Principal Mechanical Commissioning Engineer

Volta; Greater London; On-site; GBP 215,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity in Volta

Retirement contributions

Health, wellbeing and insurance

Generous vacation days

Job summary

Volta seeks a Principal Mechanical Commissioning Engineer to be the technical authority on mechanical commissioning across its global sites. You will set standards, define sequences of operations, and lead testing for cooling plants and associated systems at hyperscale data centres.

You will act as the escalation point for thermal, flow and controls issues, shaping the engagement of commissioning agents and contractors, and driving capability development across Volta and partners.

Qualifications

• Senior authority in mechanical commissioning for hyperscale data centres (10+ years).
• Experience writing and owning mechanical commissioning standards across a portfolio.
• Deep knowledge of cooling systems, hydronics, water quality, balancing, and mechanical controls.

Responsibilities

• Own Volta's global mechanical commissioning standards from L1 to L5 off-site commissioning and testing.
• Define SOO for all mechanical commissioning activities through L1 to L5.
• Set test strategy for cooling plant, pumps, hydronics, air systems, water treatment, and liquid cooling.
• Define cooling failure, redundancy and recovery scenarios under AI loads.
• Escalate thermal, flow and controls issues; set bar for commissioning agents and contractors.

Skills

Mechanical commissioning leadership

Hyperscale data centres

Thermal and hydraulic analysis

Cross-functional communication

Regional/international collaboration

Job description

About Volta

Volta is the category-defining, fully vertically integrated AI infrastructure platform – from capital to clusters to software, under a founder-led enterprise. Our mission is The Utility of Compute™: AI infrastructure as dependable and available as electricity, for every organization that needs it. Launched with a $10B strategic partnership with one of the leading frontier AI labs, a Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, and a $5B AI Infrastructure Fund, Volta is building the infrastructure layer of the AI era from the ground up. We are 100+ people across London, Palo Alto, and New York, with rapid growth expectations to hundreds.

About Volta

Volta is the category-defining, fully vertically integrated AI infrastructure platform – from capital to clusters to software, under a founder-led enterprise. Our mission is The Utility of Compute™: AI infrastructure as dependable and available as electricity, for every organization that needs it. Launched with a $10B strategic partnership with one of the leading frontier AI labs, a Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, and a $5B AI Infrastructure Fund, Volta is building the infrastructure layer of the AI era from the ground up. We are 100+ people across London, Palo Alto, and New York, with rapid growth expectations to hundreds.

The role

As Principal Mechanical Commissioning Engineer, you will be Volta's technical authority for mechanical commissioning. You will set the standards that prove cooling systems on every DSX site can carry high-density AI workloads under normal, degraded and recovery conditions.

This is a principal-level individual contributor role. Reporting to the Senior Director, Global Commissioning & Handover, your standards will govern every site, contractor and commissioning agent we use, and you will make the final technical call on mechanical acceptance questions across

What you will do

Mechanical commissioning standards

• Own Volta's global mechanical commissioning standards, from L1 to L5 off-site commissioning, and integrated system testing.
• Define the sequence of operations (SOO), for all the mechanical commissioning activities through L1 to L5.
• Set test strategy for cooling plant, pumps, hydronics, air systems, water treatment and the facility side of liquid cooling.
• Define cooling failure, redundancy and recovery scenarios under representative AI loads.

Technical authority

• Act as the escalation point for thermal, flow and controls issues and disputed evidence across all sites.
• Set the bar commissioning agents and contractors are selected and measured against.
• Integrate mechanical testing with CDU, electrical, BMS/PMS and turn-up requirements.

Capability and improvement

• Evolve the standards and reference design using test results and operating data.
• Build mechanical commissioning capability across Volta and its partners.

What we are looking for

• Recognised senior authority in mechanical commissioning of hyperscale or mission-critical data centres, typically 10+ years.
• A track record writing and owning mechanical commissioning standards across a portfolio.
• Deep knowledge of cooling systems, hydronics, water quality, balancing and mechanical controls.
• Experience leading integrated systems testing and judging thermal and hydraulic performance evidence.
• Ability to make high-consequence acceptance calls with designers, vendors and contractors.
• Experience influencing across functions and regions without direct authority.

Nice to have

• High-density AI infrastructure and liquid cooling.
• Dynamic load testing and cooling failure recovery.
• Mechanical commissioning across international programmes.

What we offer

At Volta, we believe people do their best work when they feel supported, trusted and able to grow. We're building a company where you can make an impact, keep a healthy balance between work and life, and build a career you're proud of.

As a global team, we do our best to provide great benefits wherever you're based. While some benefits vary by country due to local regulations, we believe looking after our people is simply the right thing to do.

• Competitive salary based on the work you do here, not your previous salary
• Equity in Volta, giving you the opportunity to share in the company's long-term success
• Retirement/pension contributions
• Comprehensive health, wellbeing and insurance benefits
• Generous number of vacation days each year

Additional Information

Background Checks

All offers of employment at Volta are conditional on the satisfactory completion of pre-employment screening, which includes confirmation of your right to work, verification of your employment history and a criminal record check, where this is permitted by local law. Screening is carried out by Zinc, an accredited third-party provider, after an offer is made and all information is handled confidentially and in accordance with applicable data protection law.

Equal Opportunity

Volta is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and make employment decisions based on skills, qualifications, experience and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic.

Accessibility

Volta is committed to providing an accessible recruitment experience for all candidates. If you require accommodations or adjustments at any stage of the application or interview process, please contact us at [e-mail]. We will work with you to identify reasonable accommodations that enable you to participate fully in the hiring process.

Candidate Privacy Notice

By applying, you consent to the processing of your personal data for recruitment purposes in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the UK GDPR, EU GDPR and relevant US state privacy regulations. Your data will be shared only with those involved in the hiring process and will not be used for unrelated purposes. For details, see our Recruitment & Candidate Privacy Notice.

Compensation Range: £215K - £270K