Director, Data Center Engineering

CoreWeave•Sunnyvale, CA

20h•$180,000 - $264,000

About The Position

CoreWeave is seeking an experienced Director of Data Center Engineering to lead a multidisciplinary team of engineering subject matter experts and set technical direction for its global data center portfolio. The role develops, maintains, and governs the company’s Basis of Design, reference designs, engineering standards, and long-term design roadmap. As a senior leader in the Data Center Design organization, the Director serves as the senior technical authority and escalation point for engineering decisions, partnering with the VP of Design and cross-functional teams to translate business and technology requirements into scalable infrastructure solutions. The Data Center Design team oversees comprehensive site, campus, architectural, and engineering designs across CoreWeave’s global portfolio, from initial site programming and master planning through detailed design, construction, commissioning support, and IT deployment. Its work includes coordinating buildings and supporting power, cooling, water, telecommunications, controls, life-safety, security, and other shared infrastructure. The Director ensures technical requirements are incorporated and projects meet scope, schedule, budget, quality, reliability, scalability, and operational expectations. The role requires 20% travel to various data center sites.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering field.
15+ years of progressively responsible experience in data center engineering, infrastructure design, construction, commissioning, or operations, including at least 8 years in engineering leadership or people management.
Experience leading, developing, and coordinating multidisciplinary technical teams across mechanical, electrical, civil, structural, architectural, plumbing, controls, fire protection, and life-safety disciplines.
Recognized technical expertise in planning and engineering large-scale, high-density data centers, including greenfield developments, single-building facilities, and multi-building campuses.
Experience developing, maintaining, and governing Basis of Design documents, reference designs, technical standards, engineering specifications, and long-term infrastructure design roadmaps.
Strong knowledge of critical data center infrastructure, including utility services, medium- and low-voltage power distribution, substations, UPS systems, generators, cooling plants, liquid-cooling systems, water systems, BMS and controls, fire protection, and life-safety systems.
Ability to evaluate complex engineering challenges, reconcile competing technical requirements, and make risk-informed decisions balancing reliability, scalability, efficiency, constructability, maintainability, cost, and speed to market.
Experience providing technical oversight across multiple concurrent projects, locations, delivery models, and development stages, from feasibility and master planning through design, construction, commissioning, and operational turnover.
Experience leading multidisciplinary reviews of engineering calculations, studies, drawings, specifications, equipment selections, sequences of operation, commissioning plans, and proposed deviations from standards.
Experience working with data center providers, developers, utility companies, A/E consultants, contractors, commissioning agents, equipment manufacturers, and technology partners.
Strong understanding of applicable building codes, engineering standards, regulatory and safety requirements, and industry best practices for mission-critical facilities.
People-leadership skills, including establishing technical accountability, managing performance, developing engineering talent, encouraging knowledge sharing, and building a collaborative, high-performing team.
Excellent written, verbal, and executive-level communication skills, including the ability to explain complex engineering issues in terms of business impacts, alternatives, risks, and recommendations.
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment while balancing technical initiatives, project demands, competing priorities, and evolving infrastructure requirements.
Strong analytical, strategic-thinking, organizational, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to travel 20% to various data center sites.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in engineering or a related field.
Professional Engineer (PE) licensure, or certifications such as LEED, Uptime Institute, or similar industry qualifications.
Demonstrated ability to identify, evaluate, and implement emerging data center technologies, particularly for high-density compute, advanced cooling, liquid cooling, power distribution, controls, modular infrastructure, and energy efficiency.
Ability to maintain a portfolio-level perspective while engaging directly in details to resolve critical project issues.
Ability to bring structure to ambiguity and translate technical and business requirements into actionable project plans.
Ability to identify developing risks early, establish practical mitigation strategies, and communicate recommendations confidently to senior and executive leadership.
Track record of building productive relationships with internal teams, data center providers, A/E firms, contractors, consultants, and equipment suppliers.

Responsibilities

Lead, manage, mentor, and develop multidisciplinary engineering subject matter experts; establish expectations, accountability, and professional development.
Establish technical vision and engineering strategy for CoreWeave’s global data center portfolio, aligned with business objectives, customer requirements, deployment timelines, and high-density AI compute needs.
Develop, maintain, and govern the Basis of Design, ensuring requirements are sound, documented, consistently interpreted, and updated based on lessons learned, operational feedback, technology advances, and business needs.
Develop and maintain a long-term design roadmap covering infrastructure architectures, capacity requirements, technologies, and capabilities for future data centers.
Integrate mechanical, electrical, architectural, civil, structural, controls, life-safety, and other engineering disciplines into coordinated infrastructure solutions, including low-voltage, cabling, network, and white-space technology requirements.
Partner with Data Center Design Management to define technical requirements, establish review milestones, resolve engineering issues, evaluate changes, and deliver coordinated, constructible design packages.
Set expectations for design reviews and lead technical evaluations of drawings, specifications, calculations, equipment selections, control sequences, studies, and commissioning documentation; identify and resolve design risks, gaps, and conflicts.
Serve as the senior escalation point for complex engineering challenges and decisions; align subject matter experts and present options, risks, and recommendations to the VP of Design and executive leadership.
Work with Operations and Commissioning to review performance, reliability events, commissioning findings, capacity limitations, and operational trends, and translate findings into corrective actions and design improvements.
Establish a process for capturing lessons learned across design, construction, commissioning, and operations, and incorporate validated improvements into standards, reference designs, specifications, and engineering processes.
Evaluate emerging technologies, including advanced and liquid cooling, power distribution, energy storage, controls, and modular infrastructure; recommend testing, standardization, and scaled deployment.
Drive initiatives to improve reliability, energy and water efficiency, sustainability, scalability, maintainability, and total cost of ownership while preserving performance and deployment speed.
Ensure engineering requirements and designs comply with applicable codes, regulations, safety requirements, contractual obligations, and industry standards; monitor relevant changes.
Provide technical direction to data center providers, A/E consultants, contractors, equipment manufacturers, and technology partners; set expectations and evaluate proposed solutions against CoreWeave requirements.
Partner with Supply Chain and Construction on major equipment requirements, vendor evaluations, product qualification, standardization, and strategic procurement opportunities.
Manage engineering resources across the project portfolio; balance project delivery, standards development, technical initiatives, and operational support, and address capability gaps through hiring, consultant, or vendor strategies.
Report engineering priorities, technical risks, major decisions, roadmap progress, resource needs, and portfolio initiatives to the VP of Design and executive leadership.
Foster innovation, collaboration, technical rigor, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement within the engineering team.