Data Center Mechanical Engineer V

Job Overview:
Rackspace is seeking an experienced Mechanical Engineer to serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for mechanical systems supporting our mission-critical data center environments. This role is responsible for mechanical design, technical oversight, reliability, capacity management, product selection, thermal optimization, and continuous innovation of our rapidly expanding data center footprint.

The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in critical cooling infrastructure, HVAC/mechanical systems, airflow management, humidification systems, equipment installation and testing, and industry best practices related to data center design and construction. The candidate should also have demonstrated experience supporting the thermal and mechanical infrastructure requirements of AI/HPC environments, including high-density GPU deployments, rapidly increasing rack heat loads, liquid cooling systems, and the associated facility cooling infrastructure. You will act as the primary technical authority on data center mechanical systems, providing technical leadership and recommendations to support current operations as well as future expansion initiatives.

This position plays a critical role in maintaining uptime, supporting infrastructure growth, and driving technical excellence across the data center portfolio. As the mechanical SME, you will be engaged in all aspects of data center infrastructure including design, deployment, optimization, and lifecycle management. This includes evaluating and planning for the evolving thermal management requirements associated with AI/HPC workloads and high-density computing environments, including the integration of liquid cooling technologies with existing and future facility cooling systems. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to support infrastructure strategy, cooling capacity planning, thermal optimization, equipment evaluation, product selection, and deployment initiatives while ensuring the highest levels of reliability, scalability, energy efficiency, and operational performance.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Mechanical Infrastructure SME

o Serve as the primary technical authority for mechanical infrastructure within the data center environment.
o Provide engineering leadership and subject matter expertise for critical mechanical systems including: CRAC/CRAH units, chillers, cooling towers, pumps, humidification/dehumidification systems, RTUs, air handlers, economization systems, piping infrastructure, condenser water systems, and BMS/DCIM systems.
o Lead troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and resolution of mechanical infrastructure and thermal performance issues.
o Provide expertise in airflow management strategies including hot aisle/cold aisle containment, rack-level cooling optimization, pressure differentials, and underfloor airflow distribution.
o Provide mechanical engineering expertise for AI/HPC infrastructure, including high-density GPU deployments, liquid cooling systems, and the facility-side infrastructure required to support high-density compute environments.

• Capacity Management & Thermal Planning

o Manage cooling capacity planning for existing and future infrastructure growth.
o Perform thermal load calculations, airflow analysis, and cooling utilization assessments for high-density compute environments.
o Analyze rack-level heat loads, BTU requirements, CFM distribution, static pressure, and environmental conditions to ensure optimal thermal performance.
o Evaluate thermal capacity requirements associated with AI/HPC workloads, including high-density GPU rack deployments, rapidly increasing rack heat loads, and transitions from traditional air cooling to liquid cooling architectures.
o Evaluate infrastructure resiliency, redundancy, and operational risk associated with cooling capacity expansion initiatives.
o Support deployment strategies for high-density server environments, liquid cooling technologies, and next-generation thermal management solutions.

• Engineering & Technical Oversight

o Define critical mechanical equipment specifications and make product recommendations.
o Develop and review mechanical designs, modifications, and infrastructure improvements within operational data center environments.
o Review and approve mechanical equipment submittals, technical documentation, piping diagrams, airflow models, and infrastructure standards.
o Provide technical oversight for cooling optimization initiatives, energy efficiency improvements, and mechanical system modernization projects.
o Evaluate and provide technical oversight for liquid cooling infrastructure, including direct-to-chip cooling, rear-door heat exchangers, coolant distribution systems, and associated facility water-side infrastructure.

• Operational Support & Commissioning

o Support construction, installation, testing, commissioning, and turnover activities associated with mechanical infrastructure projects.
o Partner with commissioning teams to validate installation, operation, performance, and reliability of mechanical systems.
o Support maintenance planning and operational readiness activities for critical cooling infrastructure.
o Participate in incident response, thermal event investigations, infrastructure risk reviews, and operational reliability initiatives.
o Assist operations teams in troubleshooting environmental alarms, cooling failures, airflow deficiencies, and thermal anomalies.
o Support commissioning, operational readiness, and troubleshooting of liquid cooling systems and associated AI/HPC thermal infrastructure.

• Compliance & Standards

o Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local mechanical/building codes and regulations.
o Maintain adherence to ASHRAE standards, mechanical engineering best practices, and mission-critical operational standards.
o Support development and continuous improvement of mechanical engineering standards, procedures, thermal management strategies, and best practices within our data centers.
o Ensure environmental conditions remain within ASHRAE recommended ranges for mission-critical IT equipment.

• Innovation & Technical Strategy

o Research and evaluate new technologies, equipment, and infrastructure solutions related to data center cooling and mechanical systems, specifically liquid cooling technologies.
o Lead technical decision-making regarding cooling infrastructure, airflow management technologies, and mechanical equipment product selection.
o Support long-term infrastructure strategy focused on scalability, efficiency, resiliency, sustainability, and operational excellence.
o Evaluate emerging technologies including liquid cooling, rear-door heat exchangers, direct-to-chip cooling, economization, and energy optimization strategies.
o Evaluate emerging AI/HPC hardware and deployment architectures to determine their impact on thermal loads, cooling capacity, heat rejection, facility water systems, and future data center mechanical infrastructure requirements.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience supporting mission-critical data centers environments
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
• Deep understanding of mission-critical cooling systems and thermal management architecture
• Advanced understanding of mechanical drawing packages, equipment diagrams, and associated technical specifications.
• Experience with the operation and maintenance of critical mechanical infrastructure within data center environments
• Strong knowledge of HVAC systems, psychrometrics, airflow dynamics, heat transfer, and thermal load calculations
• Experience performing cooling capacity analysis, airflow modeling, and environmental optimization
• Strong knowledge of ASHRAE thermal guidelines and mission-critical cooling best practices
• Experience supporting high-density compute environments and rack-level thermal optimization
• Demonstrated experience supporting mechanical and thermal infrastructure for AI/HPC enviro