Principal Operations Engineer, Mechanical
Fluidstack · Remote · U.S. Remote · Travelling ·
COMPENSATION
$230k – $265k
Listed on the employer's job board (Ashby)
- Principal level role
- Fully remote worldwide
- Hyperscale AI infrastructure
- Mechanical & cooling focus
- High autonomy culture
Join the Data Center Operations team at Fluidstack, where you will define how civilization-scale AI infrastructure runs. You will serve as the senior technical authority for mechanical systems, ensuring thermal precision and operational excellence across a rapidly expanding fleet of data centers.
This position requires building operational playbooks from scratch rather than inheriting them. You will drive site assessments, oversee commissioning handovers, and integrate operational learnings into design processes to support growth toward hundreds of gigawatts of compute capacity.
What you'll do
- Serve as senior technical authority for mechanical and cooling infrastructure
- Lead site assessments and operational audits before activation
- Review designs from an operational perspective to improve build models
- Oversee mechanical operational readiness and commissioning handovers
- Author and approve high-risk mechanical methods of procedure
- Lead root cause analysis for significant cooling events
What you'll need
- Extensive career experience with critical mechanical systems
- Expertise in chilled water, chillers, and cooling towers
- Proficiency with CRAH/CRAC, pumps, and CDUs
- Experience with direct liquid cooling in live environments
- Proven ability to author and execute high-risk mechanical MOPs
- Skill in leading root cause analysis for cooling failures
- Capability to assess operational readiness and raise standards
Nice to have
- Experience in hyperscale or large colocation facilities
- Background in direct liquid cooling and CDU operations
- Familiarity with ASHRAE TC 9.9 standards
- Knowledge of chilled water plant optimization
- Experience with Uptime Institute frameworks
Stack
- Chillers
- Cooling towers
- CDUs
- CRAH/CRAC
- Pumps
- Direct liquid cooling
How you'll work
- Fully remote position
- High intensity and long hours expected
- Full autonomy with end-to-end ownership
What you get
- Competitive salary and equity package
- Retirement or pension plan aligned with local norms
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Generous paid time off policy