AI Factory Mechanical Engineer

NVIDIA•Santa Clara, CA

About The Position

NVIDIA is seeking an experienced mechanical engineer to lead the development of next-generation liquid cooling and thermal systems for AI factories. The role spans the full project lifecycle, from concept through construction, commissioning, and handover, and serves as the engineering authority for mechanical systems without established design guidance. The engineer will set technical direction across hydronic, airside, and facility heat-rejection systems, mentor engineers, and lead programs that bring large-scale AI compute capacity online. Focus areas include advanced mechanical systems roadmaps, facility plans, owner-furnished equipment strategy, and adapting standardized plans to local site conditions. The role leads data center product and facility builds, balancing cost, energy efficiency, schedule, and sustainability while integrating new technologies. It owns mechanical systems strategy and development, including liquid cooling, chiller plants, heat rejection, CDUs, and airside/hydronic systems. The engineer delivers design documentation and leads execution through all project phases for greenfield, leased, and retrofit projects; collaborates with multidisciplinary engineering teams; and advances prefabricated and modular construction. As NVIDIA’s owner’s representative, the engineer manages engineer-of-record teams, RFPs, contracts, and project reviews. The role also covers factory testing, commissioning, quality verification, operational handover, technology evaluation, energy and water modeling, site selection, master planning, and reliability and availability practices.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent experience.
12+ years of mechanical engineering experience supporting critical facilities or large-scale data centers.
Proven expertise in liquid cooling systems, chiller plant development, and/or hydronic system development.
Experience leading large-scale mechanical infrastructure programs from concept through construction and commissioning.
Experience across all phases of design delivery, including schematic design and design development.
Strong ability to communicate technical concepts in writing and presentations to technical and non-technical audiences, including build reviews and executive briefings.
Professional Engineer (PE) license in Mechanical Engineering required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with prefabricated and modular construction (build for manufacturing and assembly), plus operations and deployment handover for data center mechanical systems.
Hardware thermal engineering background, including thermal build validation and product reliability, with deep expertise in availability and reliability engineering for critical infrastructure.
Proficiency in controls systems (BMS/EPMS integration and mechanical controls logic), electrical and MEP integration, and acoustics/noise engineering and regulatory compliance for mechanical equipment.
Familiarity with advanced simulation, modeling, or AI-driven build optimization tools.
Track record of mentoring engineers and representing owner interests on large capital programs.

Responsibilities

Lead data center product and facility builds, balancing cost, energy efficiency, schedule, and sustainability while integrating new technologies.
Own mechanical systems strategy and development, including liquid cooling, chiller plants, heat rejection, CDUs, and airside/hydronic systems, from concept through construction administration and commissioning.
Deliver design documentation and lead execution across all project phases (SD, DD, CD, CA) for greenfield, leased, and retrofit projects.
Partner with civil/structural, electrical, connectivity, controls, and hardware engineering to align rack-level thermal requirements with facility design, optimized for cost, speed, efficiency, and flexibility.
Drive prefabricated and modular construction strategies and build-to-break-ground schedules to accelerate deployment.
Act as NVIDIA’s owner’s representative by holding engineer-of-record teams accountable, preparing RFPs, managing contracts, and reviewing change orders, submittals, RFIs, and value-engineering proposals.
Participate in factory witness testing, commissioning, and quality verification, and support handover and knowledge transfer into live operations.
Evaluate emerging technologies, standards, and sustainability targets, including energy and water modeling; support site selection and master planning; and advance reliability and availability practices.
Set technical direction across hydronic, airside, and facility heat-rejection systems, mentor engineers across the organization, and drive programs that bring AI compute capacity online.