CFD study lifecycle, from clarifying design questions and establishing methodologies to preparing technical reports.

• Create geometrical models, generate meshes, define boundary conditions, solve models, verify convergence, and analyze results.

• Execute data hall analyses focusing on rack temperatures, airflow distribution, containment, bypass, recirculation, cooling unit placement, rack density, failure modes, and capacity expansion.

• Perform external analyses for cooling towers, chillers, dry coolers, generator and boiler exhaust, mechanical yards, air intakes, heat rejection, plume behavior, and thermal re-entrainment.

• Carry out steady-state and transient analyses for outages, equipment failures, load changes, control sequences, and thermal ride-through scenarios.

• Develop and document modeling assumptions, identify data gaps, and evaluate their implications.

• Implement verification and validation practices, including mesh sensitivity checks, mass and energy balances, convergence assessments, hand calculations, and correlation with measured data.

• Assess results against project specifications, ASHRAE TC 9.9 guidelines, client requirements, relevant codes, and industry standards.

• Convert findings into actionable recommendations for equipment, airflow management, containment, intake/exhaust separation, controls, phasing, redundancy, and resilience.

• Create client-ready reports and visualizations.

• Present findings and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and clients.

• Contribute to the development of standardized templates, procedures, quality control checklists, libraries, and lessons learned documentation.

• Facilitate technical knowledge sharing and mentor junior staff.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related engineering field.

• Over 6 years of practical CFD experience, including direct application to data centers, mission-critical facilities, or similarly complex thermal management environments.

• Proficient with at least one CFD software platform, such as Cadence 6SigmaDCX, Ansys Fluent, Ansys CFX, or OpenFOAM.

• Strong understanding of fluid mechanics, heat transfer, thermodynamics, turbulence modeling, and HVAC system functionality.

• Experience in modeling both internal and external environments.

• Familiarity with data center cooling architectures, HVAC systems, redundancy concepts, controls and failure scenarios, and standard thermal performance metrics.

• Professional Engineer (PE) designation preferred.

• Experience with relevant U.S. codes and standards is preferred.

• Proven ability to independently execute CFD studies from initial scoping to final reporting.

• Capable of developing boundary conditions based on design specifications and equipment performance data.

• Excellent technical writing, visualization, and presentation abilities.

• Sponsorship for U.S. employment authorization is currently not available nor will it be in the future.

• Must be available for in-person onboarding on Day 1 at an AECOM office.

🏝️ Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• Life, AD&D, and disability insurance.

• Paid time off.

• Leaves of absence.

• Optional benefits and perks.

• Flexible work arrangements.

• Resources for well-being.

• Employee assistance programs.

• Business travel insurance.

• Service recognition initiatives.

• Retirement savings plans.

• Employee stock purchase options.

• Award-winning training and development opportunities.

• Career growth and mobility prospects.

• Opportunities for global projects.

• In-person onboarding on Day 1 at an AECOM office.