Principal Operations Engineer – Mechanical, Data Center Operations

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

📋 Description

• Act as the primary technical authority for mechanical infrastructure throughout the fleet, encompassing chillers, cooling towers, CRACs/CRAHs, CDUs (direct-to-chip and immersion), dry coolers, economizers, pumping systems, water treatment, and related piping infrastructure.

• Conduct technical and operational site audits at both active and pre-activation locations; generate operational health assessments with prioritized findings and manage the remediation roadmap until closure with site leadership.

• Take ownership of mechanical operational readiness for new sites being activated — evaluate team capabilities, validate procedures, and personally authorize the operational transition from commissioning to steady-state operations.

• Review operational designs for new constructions and capacity enhancements; advocate for the operational perspective in design discussions and ensure that operability, maintainability, and reliability issues are identified and addressed prior to implementation.

• Provide structured operational insights back to the design and manufacturing teams as we progress toward standardized, productized data center constructions; reinforce effective patterns while eliminating those that have not performed well in operations.

• Draft and approve high-risk MOPs, EOPs, and AOPs; serve as the final technical approver for high-stakes mechanical tasks across the fleet.

• Lead root cause analysis for major thermal or mechanical incidents; drive corrective measures to completion and ensure that insights are shared across all sites.

• Contribute to and maintain the mechanical safety program in collaboration with EHS, holding explicit accountability for refrigerant handling, confined spaces, LOTO, and high-pressure systems discipline.

• Collaborate with QA/QC during construction to provide an operational viewpoint on workmanship, installation quality, and readiness for energization.

• Develop and deliver technical training for Field Engineers and operational teams; manage the technical curriculum for mechanical topics in the campus rotation and training framework.

• Mentor Field Engineers and aspiring operational leaders; serve as the senior technical authority during operational reviews, incident assessments, and design evaluations.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 10 years of practical experience with mission-critical mechanical and cooling systems, including at least 5 years as the senior technical representative on a site, campus, or fleet.

• Strongly preferred experience in data center operations; experience in central plants, industrial cooling, pharmaceuticals, or semiconductor mission-critical fields will also be considered.

• In-depth practical knowledge of chilled water plants, condenser water systems, CDUs and liquid cooling, air handling, refrigeration cycles, and pumping and piping systems — acquired through hands-on experience rather than theoretical knowledge.

• Proficient understanding of psychrometric charts, refrigeration cycles, and ASHRAE thermal guidelines relevant to data center environments.

• Proven capability to draft, approve, and execute high-risk MOPs and EOPs in active critical environments.

• A history of leading root cause analysis for significant thermal or mechanical incidents and effectively driving corrective actions to completion.

• A proven ability to hold OEMs, service vendors, and contractors accountable — you know how to uphold standards without damaging relationships.

• Strong written communication skills: operational health assessments, RCAs, procedure evaluations, and design review feedback are second nature.

• Comfortable functioning as the senior technical authority across operations, design, construction, hardware, and EHS.

• Willingness to travel extensively throughout the fleet.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive total compensation package (salary + equity).

• Retirement or pension plan, aligned with local standards.

• Health, dental, and vision insurance coverage.

• Generous PTO policy, consistent with local practices.