Director of Facilities Engineering- Data Centers

Accountabilities:

• Define and lead the facilities engineering strategy across a portfolio of AI data center campuses, including greenfield developments, powered-shell projects, modular deployments, expansions, and selected retrofits.
• Develop repeatable campus architectures, building designs, engineering standards, technical specifications, and design guidelines that can be adapted to different utility systems, climates, site constraints, construction schedules, and customer requirements.
• Serve as the senior technical owner throughout the full project lifecycle, from site selection and technical due diligence through design, construction, commissioning, handover, and initial operational readiness.
• Lead the development and construction of new data center facilities, ensuring seamless integration of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, and other mission-critical systems.
• Build and lead multidisciplinary engineering teams spanning electrical, mechanical, controls, and reliability engineering, while developing external partnerships with consultants, contractors, utilities, and equipment vendors.
• Oversee the design and lifecycle management of critical infrastructure, including medium-voltage power distribution, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, generators, cooling plants, HVAC, building management systems (BMS), electrical power monitoring systems (EPMS), data center infrastructure management (DCIM), and fire protection.
• Design and optimize infrastructure for high-density GPU computing and liquid-cooled AI environments using advanced NVIDIA and AMD hardware platforms, including direct-to-chip cooling and rack densities of up to 150 kW per rack.
• Establish reliability engineering practices, predictive maintenance programs, failure analysis, commissioning standards, and asset lifecycle management processes to maximize uptime and long-term performance.
• Provide technical oversight for new construction, campus expansions, infrastructure upgrades, commissioning, and modernization initiatives, ensuring facilities meet operational, safety, reliability, and quality requirements.
• Improve energy and resource efficiency through initiatives targeting power usage effectiveness (PUE), water usage effectiveness (WUE), and broader sustainability objectives.
• Ensure compliance with applicable building codes, engineering standards, safety regulations, and industry best practices.
• Manage engineering budgets, capital improvement programs, technical vendors, consultants, and external delivery partners while maintaining cost discipline and schedule accountability.
• Evaluate technical risks, document assumptions, communicate decisions transparently, and identify potential issues early to reduce redesign, change orders, commissioning delays, and avoidable lifecycle costs.
• Align engineering decisions with site strategy, customer requirements, capital allocation, construction feasibility, delivery timelines, and long-term investment returns.
• Build repeatable engineering processes and a scalable technical organization capable of delivering multiple projects simultaneously without compromising safety, reliability, or adaptability.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• At least 10 years of engineering experience in mission-critical facilities, data centers, industrial infrastructure, power systems, or related environments, with substantial involvement in the design and construction of new facilities.
• At least 7 years of experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams and coordinating complex technical projects.
• Strong expertise in mechanical and electrical infrastructure for high-availability environments, including power distribution, backup generation, UPS systems, cooling technologies, and critical facility systems.
• Demonstrated experience with hyperscale, AI, or high-performance computing (HPC) data center infrastructure, including the engineering requirements associated with high-density computing environments.
• Proven understanding of building design, construction execution, commissioning, technical due diligence, and operational readiness for mission-critical facilities.
• Knowledge of medium-voltage electrical systems, chilled water plants, liquid cooling, thermal management, HVAC, BMS, EPMS, and DCIM platforms.
• Experience with reliability-centered maintenance (RCM), failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), root cause analysis, predictive maintenance, and asset lifecycle management.
• Ability to establish engineering standards and repeatable design processes while remaining adaptable to evolving technologies, customer requirements, and project constraints.
• Strong commercial and financial judgment, including an understanding of how engineering decisions affect construction costs, capital requirements, project schedules, site feasibility, customer suitability, and long-term returns.
• Demonstrated ability to make sound technical decisions with incomplete information, assess risks, communicate assumptions clearly, and escalate critical issues proactively.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work constructively with executives, investors, customers, utilities, contractors, consultants, and equipment manufacturers.
• A hands-on leadership approach, combining executive-level strategy with the ability to review technical drawings, conduct site visits, assess equipment strategies, and guide detailed engineering decisions.
• Experience developing engineering organizations, building external partner networks, managing vendors, and delivering multiple construction projects in parallel.
• A master's degree in engineering, Engineering Management, or an MBA is preferred.
• A Professional Engineer (PE) license is an advantage.
• Industry certifications such as Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Certified Data Centre Professional or Manager (CDCP/CDCMP), Project Management Professional (PMP), or LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) are beneficial.

Benefits:

• Annual compensation ranging from $150,000 to $180,000.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Paid time off (PTO).
• Sick leave.
• Maternity and paternity leave.
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) options.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Additional supplemental benefits options.
• The opportunity to shape the engineering strategy, campus architecture, and construction standards of a developing AI data center platform.
• Significant influence over site development, customer solutions, capital deployment, team building, and long-term infrastructure strategy.
• The opportunity to establish engineering processes and build a multidisciplinary organization from the ground up.
• An environment that values practical engineering judgment, intellectual honesty, thoughtful experimentation, and continuous improvement.