Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Summary

As a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, you will serve as the technical authority for mechanical systems design and delivery on large-scale data center and mission-critical infrastructure projects. With 10+ years of experience in the A/E industry, you will lead the full lifecycle of mechanical design — from conceptual development through commissioning — driving design quality and ensuring the reliability, scalability, and efficiency of HVAC and cooling infrastructure. This role requires deep expertise in data center cooling systems, a collaborative leadership style, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Primary Responsibilities

You will serve as the senior technical lead for mechanical design across the full project lifecycle — from concept development and load modeling through detailed engineering, construction documentation, commissioning, and operational handover.

You will lead and oversee mechanical engineers and designers, establishing design standards, reviewing deliverables, and cultivating a high-performance team culture rooted in technical excellence and knowledge sharing.

You will coordinate closely with Development, Procurement, Construction, and Operations teams, as well as Engineers of Record (EoRs), consultants, and contractors to resolve complex design challenges and maintain cross-disciplinary alignment.

You will drive the research and integration of emerging technologies and advanced cooling strategies to enhance thermal management, energy performance, and system reliability across data center environments.

You will own the review and quality control of all mechanical design documentation including drawing sets, piping schematics, airflow diagrams, shop drawings, submittals, and commissioning reports.

You will ensure all mechanical systems comply with project requirements, internal standards, ASHRAE guidelines, and applicable local building codes.

You will lead proactive schedule and budget management for mechanical scope, including evaluating value engineering proposals, tracking key milestones, and holding EoR and contractor partners accountable to deliverables.

You will lead factory witness testing, site inspections, TAB coordination, and commissioning activities, confirming system readiness and integration with building management systems (BMS).

You will collaborate with electrical, structural, and controls disciplines to ensure fully integrated and coordinated mechanical system designs.

You will drive project risk assessments by identifying mechanical-related risks and leading the development of mitigation strategies.

You will support the operations team during system handover, providing design intent context and ensuring maintainability and operability of mechanical systems post-turnover.

You will lead continuous improvement initiatives by incorporating lessons learned into updates to internal design tools, standards, templates, and delivery processes.

You will provide expert field support during construction, offering technical guidance and resolving installation challenges in coordination with the construction team.

Skills, Knowledge, Education, and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis on data center mechanical systems and mission-critical facilities.

Minimum 10 years’ experience in the A/E industry with direct experience supporting hyperscale, colocation, or enterprise data center projects.

Revit BIM design experience required, including coordination of large-scale mechanical rooms, central plants, and equipment layouts.

Deep expertise in data center cooling system design including chilled water plants, cooling towers, air-based and liquid-based cooling strategies, rear-door heat exchangers, and direct-to-chip cooling.

Proven proficiency in thermal load calculations, airflow modeling, and energy analysis using tools such as HAP, TRACE, IES, CFD software, or equivalent platforms.

Extensive background in the design, construction, testing, and commissioning of mission-critical mechanical systems including chillers, pumps, AHUs, CRAH/CRAC units, and associated control systems.

Professional Engineering (PE) license required.

Demonstrated experience with redundancy strategies (N, N+1, 2N), maintainability, and fault-tolerant design for high-uptime data center environments.

Knowledge and experience in estimating, mechanical system design, operation, and commissioning of data center cooling plants, including integrated systems testing (IST) and development of MOPs and SOPs.

Strong familiarity with data center performance metrics including PUE and WUE, and proven strategies to optimize energy and water efficiency.

Comprehensive understanding of professional services from conceptual planning and site selection through detailed design, construction administration, and project close-out.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, organizational skills, and ability to lead and collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams.

Passion for improving workflows and driving continuous improvement across the mechanical discipline.

Proficient with Microsoft Productivity Suite products.