Lead Mechanical Design Engineer; Mission-Critical - Data Centers

Location & work modality

Georgia or Houston, USA

ASAP

Full Time / Permanent

First ~6 months are expected to be mixed home-based plus travel, after which the majority will be onsite:

Submer designs and delivers end-to-end AI datacenter infrastructure built around industry-leading liquid cooling.

We help organizations scale AI beyond the limits of traditional datacenters by enabling higher density, greater efficiency and lower environmental impact – accelerating time-to-AI from first deployment to full production.

We are seeking a Lead Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the design and delivery of critical mechanical systems for high-density data centers, including both conventional air-cooled facilities and direct liquid cooling (DLC) environments. This role ensures the safe, efficient, and resilient operation of cooling and mechanical infrastructure; from chillers to fan wall, CRAC/CRAH units, CDU loops and rack-level liquid cooling; enabling next‑generation compute platforms and mission‑critical operations.

The ideal candidate brings a proven track record in mechanical design for data centers and thrives in collaborative, fast‑paced, multidisciplinary projects.

This role offers you a great opportunity to:

• Lead a landmark AI data center project:
  Phase 1 of a 100 MW “AI factory” in Georgia, fast‑track, hyperscale, high‑density - not a traditional colocation or enterprise facility.
• Work at the forefront of AI infrastructure:
  Gain unique, marketable experience designing state‑of‑the‑art power, cooling, and compute systems.
• Work in a fast‑paced, high‑impact environment:
  Contribute to a project that pushes the boundaries of scale, density, and next‑generation data center design.

• Develop detailed designs for mechanical and cooling systems (chillers, cooling towers, CRAC/CRAH units, pumps, piping, valves, CDUs, FW, RDHx, and DLC loops).
• Define control strategies for primary and secondary cooling loops, supporting both air and DLC environments.
• Produce design documentation including schematics, layouts, hydraulic diagrams, specifications, and equipment schedules.
• Evaluate and select equipment suppliers, ensuring compliance with project performance requirements and client standards.

• Perform load calculations, hydraulic modeling, and energy efficiency analysis.
• Optimize chilled water, glycol, and DLC systems to meet PUE and WUE targets.
• Assess redundancy schemes (N, N+1, 2N) and their impact on system performance and resilience.
• Integrate mechanical design with electrical and IT infrastructure, ensuring alignment across disciplines.

• Support procurement processes, technical reviews, and submittal evaluations.
• Oversee factory acceptance tests (FATs), site acceptance tests (SATs), commissioning, and system validation.
• Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis for thermal or mechanical issues, implementing corrective actions.

• Ensure designs comply with international standards, local building codes, ASHRAE, and Uptime Institute best practices.
• Develop and maintain documentation including test protocols, O&M manuals, and method statements.
• Contribute to risk assessments and ensure safety compliance for fluid handling systems.

• Partner with clients, architects, electrical engineers, and IT teams to deliver integrated solutions.
• Provide subject matter expertise on high-density and DLC cooling strategies.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to knowledge sharing within the organization.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (or related field).
• Minimum of 8 years of proven experience in mission‑critical mechanical design with a strong exposure to (at least 6 years) in large‑scale, high‑density, fast‑track data center project delivery.
• AI infrastructure experience is a plus.
• Strong knowledge of HVAC, chilled water, and liquid cooling systems (DLC, CDU, RDHx, etc.).
• Proficiency in mechanical design and analysis tools (e.g., Revit, AutoCAD MEP, HAP, Pipe‑Flo, CFD).
• Familiarity…