Mechanical Engineer – Customer Focused Team

Ecolab•San Francisco, CA

8d•$94,400 - $141,600

About The Position

The Mechanical Engineer – Customer Focused Team works closely with key customers and a small advance team to understand customer needs, use cases, and product requirements; agree on project scope and requirements; and establish initial design direction for new Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs). The engineer remains a core team member throughout the CDU design and new product introduction (NPI) lifecycle. The role makes major contributions to CDU mechanical design and collaborates with internal and external teams and partners to keep customer interests central to product development. It requires strong interpersonal and communication skills, along with expertise in mechanical engineering, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics. The position is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and may involve frequent travel to customer facilities. Up to 30% domestic and international travel may be required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Engineering Physics, or a directly related discipline.
At least 7 years of relevant engineering and/or design experience.
Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Excellent time-management and organizational skills.
Strong analysis, problem-solving, and risk-mitigation skills.
Experience with thermomechanical design calculations, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, piping design, and HVAC.
Proficiency with CAD software, such as SolidWorks, for detailed mechanical designs and drawings.
Technical product and design review skills, including competitive benchmarking, performance, estimated cost, Design for Manufacturability, Design for Assembly, and Design for Service.
Experience with engineering change management for NPI and sustaining products.
Strong sense of urgency and responsiveness, with ability to drive projects to closure.
Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, customers, and external partners.
Ability to understand customer needs and requirements and translate them into functional engineering requirements for product design.
Ability to provide technical leadership in complex projects with cross-functional teams.
Ability to perform engineering design calculations and FEA simulations for fluid mechanical, thermal, and/or seismic analyses.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally; up to 30% travel may be required.

Nice To Haves

Professional engineering designation, or eligibility to obtain it in California within 12 months.
Experience in the datacenter, high-performance computing, or liquid-cooling industries.
Experience in customer-facing roles such as technical sales, key account management, consulting, or engineering roles with frequent customer interactions.
Experience in product design, technical sales, or engineering of thermal management and heat-transfer solutions, fluid dynamics, datacenter, or HVAC products.
Knowledge of datacenter design basics, relevant standards, and facility design or operation best practices.
Experience with rapid-prototyping manufacturing techniques and testing thermal/mechanical components or assemblies; familiarity with laboratory data-collection equipment.
Familiarity with NPI product design, PLM, and PDM processes and their role in engineering change management.
Proficiency with finite-element computer simulations for CFD, heat transfer, stress/strain, and seismic analysis.
Experience with Design for Lean Six Sigma or related statistical product-design methodologies.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain excellent working relationships with the key customer.
Lead early-stage NPI design of CDUs as part of a customer-focused team, supporting agreement on product specifications, requirements, and design approach.
Contribute substantially to initial product design using thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and mechanical engineering principles, and develop performance models to support product architecture and design decisions.
Support rapid iteration of design concepts through technology assessment, feasibility analysis, and proofs of concept; oversee building and testing thermal, hydraulic, and integrated assembly prototypes.
Create engineering drawings, reports, design reviews, and other documentation explaining design ideas, test results, and recommendations to internal teams and external stakeholders.
Work with core teams, customers, and industry partners to deliver CDU designs on time and meet or exceed market needs.
Review and approve designs, drawings, and other engineering documentation.
Advance CDU component and system design and maintain the company’s competitive advantage.
Collaborate with industry groups to define and influence emerging standards and best practices.
Improve CDU performance, reliability, cost, and efficiency.
Mentor and guide junior team members.
Travel to customer sites, company headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, and industry conferences and trade shows as required.