Mechanical Engineering Manager

Direct Placement Title or Role: Manager of Mechanical Engineering Compensation: $225,000 + Bonus and Benefits (Commensurate with experience) Location: Hybrid (US) Denver or NY Company Description: Our Client is an industrial-scale data center construction and operations company. They allocate data center opportunities between bitcoin mining and other high performance computing services, such as AI. They continue to develop there pipeline of power capacity at high-quality data center sites, either for bitcoin mining or HPC. Position Description: We are seeking a highly technical Mechanical Engineering leader to take full ownership of the cooling architecture, thermal strategy, and mechanical system integration across a portfolio of hyperscale HPC and AI data center projects. This role is accountable for ensuring our facilities can support extreme power densities, rapidly evolving compute architectures, and aggressive deployment schedules—without compromising reliability, efficiency, or constructability. This is not a coordination-only HVAC management position.We are specifically looking for someone who:Has designed large-scale chilled water plants and mission-critical cooling systemsUnderstands liquid-to-chip, high-density cooling, and airflow/liquid interaction dynamicsHas firsthand experience with cooling system failures and understands how thermal instability developsIs knowledgeable about heat rejection constraints, water risk, and regional environmental factorsCan challenge mechanical Engineer of Record (EOR) assumptions and integrate controls and commissioning strategiesMechanical engineering ultimately determines how much compute capacity we can run. This role defines that ceiling.Responsibilities:Cooling Architecture OwnershipLead and validate mechanical system architecture, including air- vs liquid-cooled strategies, hybrid systems, direct-to-chip cooling, rear-door heat exchangers, immersion cooling (as applicable), and chilled water plant design with primary/secondary or variable primary flow systems. Oversee heat rejection approaches (cooling towers, dry coolers, hybrid systems) and define thermal redundancy strategies (N, N+1, 2N, distributed). Ensure designs support high rack densities, future growth, climate variability, water constraints, and rapid deployment.High-Density & Liquid Cooling ExpertiseDirect and review designs for liquid distribution (LDUs/CDUs), facility-to-IT heat exchangers, coolant chemistry, leak detection, secondary containment, and isolation strategies. Incorporate thermal buffering and dynamic load response while accounting for failure containment, thermal runaway risks, rapid AI load changes, and airflow/liquid conflicts.Central Plant EngineeringOwn chiller selection and staging, pump redundancy, thermal storage, plant controls/sequencing, and equipment yard layout. Address maintainability, noise, plume, and environmental constraints while evaluating tradeoffs between CAPEX/OPEX, water vs energy, efficiency vs resiliency, and modular vs stick-built plant strategies.Controls & Integration StrategyLead coordination of client systems, PLCs, sensor placement, failure detection logic, automated failover, and thermal monitoring. Ensure mechanical and electrical systems operate cohesively during generator events, power transitions, emergency shutdowns, and partial load conditions.Constructability & Installation OversightEvaluate pipe routing, congestion, structural loads, vibration isolation, lifting logistics, commissioning access, and service clearance. Prevent overdesigned piping, airflow short-circuiting, poor installation tolerances, and improperly sequenced startup events.Commissioning & Operational ReadinessOversee functional testing, flow/pressure verification, leak testing, load simulation, thermal ramp testing, and failure mode scenarios. Ensure systems perform reliably under full load, rapid load swings, and redundancy transitions—not just at installation.Heat Rejection & Environmental RiskDirect water sourcing strategy, drought and freeze risk mitigation, plume abatement, permitting considerations, and climate-driven performance impacts, recognizing that mechanical risk varies by region.Required 12–18+ years in mechanical engineering with direct experience designing large chilled water plants and mission-critical cooling systemsExperience with high-density and/or liquid cooling environmentsStrong knowledge of ASHRAE standards, fluid dynamics, and thermal modelingExperience in fast-track construction environmentsHyperscale data center mechanical design experience preferredExposure to AI / HPC density environments preferredExperience integrating liquid cooling systems PreferredEducation & Certifications• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in a relevant field preferred; PE license preferred