Application Engineer, Data Center Hardware

Utilidata•Ann Arbor, MI

2d•$175,000 - $235,000•Remote

About The Position

Utilidata is a fast-growing NVIDIA-backed AI company enabling AI data centers to dynamically orchestrate power and unlock more compute capacity from existing energy infrastructure. For over a decade, we have applied AI to the electric grid — bringing real-time visibility and power-flow control to complex energy infrastructure. Our Karman platform, built on a custom NVIDIA module, brings that same capability to AI data centers, giving operators a way to better use the power already available to them. We are looking for an Application Engineer, Data Center Hardware to own the electrical power integration surface between Karman and customer data center environments. This person will design and validate rack-level power distribution, redundancy, and sequencing configurations, and lead the installation procedures that get Karman running reliably in production. The role requires solid working knowledge of rack-level networking to coordinate with customer network teams and support installation-time connectivity, but architecting network solutions is not a primary responsibility of this role. We are looking for candidates who are technically deep in electrical power systems, comfortable owning ambiguity, and energized by close, hands-on customer engagement. This is a founding role in a new Application Engineering function. Because the integration surface is still being defined, this role carries real influence over the processes, tools, and standards that future engineers will build on.

Requirements

6+ years of hands-on experience in data center network engineering, electrical power systems, or rack-level infrastructure integration
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field OR equivalent training and on the job experience
Deep working knowledge of rack-level networking, including switching, VLANs, and network configuration across varied customer topologies
Strong understanding of electrical power distribution at the rack level, including PDUs, power shelves, redundancy architectures, and power sequencing
Demonstrated ability to configure rack-level infrastructure and integrate new hardware into existing data center environments using industry-standard tools, including TOR switch CLIs, SSH or serial console access, Wireshark, PDU management consoles, and NetBox or equivalent DCIM tooling
Experience designing and executing installation and validation procedures, with the ability to own checklist creation and sign-off
Ability to debug rack-level issues spanning power, thermal, mechanical, and networking domains
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to translate technical requirements clearly for both engineering teams and data center operations stakeholders
High learning agility and the ability to ramp quickly in a fast-moving, early-stage product environment
Willingness to travel periodically for customer site visits, initial installations, and deployment validation

Nice To Haves

Experience with out-of-band management interfaces (e.g., IPMI, Redfish, iDRAC) for rack equipment configuration and monitoring
Familiarity with power quality requirements, power sequencing, and electrical considerations specific to data center environments
Understanding of thermal and mechanical integration considerations at the rack level
Prior experience creating and owning field installation procedures or technician-facing documentation
Experience working in a customer-facing or field-deployment engineering role

Responsibilities

Design and validate electrical power integration, including PDUs, power shelves, redundancy architectures, and power sequencing
Build and validate complete rack configurations in Utilidata's lab (PDUs, power shelves, TOR switches, servers, and Karman hardware) before customer deployment, with primary focus on power system design and validation
Design and own the installation checklists and procedures that guide electrical power integration at customer sites; ensure they are precise, repeatable, and executable by field teams
Execute installation checklists and sign off on electrical power integration during initial customer deployments
Debug rack-level issues spanning power, thermal, and mechanical domains, both in lab validation and at customer sites
Support rack-level network connectivity as part of installation — applying VLAN assignments and switch port configurations to specifications provided by customer network engineering teams — without owning network architecture or design
Coordinate with customer network engineering teams to align power integration work with existing network topologies and requirements
Lead customer-facing technical calls and on-site visits with data center operations teams to gather electrical power integration requirements
Create and maintain integration artifacts, including installation checklists, power validation checklists, configuration guides, KPI trackers, and after-action reports
Support the TechOps team with electrical power expertise for escalated production incidents tied to initial installation
Take an AI-first approach to building the Application Engineering function's repeatable processes, templates, and documentation
Serve as the feedback loop between customer deployments and core engineering, translating field integration learnings into product improvements
Participate in on-call rotation to provide 24x7 customer support