Mechanical Engineer - Hydronics

About the role

We are looking for a Mechanical Engineer - Hydronics (Distribution Focus) to own the mechanical distribution architecture for our modular liquid-cooled data center platform. This role is responsible for the piping, valves, instrumentation, module interconnects, and serviceability strategy across both the primary water loop and secondary PG25 loop.

This is a hands-on architecture and execution role focused on building a system that is repeatable, commissionable, maintainable, and scalable across multiple deployments. The right candidate will bring deep hydronic distribution expertise and a practical understanding of what it takes to move a design from concept into manufacturing, field installation, startup, and long-term operation.

You will work closely with internal engineering teams, OEMs, fabricators, controls, manufacturing, and commissioning leads to ensure the mechanical distribution layer is robust, standardized, and ready for real-world deployment.

What You'll Do (Key Responsibilities)

Hydronic Architecture Ownership

• Own the hydronic distribution architecture across:

• Primary water/PG25 loop

• Secondary water/PG25 loop

• Define and standardize system design rules for flow, pressure drop, balancing, and measurement

• Establish practical design approaches for PG25 and water-based systems, including pipe sizing, fluid behavior, and maintainability considerations

• Support system-level alignment between plant, distribution, and rack cooling interfaces

Distribution Design and Interface Control

• Own distribution P&IDs, valve schedules, and instrumentation schedules

• Maintain revision discipline, tagging standards, and interface clarity across the mechanical distribution package

• Define boundaries and interfaces between plant equipment, CDUs, rack cooling components, and module-to-module interconnects

• Develop and maintain interface control documentation for hydronic system boundaries

Commissioning-First Design

• Design for startup, commissioning, and long-term operation

• Define fill, flush, vent, drain, isolation, bypass, and strainer strategies

• Establish measurement points for flow, differential pressure, and temperature

• Partner with commissioning and controls teams to define what must be measured, how it will be measured, and what acceptable startup performance looks like

Pipe Sizing and Pressure Drop Management

• Own pipe sizing methodology and pressure drop strategy for both PG25 and water loops

• Define practical approaches to balancing and instrumentation placement

• Ensure real-world field performance aligns with design intent

• Help establish repeatable standards for distribution performance across product variants

Layout, Serviceability, and Buildability

• Own mechanical distribution layout packages and service clearance requirements

• Ensure systems are designed for safe access, maintenance, replacement, and long-term serviceability

• Support design for manufacturing by standardizing routing approaches, fittings strategy, tolerances, and assembly expectations

• Help define clear factory-built versus field-installed scope boundaries

Modular Interconnect Strategy

• Define standard module interconnect approaches, including manifolds, quick connects, labeling, boundary isolation, and leak detection interfaces as applicable

• Ensure interconnect designs support rapid deployment while preserving reliability and maintainability

• Drive consistency across builds to reduce site variability and improve product repeatability

Cross-Functional Integration

• Partner with mechanical plant, thermal, electrical, controls, manufacturing, and commissioning teams

• Coordinate system interfaces without losing baseline discipline

• Work with OEMs and fabricators while maintaining ownership of the internal distribution architecture and standards

• Support factory builds, field feedback collection, and lessons-learned incorporation into future revisions

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in hydronic distribution design for data centers, industrial systems, mission-critical HVAC, or comparable thermal infrastructure

• Strong experience owning P&IDs, valve strategies, and instrumentation design

• Practical field knowledge of commissioning, startup, and serviceability constraints

• Experience with glycol-based cooling systems such as PG25 or equivalent

• Strong understanding of pipe sizing, flow management, pressure drop, balancing, and measurement strategies

• Proven ability to maintain documentation discipline, revision control, and interface clarity

• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills across mechanical, controls, manufacturing, and field teams

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Experience with liquid-to-liquid and liquid-to-air cooling systems for high-density compute or AI/HPC environments

• Familiarity with modular or prefabricated infrastructure systems

• Understanding and experience in AFT Fathom, Pipeflo and CFD Products

• CAD or BIM fluency sufficient for 3D coordination, clash avoidance, and clearance validation

• PE license in Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent depth of experience