Shift Mechanical Engineer - Data Centre (Liquid Cooling)

DT Source Limited; Slough; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

DT Source Limited in Slough Data Centre is seeking an experienced Shift Mechanical Engineer to operate, maintain and support liquid cooling systems, focusing on CDUs and secondary cooling for high-density AI and HPC environments. You will monitor performance, respond to faults and ensure safe, disruption-free operation of critical IT equipment.

You will lead planned maintenance, fault diagnosis and coordination with contractors while adhering to safety procedures and reporting requirements.

Qualifications

• Experience in mission-critical facilities and data centre cooling environments.
• Strong knowledge of chilled water cooling systems and components.
• Familiarity with BMS-based monitoring and fault diagnosis.
• Understanding of water treatment and safe working procedures.

Responsibilities

• Operate, maintain and support liquid cooling systems in a live data centre.
• Monitor CDUs, pumps, pipes, heat exchangers and leaks; respond to faults.
• Carry out planned maintenance and servicing of cooling infrastructure.
• Diagnose faults, manage alarms and restore cooling safely.
• Support testing, sampling and chemical treatment where required.
• Complete handovers, permits and incident records; follow RAMS and SOPs.
• Supervise contractors and contribute to system improvements.

Skills

Mission-critical

Data centre cooling

Chilled water systems

Pumps & valves

BMS operation

Water treatment

Permit-to-Work

Job description

12-hour rotating shifts

Location: Slough Data Centre

Shift Pattern: Continental shifts, 12-hour rotation, 24/7/365 operation

Reports to: Critical Facilities Manager

Lead Liquid Cooling Engineer

The Role

We are looking for an experienced Shift Mechanical Engineer to operate, maintain and support the liquid cooling systems within a live data centre.

The role focuses on Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs) and secondary-side cooling infrastructure supporting high-density AI and high-performance computing (HPC) environments.

You will be responsible for maintaining cooling performance, responding to faults and ensuring the data centre operates safely and without disruption.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor and maintain CDUs, pumps, pipework, heat exchangers, valves, filtration and leak detection systems.
• Monitor temperatures, pressures, flow rates and water quality through BMS, DCIM and local controls.
• Carry out planned preventative maintenance (PPM), inspections and mechanical servicing.
• Diagnose and respond to cooling faults, leaks, pump failures and system alarms.
• Carry out water sampling, testing and support chemical treatment.
• Follow emergency procedures to restore cooling and protect critical IT equipment.
• Complete shift handovers, maintenance records, permits and incident reports.
• Work in accordance with RAMS, MOPs, SOPs, EOPs and safe isolation procedures.
• Supervise specialist contractors and OEM engineers, supporting commissioning, fault investigations and system improvements.

Essential Qualifications & Experience

• Experience working in mission-critical facilities and data centre cooling environments.
• Strong knowledge of chilled water and closed-loop cooling systems.
• Experience maintaining pumps, valves, actuators, heat exchangers and filtration systems.
• Knowledge of water treatment, leak detection and water quality management.
• Experience using BMS systems for monitoring, alarms and fault diagnosis.
• Understanding of Permit-to-Work systems and safe working procedures.
• Experience responding to mechanical emergencies in live operational environments.

Desirable Experience

• Direct-to-chip liquid cooling and CDU systems.
• AI and high-performance computing (HPC) data centres.
• Liquid cooling equipment from Schneider, Vertiv, CoolIT, Motivair, Stulz or equivalent.
• Experience in Tier III or Tier IV data centres.
• Critical Facilities Management and 24/7 engineering operations.

Key Skills

The successful candidate will be confident fault-finding on mechanical cooling systems, able to respond effectively to critical incidents and comfortable working independently as part of a rotating shift team. Good communication, accurate reporting and a strong understanding of health and safety are essential.