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Mechanical Thermal Principal Design Engineer in San Francisco

45 active opportunities · Updated October 2026

Explore current mechanical thermal principal design engineer jobs in San Francisco. Filter by work mode, employment type, experience, department, date posted and distance.

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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time
✓ Quality checkedCompany trend -80.2%

About the Team Our Robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and pushing towards AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world settings. Working across the entire model stack, we integrate cutting-edge hardware and software to explore a broad range of robotic form factors. We strive to seamlessly blend high-level AI capabilities with the constraints of physical systems to improve peoples’ lives. About the Role We are seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the design, integration, and sustaining engineering of mechanical subsystems in robotic platforms. You will work closely with experienced engineers and cross-functional partners to set functional requirements, develop and iterate on hardware to meet program expectations. This role is aimed at candidates with strong fundamentals in mechanical system design — including tolerance, alignment, load paths, wear, and failure modes — and robotics. You will contribute to real hardware programs moving from prototype through early production. You will lead both new subsystem development and ongoing improvements to existing systems based on testing, field performance, and manufacturing feedback. This role is based in San Francisco, CA, and requires in-person presence 4 days a week. In this role, you will Lead the design and iteration of mechanical subsystems, including structures, mechanisms, and actuators. Create and maintain CAD models, assemblies, and drawings with appropriate tolerancing and documentation. Build and test prototypes, supporting debugging of mechanical issues such as fit, alignment, friction, and wear. Assist in developing test methods and executing validation to evaluate performance, durability, and failure modes. Work with cross-functional teams to integrate mechanical components with sensors, actuators, and control systems. Support transition of designs from prototype to manufacturable assemblies, incorporating DFM and DFA considerations. Collaborate with manufacturing partners

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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time
✓ Quality checkedCompany trend -80.2%

About the Team Our Robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and pushing towards AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world settings. Working across the entire model stack, we integrate cutting-edge hardware and software to explore a broad range of robotic form factors. We strive to seamlessly blend high-level AI capabilities with the constraints of physical systems to improve peoples’ lives. About the Role We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer to design and prototype novel tactile, proprioceptive and force sensor solutions. You will work closely with experienced engineers and cross-functional partners to set functional requirements, develop and iterate on hardware to meet program expectations. This role is aimed at candidates with strong fundamentals in mechanical system design and robotic sensing including tactile sensors, force sensing and position sensing. You will contribute to real hardware programs moving from prototype through early production. You will lead both new sensor subsystem development and ongoing improvements to existing systems based on testing, field performance, and manufacturing feedback. This role is based in San Francisco, CA, and requires in-person presence 4 days a week. In this role, you will Lead the design and iteration of mechanical subsystems, including tactile sensors, load cells, force torque sensors and joint encoders. Create and maintain CAD models, assemblies, and drawings with appropriate tolerancing and documentation. Build and test prototypes, supporting debugging of mechanical issues such as fit, alignment, friction, and wear. Assist in developing test methods and executing validation to evaluate performance, durability, calibration and failure modes. Work with cross-functional teams to integrate mechanical components with sensors, actuators, and control systems. Support transition of designs from prototype to manufacturable assemblies, incorporating DFM and DFA considerations. Collaborate with manufact

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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time
✓ Quality checkedCompany trend -80.2%

About the Team Our Robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and pushing towards AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world settings. Working across the entire model stack, we integrate cutting-edge hardware and software to explore a broad range of robotic form factors. We strive to seamlessly blend high-level AI capabilities with the constraints of physical systems to improve peoples’ lives. About the Role We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer to lead the engineering, characterization, and productionization of flexible and compliant components in robotic platforms. You will partner closely with cross-functional teams to translate material concepts into engineered subsystems that meet functional, durability, and manufacturing requirements. This role focuses on understanding how soft materials behave in dynamic mechanical systems — including fatigue, creep, hysteresis, wear, and environmental degradation — and designing assemblies that perform consistently at scale. You will work with materials such as elastomers, foams, thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs), engineered fabrics, knitted and woven textiles, cables, and other flexible load-bearing or transmission elements, integrating them with rigid hardware, sensors, and actuators using fabrication methods such as bonding, molding, lamination, and sewn assemblies. This role is based in San Francisco, CA, and requires in-person presence 4 days a week. In this role, you will Design and integrate compliant or flexible materials into mechanical subsystems and rigid hardware interfaces. Leverage FEA tools to characterize material behavior under operational loads, including tension, compression, abrasion, fatigue, and environmental exposure. Develop test methods and validation protocols to evaluate durability, performance, and failure modes of soft components. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to transition early prototypes into manufacturable designs. Source and evaluate materials in collaboratio

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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time
✓ Quality checkedCompany trend -80.2%

About the Team OpenAI's Industrial Compute organization is building the world's most advanced AI infrastructure ecosystem. Working alongside leading cloud providers, engineering firms, construction partners, utilities, and equipment manufacturers, we are delivering hyperscale AI campuses that enable the next generation of frontier AI models. The Strategic Sourcing team develops and executes the commercial strategies that ensure our infrastructure programs have reliable access to the equipment, materials, and strategic partners needed to deliver at unprecedented scale. We partner closely with Infrastructure Delivery, Capacity Planning, Design Engineering, Hardware Operations, Finance, Legal, and our external suppliers to build a resilient global supply network capable of supporting Industrial Compute's long-term growth. As we continue expanding globally, strategic sourcing becomes a critical competitive advantage, ensuring our infrastructure programs remain cost-effective, resilient, and capable of executing against aggressive deployment timelines. About the Role We are seeking a Strategic Sourcing Manager, Data Center Infrastructure to lead sourcing strategy for the critical infrastructure systems that power Industrial Compute campuses. This role will develop commercial strategies, negotiate strategic supplier agreements, and manage relationships across engineering, construction, manufacturing, and infrastructure partners responsible for delivering mission-critical facilities. You will work closely with Infrastructure Delivery, Capacity Planning, Engineering, Finance, Construction, and external suppliers to ensure Industrial Compute has the capacity, supplier relationships, and commercial frameworks required to support rapid global expansion. The ideal candidate has experience sourcing major infrastructure systems for hyperscale data centers, mission-critical facilities, industrial construction, semiconductor manufacturing, energy infrastructure, or similarly comple

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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time
✓ High-confidence listingCompany trend -80.2%
Quick readStrong listing-quality and freshness signals

About the Team OpenAI’s Industrial Compute team is building and productizing infrastructure capabilities that help organizations deploy and operate advanced AI systems at scale. The team works across AI hardware, systems engineering, physical infrastructure, and customer delivery to turn emerging technologies into reliable, repeatable infrastructure solutions. Our work sits at the intersection of technical strategy, product development, engineering, and deployment. We partner closely with customers and internal engineering teams to solve complex infrastructure challenges spanning compute, power, cooling, controls, and facility efficiency. About the Role We are seeking a senior, hands-on Data Center Infrastructure Architect to develop and optimize the physical infrastructure required for large-scale AI deployments. This is a broad technical role spanning data center architecture, electrical and mechanical systems, high-density compute, controls, telemetry, and digital modeling. You will use simulation, operational data, and digital-twin approaches to evaluate infrastructure designs, identify system-level constraints, and improve efficiency, reliability, cost, and speed of deployment. The ideal candidate can move fluidly between first-principles analysis, facility and equipment design, computational modeling, engineering review, and real-world implementation. You should be comfortable working across disciplines rather than operating solely within electrical, mechanical, or software boundaries. Key Responsibilities Define system-level architectures for high-density AI data centers across power, cooling, IT equipment, controls, and facility infrastructure. Develop digital twins and other computational models that represent the behavior of data center systems under changing workloads, environmental conditions, equipment configurations, and failure scenarios. Use design and operational data to identify constraints, improve PUE and related efficiency metrics, and optimize

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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time· Remote
✓ High-confidence listingCompany trend -80.2%
Quick readStrong listing-quality and freshness signals

About the Team Industrial Compute is building the world's most advanced AI infrastructure. Working alongside our capital partners, engineering teams, and construction organizations, we design and deliver large-scale, mission-critical compute campuses that power the next generation of AI. Our Design organization brings together engineering, construction, and digital design to ensure facilities are coordinated, constructible, and optimized from the earliest planning phases through deployment. About the Role We are seeking a BIM Designer & Coordinator to support the planning and design of large-scale industrial and mission-critical facilities. In this role, you will develop, coordinate, and maintain multidisciplinary BIM models across Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Architectural, and Structural disciplines, enabling early design validation, constructability reviews, equipment planning, and cross-functional coordination. You will partner closely with internal engineering teams, external design consultants, contractors, and project stakeholders to produce coordinated BIM deliverables that improve design quality, reduce project risk, and support efficient execution across Industrial Compute's global infrastructure portfolio. Key Responsibilities: Develop and maintain conceptual and schematic BIM models for large-scale industrial and MEP-intensive facilities. Coordinate BIM models across Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Architectural, and Structural disciplines. Create and maintain federated models used for design reviews, spatial coordination, constructability analysis, and clash detection. Model major building systems including equipment layouts, utility corridors, electrical rooms, mechanical rooms, structural framing, site infrastructure, and architectural constraints. Coordinate equipment clearances, maintenance access, routing zones, shafts, risers, utility entrances, and major MEP pathways. Translate engineering sketches, basis-of-design documents, equipment lists

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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time
✓ High-confidence listingCompany trend -80.2%
Quick readStrong listing-quality and freshness signals

About the Team The Consumer Devices team at OpenAI builds end-to-end hardware and software systems that bring AI into the physical world. We work at the intersection of custom silicon, embedded systems, operating systems, cloud services, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and product design to deliver reliable, production-ready devices at scale. Within Consumer Devices, Hardware Engineering eXperience, or HEX, is a new bootstrapped team building the environments, applications, compute, product-data systems, and workflows that let hardware engineers do their work without needing to troubleshoot the machinery underneath. HEX owns virtual engineering environments, HPC/GPU compute, storage, networking, licensing, MCAD/ECAD/CAE applications, PLM, product data, automation, validation, and support as one connected system. About the Role As a Staff PLM & Engineering Applications Engineer, you will be one of the first technical builders of HEX and the primary counterpart to the HEX lead. You will own the engineering-application and product-data side of the hardware engineering experience, with an initial focus on NX, Teamcenter, licensing, parts import, integrations, packaging, validation, and user workflows. This is not a traditional Teamcenter administration role and not a Corporate IT application-support role. You will take complex, fragile workflows and turn them into reliable engineering systems. This role is highly hands-on and systems-oriented. You will not inherit a mature environment and support queue. You will help build a fresh one, replacing manual setup guides, tribal knowledge, repeated support issues, and team handoffs with tested automation and reliable workflows. In This Role, You Will Own the technical architecture, deployment, configuration, integration, validation, and long-term operation of NX and Teamcenter. Build reliable workflows for parts import, product-data migration, metadata quality, BOMs, revisions, lifecycle states, and releas

PythonAWSRestAgile
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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time· Remote
✓ High-confidence listingCompany trend -80.2%
Quick readStrong listing-quality and freshness signals

About the Team Our Robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and pushing towards AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world settings. Working across the entire model stack, we integrate cutting-edge hardware and software to explore a broad range of robotic form factors. We strive to seamlessly blend high-level AI capabilities with the constraints of physical systems to improve peoples’ lives. About the Role We are seeking Manufacturing Engineers to lead the development of processes, tooling, and prototype builds for custom motors and actuators. You will own a primary area as a Stator Process / Manufacturing Engineer, Tooling / Fixture Engineer, or Prototype Manufacturing Engineer, taking that work from early development through validation and repeatable execution in close partnership with mechanical, electromagnetic, electrical, test, quality, and supplier teams. These roles focus on the development, integration, and validation of electromechanical manufacturing capabilities, including stator winding processes, assembly and inspection tooling, and actuator prototype builds. You will help translate engineering designs into reliable hardware while establishing scalable processes, equipment, and build practices for future robotic platforms. This role is based in San Francisco, CA, and requires in-person presence 5 days a week. In this role, you will Each opening focuses on one of the three specialties below, with shared responsibility for reliable processes and hardware. Stator Process / Manufacturing: develop and validate stacking, winding, termination, and potting processes. Establish process parameters, work instructions, and defect controls that produce consistent results across trained operators. Tooling / Fixture: design and deliver winding tools, assembly fixtures, inspection gauges, and bench equipment, from CAD and drawings through fabrication, commissioning, and troubleshooting. Improve setup time, labor, and repeatability. Prototype M

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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time· Remote
✓ High-confidence listingCompany trend -80.2%
Quick readStrong listing-quality and freshness signals

About the Team OpenAI's Industrial Compute organization is building and scaling the infrastructure required to support frontier AI. The Infrastructure Strategic Sourcing team connects technical and project requirements to supplier readiness, contracting, purchasing, equipment delivery, and portfolio-level risk visibility across owner-furnished contractor-installed equipment (OFCI), data center networking, rack systems and integration, fiber, cabling, optical interconnects, and related infrastructure. The team partners across Pre-Construction, Design, Construction, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Network Engineering, Hardware and Rack Delivery, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Legal, Finance, Accounts Payable, Logistics, and external suppliers. We build the operating mechanisms that keep sourcing decisions, purchase execution, long-lead equipment, network and fiber dependencies, rack readiness, and delivery commitments aligned to infrastructure schedules. About the Role We are seeking an Infrastructure Sourcing Operations Lead to own procurement operations across pre-construction, design, construction, and sourcing through purchase order issuance, while maintaining visibility through invoice resolution, production, logistics, delivery, installation, and readiness. The portfolio includes electrical and mechanical OFCI, networking equipment, rack systems and integration, fiber, cabling, optical interconnects, and other infrastructure required to bring capacity online. In this role, you will set priorities, make or escalate decisions that affect cost, supplier relationships, contractual position, and delivery schedules, and define the standards used by execution support for queue management, documentation, tracker maintenance, and recurring reporting. Success requires sound commercial and program judgment, operational rigor, systems thinking, and the ability to turn incomplete information across vendors, tools, and project teams into clear decisions, accountable

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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time· Remote
✓ Quality checkedCompany trend -80.2%

About Team Our Robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and advancing toward AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world environments. Working across the full model and systems stack, we integrate cutting-edge hardware and software to explore a broad range of robotic form factors. We strive to seamlessly blend high-level AI capabilities with the physical constraints of real-world systems to improve people’s lives. About the Role We are looking for a Technical Program Manager to own actuator development and integration from system goals through production readiness. The actuator program spans mechanical, electrical, firmware, harnessing, controls, test, reliability, manufacturing, and supply chain, and needs a TPM who can turn cross-functional decisions into clear scope, executable milestones, and timely decisions. In this role, you will help the team converge on the right technical plan, surface risks early, and deliver reliable actuator systems on schedule. This role is based in San Francisco, CA and requires in-person presence 4 days a week. In this role you will: Drive actuator programs end-to-end, aligning scope, milestones, interfaces, dependencies, and exit criteria across engineering teams. Drive scope lock and technical convergence for sprints, MVPs, and stretch goals while connecting component decisions to system performance. Coordinate actuator development across motors, gears, sensing, electronics, and firmware, and align the electrical and mechanical interfaces that connect actuators to the broader robot. Lead validation planning from early prototypes through engineering validation, reliability testing, and production readiness. Drive tradeoff decisions across cost, quality, performance, schedule, and lead time by collaborating cross-functionally and quantifying impact to meet program deliverables. Establish effective mechanisms for technical reviews, change control, design releases, decision tracking, and manufacturing readiness.

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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time
✓ Quality checkedCompany trend -100%

What you’ll do Act as the in-house electrical lead for Midjourney Medical: own the electrical architecture of the scanner and the technical direction for all board-level design. Own complex board design end-to-end: architecture, schematic capture, layout (high-speed digital, analog/mixed-signal, power), DFM/DFT, fabrication and assembly vendor management, bring-up, and revision control. Write firmware for embedded targets (MCU/SoC): drivers, real-time control loops, safety-relevant logic, bootloaders, and field update paths. Audit and update HDL (FPGA) code for high-throughput data acquisition, timing/synchronization, triggering, and pre-processing of ultrasound and sensor data streams. Define electrical interfaces and data contracts with software, recon/ML and mechanical teams: timing budgets, clocking/sync, signal integrity, connectors/harnessing, and failure modes. Establish electrical engineering rigor: design reviews, schematic/layout review checklists, bring-up procedures, test fixtures, and documentation suitable for a regulated medical device program (DHF, traceability, change control). Mentor and grow the electrical function; select and manage external design partners where leverage is high. What we’re looking for Deep experience designing complex boards from blank page to stable revision, including high-speed digital and analog/mixed-signal domains. Strong schematic and layout skills (Altium/KiCad or equivalent) with real signal integrity, power integrity, grounding, and EMI/EMC instincts. Solid embedded firmware background in C/C++ (and Python for tooling): peripherals, DMA, interrupts, real-time constraints, and debugging on hardware. Practical HDL experience (VHDL/Verilog/SystemVerilog) for data acquisition, timing, and streaming interfaces. Track record of owning bring-up and debug on real hardware: scopes, logic analyzers, and disciplined root-cause analysis. Technical leadership: clear trade-offs, strong written documentation, and the ability to set

PythonGitAIC++
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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time
✓ Quality checkedCompany trend -80.2%

About the Team OpenAI’s Hardware organization develops silicon and system-level solutions designed for the unique demands of advanced AI workloads. The team is responsible for building the next generation of AI-native silicon while working closely with software and research partners to co-design hardware tightly integrated with AI models. In addition to delivering production-grade silicon for OpenAI’s supercomputing infrastructure, the team also creates custom design tools and methodologies that accelerate innovation and enable hardware optimized specifically for AI. About the Role We're looking for an Optical Interconnect System Engineer to design, qualify, and deploy scalable optical connectivity for large-scale AI infrastructure. This role spans fiber-system architecture, optical-mechanical integration, validation, reliability, deployment, and serviceability. You will work with optical, mechanical, electrical, networking, manufacturing, reliability, and data-center teams to translate system needs into practical interconnect solutions. This is a hands-on role for someone who can connect design decisions with installation, qualification, troubleshooting, and long-term operational performance. In this role, you will: Define optical interconnect architectures and requirements across hardware platforms and rack-level systems. Design high-density fiber systems for performance, density, reliability, installation, and serviceability. Lead optical-mechanical integration and cross-functional design reviews. Develop test and qualification plans for optical components, modules, switching platforms, and integrated systems. Own optical loss budgets, routing guidelines, handling requirements, and serviceability criteria. Support system bring-up, deployment, troubleshooting, failure analysis, and reliability improvement. Create reusable design guidelines, interface requirements, and qualification methods. You might thrive in this role if you have: Core experience Experience desi

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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time
✓ Quality checkedCompany trend -80.2%

About the Role The Electrical Commissioning Lead owns electrical commissioning planning, readiness, quality coordination, and test execution oversight for the project. This role ensures electrical systems are inspectable, testable, safe to energize, and ready for coordinated functional and integrated systems testing. Reports to the Commissioning Project Lead and partners closely with electrical contractors, equipment vendors, design/engineering teams, the mechanical commissioning lead, controls stakeholders, and vendor field/test engineers. Key Responsibilities Develop and maintain the electrical commissioning scope, readiness criteria, inspection strategy, and test execution plan. Review electrical design packages, specifications, submittals, method statements, sequence assumptions, and testing requirements for commissionability and risk. Coordinate electrical QA/QC inspections with contractors and vendor field/test engineers, including installation checks, pre-functional readiness, deficiency capture, and closeout tracking. Own electrical commissioning procedure development and review, including startup, energization readiness, functional testing, failure mode validation, controls interfaces, and integrated systems testing inputs. Coordinate with equipment vendors on factory/site acceptance requirements, startup support, test prerequisites, documentation packages, and vendor participation during critical tests. Support energization planning, switching and safety coordination, access sequencing, temporary conditions, witness points, and hold points. Lead discipline-level review of electrical test results, deficiencies, corrective actions, retest requirements, and acceptance evidence. Maintain electrical commissioning dashboards and status inputs for the Commissioning Project Lead, including risk items, resource needs, test readiness, and issue aging. Partner with the Mechanical Commissioning Lead on cross-discipline dependencies, including controls, life safety int

AWSGitRestAI
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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time
✓ Quality checkedCompany trend -80.2%

About the Team OpenAI’s Industrial Compute organization is building the infrastructure required to support the next generation of frontier AI systems. Through a combination of strategic partnerships and self-built data center campuses, we are scaling the power, cooling, electrical, mechanical, and controls infrastructure needed to deliver compute at unprecedented scale. The Commissioning organization is responsible for ensuring this infrastructure is safely tested, validated, integrated, and transitioned into reliable operations. For our self-build campuses, the team operates through a hybrid delivery model: OpenAI provides commissioning leadership, discipline ownership, governance, and project integration, while commissioning partners provide field and test engineering capacity to support inspections, startup, testing, and turnover. About the Role We are seeking a Commissioning Project Lead to own the commissioning strategy and execution for a large-scale, self-build data center project. You will lead the overall commissioning program from early construction planning through startup, functional testing, integrated systems testing, and final turnover. You will establish the commissioning execution plan, integrate commissioning activities into the master project schedule, coordinate multidisciplinary readiness, and lead the vendor commissioning partners providing field and test engineering capacity. This role serves as the primary commissioning interface to project leadership, construction management, contractors, equipment vendors, operations, and commissioning partners. You will be responsible for creating clarity across organizations, identifying readiness and schedule risks early, and ensuring the facility progresses through testing and turnover against clearly defined acceptance criteria. The role will initially support planning and coordination in a hybrid capacity and transition to full-time onsite presence as construction, inspections, startup, testing, and t

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📍 San Francisco, California, United States· Full-time
✓ Quality checkedCompany trend -80.2%

About the Team OpenAI, in close collaboration with our capital partners, is embarking on a journey to build the world’s most advanced AI infrastructure ecosystem. This team is central to this mission, setting the core infra strategy and implementing this vision. From site selection to the buildout process, this team sits at the intersection of commercial, technical, strategy, and operations, interacting with teams and executives inside and outside of OpenAI. About the Role We are seeking experienced Data Center Mechanical and Electrical/Power Design Engineers with expertise in designing, operating, and maintaining large-scale data center campuses. The ideal candidate for this role will have extensive background and experience in design and managing critical equipment and facilities, design and operation of MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) systems, and overseeing operational activities from initial phases of Data Center build through delivery and ongoing maintenance. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background, operational leadership experience, and a proven ability to collaborate with external vendors on critical infrastructure. This role offers the opportunity to lead transformative data center projects with high visibility and impact. If you are passionate about delivering cutting-edge infrastructure solutions, we encourage you to apply. Key Responsibilities Oversee building and MEP design, operation, and maintenance, including reviewing building and MEP drawings and proposals across all project phases. Lead operational activities for large-scale data center campuses, from early design phases through delivery and daily operation. Operate and maintain critical data center facilities and equipment, ensuring reliability and performance. Collaborate with external vendors to select, procure, and manage critical equipment, such as generators, UPS, chillers, and CDUs. Provide technical expertise on all aspects of data center building, equipment, and

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