Mechanical Engineer – Customer Focused Team

Ecolab•Washington, DC

8d•$94,400 - $141,600

About The Position

The Mechanical Engineer on the Customer Focused Team works closely with key customers and a small, advanced engineering team to design innovative Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs). The role helps establish a shared understanding of customer use cases, needs, product requirements, project scope, and initial design direction, then remains a core team member throughout the CDU design and new product introduction (NPI) lifecycle. The engineer contributes substantially to mechanical design, applies thermodynamics and fluid mechanics to develop performance models and guide product decisions, and collaborates with internal teams, customers, and external partners. The position emphasizes customer-centered design, clear communication, rapid concept iteration and validation, and delivery of reliable, efficient, cost-effective products. The position is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and may require frequent visits 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 analytical, problem-solving, and risk-mitigation skills.
Knowledge of thermodynamics and heat transfer in liquid-to-liquid and liquid-to-air systems.
Demonstrated understanding of hydraulic and gas-fluid behavior, particularly in liquid-cooling systems, including the ability to build first-order fluid network models from component performance curves and generate predicted system-level pressure-flow curves.
Knowledge of datacenter design fundamentals, relevant standards, and facility design and/or operation best practices.
Knowledge of process piping, P&IDs, and building mechanical design, particularly HVAC and fluid transfer.
Understanding of pump, motor, heat exchanger, and sensor selection, testing, and validation.
Ability to perform thermo-mechanical design calculations involving heat transfer, fluid mechanics, piping design, and HVAC.
Proficiency with CAD software such as SolidWorks for detailed mechanical design and drawings.
Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, customers, and external partners.
Ability to understand customer needs and translate them into functional engineering requirements that guide product design.
Ability to provide technical leadership in complex projects involving cross-functional teams.
Ability to perform engineering design calculations and FEA simulations for fluid-mechanical, thermal, and/or seismic analyses.
Strong sense of urgency and responsiveness, with the ability to drive projects to closure.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally.

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 work such as technical sales, key account management, consulting, or engineering roles with frequent customer interaction.
Experience with product design, technical sales, or engineering of thermal-management and heat-transfer solutions, fluid dynamics, datacenter products, or HVAC products.
Experience with rapid-prototyping manufacturing techniques and testing thermal/mechanical components or assemblies, and 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, including CFD, heat transfer, and stress/strain analysis.
Experience with seismic analysis.
Knowledge of 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 Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs) within a customer-focused team, aligning 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 assessments, feasibility analyses, and proofs of concept.
Oversee the building and testing of thermal, hydraulic, and integrated assembly prototypes for validation.
Create engineering drawings, reports, design reviews, and other documentation communicating design concepts, 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 in line with market needs.
Review and approve designs, drawings, and other engineering documentation.
Advance CDU component and system design and contribute to maintaining Cool IT's competitive advantage.
Collaborate with industry groups to define and influence emerging standards and best practices.
Identify ways to improve CDU performance, reliability, cost, and efficiency.
Mentor and guide junior team members.
Travel domestically and internationally, including to Cool IT headquarters in Calgary, customer sites, and industry conferences and trade shows.