Lead Critical Facilities Technician (Liquid Cooling)

Wesco; Stafford (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

PTO

Retirement savings plan

Job summary

Wesco seeks a Lead Critical Facilities Technician (Liquid Cooling) to provide technical leadership for data center liquid cooling, coordinate deployments, and ensure quality and safety standards. You will mentor technicians and serve as the onsite expert for DLC, RDHx, and CDUs supporting high‑density AI/HPC racks.

The role includes designing liquid‑cooled racks, integrating BMS telemetry, leading commissioning, and driving operational readiness.

Qualifications

• Must have strong leadership and mentoring abilities.
• Extensive data center/critical facilities know‑how.
• Proven troubleshooting and rapid response skills.
• Experience supporting mission‑critical infrastructure in field service.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily activities of technicians and manage priorities.
• Design and integrate liquid‑cooled racks and cooling loops.
• Validate BMS sensors and telemetry for coolant systems.
• Oversee commissioning, readiness reviews, and quality assurance.

Skills

Leadership

Data Center knowledge

Troubleshooting

Field service experience

Education

High School diploma

Bachelor’s/Associate degree preferred

Job description

Job Description

As the Lead Critical Facilities Technician (Liquid Cooling), you will provide technical leadership, training, and escalation support for Data Center and Field Service Technicians. This role serves as the onsite subject matter expert for liquid-cooled infrastructure, coordinating deployments, supporting operational readiness, and ensuring quality and safety standards are met. The Lead Technician oversees the design, integration, deployment, commissioning, and support of high-density AI and HPC infrastructure, including environments exceeding 30kW-100kW+ per rack. Working across Operations, Engineering, and Facilities teams, this position supports Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC), Rear Door Heat Exchangers (RDHx), and Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs), helping optimize thermal performance, reliability, and energy efficiency while providing guidance and mentorship to technicians during installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting activities.

Responsibilities

• Design and integrate custom liquid-cooled racks, including manifolds, piping, fluid couplings, and secondary cooling loops tied to facility chilled-water systems through CDUs
• Integrate and validate Building Management System (BMS) sensors, controls, and monitoring hardware to ensure accurate telemetry for coolant flow, temperature, pressure, and rack-level thermal performance.
• If you want a slightly different flavor, here are two alternates depending on how deep you want to go:
• Deploy and support RDHx and direct-to-chip cold-plate systems, ensuring proper thermal performance, pressure balance, and coolant flow rates
• Implement and maintain leak‑detection systems, drip trays, coolant chemistry controls, and material compatibility standards to protect IT equipment
• Oversee installation of CDUs, piping, and high‑density rack infrastructure in coordination with mechanical contractors and facilities engineering teams
• Lead daily activities of Data Center Technicians and Field Service Technicians, providing work direction, technical guidance, and escalation support.
• Assign, prioritize, and coordinate installation, commissioning, maintenance, and break‑fix activities to ensure project milestones and operational objectives are achieved.
• Serve as the primary technical lead and subject matter expert for liquid‑cooling infrastructure, supporting technicians and customers through complex installations and troubleshooting efforts.
• Serve as the liaison between data center technicians, engineering, technical services, and quality assurance teams, ensuring alignment with operational standards
• Mentor, train, and develop technicians on liquid‑cooling technologies, operational procedures, safety practices, and quality standards.
• Lead commissioning activities, operational readiness reviews, and quality assurance processes for liquid‑cooled deployments.
• Coordinate, schedule, and provide work direction to field service technicians while maintaining safety, quality, and productivity expectations
• Perform quality checks, documentation updates, and operational reviews for all liquid‑cooling and high‑density rack deployments
• Review and validate completed work to ensure compliance with engineering specifications, deployment standards, and customer requirements.
• Conduct regular physical and visual inspections of liquid‑cooled systems, racks, and facility infrastructure to identify risks or performance issues
• Support installations, moves, additions, and changes involving high‑density GPU/CPU servers, networking equipment, and power systems
• Maintain logs, tracking forms, and documentation related to cooling systems, rack builds, and project execution
• Manage capacity planning for space, power, cooling, and port availability within liquid‑cooled environments
• Follow incident, change, and risk‑management processes to ensure safe and compliant operations
• Drive root‑cause analysis and corrective action activities to improve operational performance and deployment quality.
• Coordinate deployment schedules, resources, and technician assignments across local and remote project sites.
• Act as the primary escalation point for liquid‑cooling system failures, thermal performance issues, and infrastructure‑related incidents.
• Provide onsite technical support, troubleshooting, and escalation management for liquid‑cooling systems and high‑density hardware
• Light traveling from site to site
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• High School Degree or Equivalent required; Bachelor’s Degree or Associate Degree preferred
• Licenses/Certificates/Designations: OSHA‑10, mechanical or liquid‑cooling OEM certifications preferred
• 6+ years of Data Center Technician, Critical Facilities, or Field Service experience supporting mission‑critical infrastructure.
• 2+ years of experience serving in a Lead Technician, Senior Technician, Project Lead, or technical leadership capacity preferred.
• Understanding of fluid dynamics, heat transfer, coolant flow rates, pressure differentials, and thermal load calculations
• Experience with mechanical engineering principles, HVAC systems, and data center facility operations
• Familiarity with high‑density GPU/CPU servers, high‑performance networking, and 48V DC power systems
• Experience handling liquid‑cooled systems including coolant chemistry, leak detection, and valve/shutoff integration
• Strong organizational and communication skills with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities
• Ability to respond promptly to issues, provide updates, and elevate when necessary
• Ability to travel 0% - 25%
• Basic computer skills preferred
• Field Service or Data Center Technician experience preferred
• Experience supporting AI/HPC deployments, NVIDIA GPU infrastructure, or liquid‑cooled environments preferred.
• Experience with commissioning, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), operational readiness reviews, or deployment oversight preferred.

Working Environment

Data Center - The data center work environment is a highly secure, physically demanding, and structured operation, characterized by its loud, controlled temperature conditions and 24/7/365 uptime. The environment demands a high attention to detail and strong problem‑solving skills to manage and troubleshoot critical equipment during regular operation and in emergency situations. Lifting up to 50 lbs, regular bending, stooping, climbing and long periods of walking / standing will be required.

Physical Expectations

• Work is physically strenuous, and workers are required to lift heavy packages up to 50 pounds
• Work may require excessive bending or stooping
• Employee required to walk long distances repeatedly throughout the day
• Employee required to climb ladders
• Employee required to use hand tools

Compensation Details

Compensation Details: $90,000 - $120,000 Annually

This amount is what we reasonably believe we will pay for the position; however, offer amounts may vary based on factors such as geographic location, relevant education, experience, qualifications, skills, shift, or any collective bargaining agreements.

For eligible positions, compensation may include participation in a bonus or sales incentive plan,subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plan documents. For certain sales roles, Wesco also offers a commission structure that provides additional compensation based on sales results, as defined by the applicable commission plan.

In addition, Wesco offers a benefits program for eligible employees, which may include paid time off, medical, dental, and vision coverage, and retirement savings plans. Additional details about benefits are available here.

About The Team

At Wesco, we build, connect, power and protect the world. As a leading provider of business-to-business distribution, logistics services and supply chain solutions, we create a world that you can depend on.

Our Company’s greatest asset is our people. Wesco is committed to fostering a workplace where every individual is respected, valued, and empowered to succeed. We promote a culture that is grounded in teamwork and respect. With a workforce of over 20,000 people worldwide, we embrace the unique perspectives each person brings. Through comprehensive benefits and active community engagement, we create an environment where every team member has the opportunity to thrive.

Learn more about Working at Wesco here and apply online today!

Founded in 1922 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Wesco is a publicly traded (NYSE: WCC) FORTUNE 500® company.

Wesco International, Inc., including its subsidiaries and affiliates ("Wesco") provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or other characteristics protected by law. US applicants only, we are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Los Angeles Unincorporated County Candidates Only: Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act.

This posting is for a current, active vacancy intended for immediate hire.