Data Center Engineering Principal Engineer, Data Center Engineering Principal Engineer

Amazon Inc.; Hermiston (OR); On-site; USD 166,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Parental leave

RSUs included

Job summary

Amazon Data Services, Inc. in the United States is seeking a DCEO Principal Engineer to lead data center infrastructure management, including electrical, mechanical, and HVAC systems, across AMER.

You will drive operational excellence, safety, and reliability for a growing portfolio of AWS data centers. The role requires strategic and hands‑on leadership, mentoring engineers, coordinating cross‑functional teams, and delivering innovative solutions to complex problems while maintaining

Qualifications

• 10+ years of electrical and mechanical facilities maintenance or data center experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering.
• Professional Engineering registration or 5+ years of leadership experience before senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Drive a safety‑first culture and adherence to SOPs and operational excellence.
• Lead data center engineering staff across the region including engineers, facility managers, and technicians.
• Partner with senior leaders to drive prevention of Large Scale Events and guide strategic improvements.
• Test, validate, and optimize installation and performance of MEP systems with project teams.
• Mentor operations staff and set infrastructure goals for availability and data center management.
• Oversee and coordinate root‑cause analysis, mitigation, and long‑term corrective actions.

Job description

Job ID: 10556710 | Amazon Data Services, Inc.

At Amazon, we're working to be the most customer-centric company on Earth. To get there, we need exceptionally talented, bright, and driven people.
Amazon’s AWS Data Centers are a major component of worldwide cloud-computing infrastructure and are industry leading examples of mission critical facilities. The pace, scale, and growth of Amazon’s data center platform will challenge you. Our uncompromisingly high standards as we continually seek to innovate on behalf of our customers will push you to new levels of creativity.
The Infrastructure Operations organization is looking for an extraordinary individual with proven and tested technical acumen and leadership skills to lead our Data Center Engineering Operations (DCEO) for AMER. The position will help ensure overall availability and reliability to meet or exceed defined service levels of data center operations.
A DCEO Principal Engineer is one of our most senior leadership roles in the data center environment. As engineers at Amazon we are responsible for achieving a world class uptime for our customers. In this role you will be responsible for leading the overall infrastructure management (e.g. electrical, mechanical, and HVAC systems) and be accountable for delivering operational excellence in the areas of safety, security, availability of an expanding portfolio of AWS data centers. The role requires a highly driven, self-managed individual who demonstrates initiative and proactively seeks innovative solutions to highly complex technical problems. This role reports directly to the Director of AMER Operations.
The DCEO Principal Engineer is a leader and evangelist, working with and leading cross-functional teams which include: technical program management, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, control engineering, supply chain management, operations, end users as well as safety and security teams.
The ideal candidate should be able to operate comfortably at an strategic and tactical level. It requires the individual to be able to see the big picture, guide, direct, educate, and develop members of the team while at times shifting to being hands-on on electrical and mechanical equipment troubleshooting. They will maintain, operate, and troubleshoot mission‑critical data center facility equipment including electrical support equipment such as stand‑by diesel generators and related fuel systems, 3 phase electrical systems that include but not limited to switchgear, transfer controllers, UPS units, PDUs, battery technologies and associated systems. Mechanical equipment includes CRAC units, centrifugal chillers, EVAP, cooling towers/water chemical system, air handlers and associated systems, pumps, and motors. Additional support equipment includes fire suppression systems, building automation systems, and general facilities equipment.
Effective May 15, 2017, logical access to the AWS GovCloud region will be restricted to Amazon employees who are U.S. Citizens. (GovCloud may NOT be accessed from outside of the United States)

Key job responsibilities

• Drive a safety-first culture that is underpinned by Amazon Leadership Principles and the utmost regard for adherence to standard operating procedures, operational excellence, and continuous improvement mindset;
• Be a leader within the Data Center engineering staff across the region, including engineering technicians, chief engineers, facility and area managers;
• Partner with senior leaders and DCEO cluster managers to drive prevention of Large Scale Events and Critical Site Events. Review and advise on technical work, support with event management, and help lead the strategic direction and improvements of our DCEO organization;
• Work with construction and commissioning teams to properly test and validate installation, operation, and performance of mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems.
• Maintain existing IT, mechanical, electrical infrastructure as well as pioneer new technology and processes. Work with internal teams to understand design requirements, solicit customer input, and drive innovative infrastructure solutions within business constraints;
• For issues that arise in data centers, provide support and guidance to the teams involved in root-cause analysis, mitigation and remediation strategies, sharing lessons learned with global partners, and support with long‑term corrective measures including reporting and documentation.
• Act as a mentor and subject matter expert to operations staff through one‑on‑one coaching and mentoring.
• Actively oversees and plans infrastructure goals for key initiatives and metrics that support service availability and Data Center management
• Works independently and has frequent reviews with business leadership, other Principal Engineers and Senior Engineers across AWS.
• Communicate clearly and effectively at the appropriate level of detail with people from a wide range of technical abilities and backgrounds.
• Have fun while offering creative, out of the box solutions.

Basic Qualifications

• 10+ years of electrical and mechanical facilities maintenance, or 10+ years of data center or mission critical facilities (example: hospital, military facility, public safety facility, etc.) experience
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or a related field
• Professional Engineering registration, or 5+ years of managing, analyzing and communicating results to senior leadership experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience motivating others to meet the daily challenges of an extremely deadline-driven environment
• Experience that includes strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and effective communication abilities, or experience working with customers with a passion for delivering exceptional service
• Experience with large-scale technical operations or large-scale compute farms
• Experience performing complex business case analysis to justify technical decisions and presenting the justification to management in a high-level review
• Knowledge of mechanical, electrical, and controls systems for critical infrastructures
• Knowledge of IT system hardware and network concepts

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits .

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits .

USA, OR, Hermiston - 165,700.00 - 260,000.00 USD annually

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status. Veterans, military spouses, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.