Mechanical Engineer, Data Centers - Remote (U.S.)

AECOM•Arlington, VA

7h•Remote

About The Position

AECOM is hiring a highly skilled Mechanical Engineer for its east-region Data Center and Mission Critical team. The role involves hands-on, client-facing work on fast-paced data center projects for global clients, with opportunities to collaborate with teams around the world and for career advancement. The position is primarily remote and may be based near an AECOM office in the United States. Occasional, advance-scheduled travel may be required for client meetings, project milestones, onsite collaboration, or other business-critical activities. New employees must attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office as a condition of employment. The engineer will design and optimize data center heat-rejection and HVAC systems, including cooling selection, airflow and humidity management, redundancy, capacity planning, energy efficiency, and air quality. The work includes internal and external computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and coordination with other project disciplines and critical infrastructure systems.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree with at least 6 years of relevant experience, or demonstrated equivalency of experience and/or education.
Experience with data center mechanical and electrical equipment installation and operation.
Professional Engineer (P.E.) registration is required.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, HVAC engineering, or a related field from an accredited university.
Master's degree or advanced coursework in HVAC systems or energy management.
Knowledge of data center tier standard topology as defined by the Uptime Institute, TIA 942, or ANSI/BICSI 002.
Professional HVAC-related certifications such as Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP), or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation.

Responsibilities

Develop and design heat-rejection and HVAC systems for data centers, considering cooling type and loads, future flexibility, phased construction and operation, airflow management, humidity control, concurrent maintainability, energy efficiency, and applicable standards and practices.
Select appropriate air- and water-side cooling systems, including fan wall units, computer room air handlers (CRAHs), chilled-water systems, DX systems and CRAC units, in-row cooling, and containment solutions.
Conduct internal CFD simulations to optimize airflow, analyze transient periods, identify hotspots, and support efficient cooling.
Conduct external CFD analysis for individual buildings and campuses to assess interactions among electrical and mechanical components and design-day capacity criteria; prepare or direct model preparation, analyze results, recommend design changes, and coordinate resulting changes with other trades.
Design HVAC redundancy and fault-tolerant features, including backup cooling, automatic switchover mechanisms, and monitoring systems, to support continuous data center operation during equipment failures or maintenance.
Calculate data center heat loads based on IT equipment, power density, anticipated growth, and construction and operational phasing; plan capacity for future expansion and upgrades; and calculate HVAC loads for administrative and common areas.
Implement energy-efficient HVAC strategies, such as economizers, variable-speed drives, energy recovery, and airflow optimization, to reduce energy use and support sustainability initiatives.
Design filtration and air-quality monitoring to address particulates, humidity, and contaminants and protect sensitive IT equipment.
Coordinate with electrical and mechanical engineers to integrate HVAC and heat-rejection systems with electrical infrastructure, UPS and emergency power systems, fire suppression, and other critical infrastructure.