Mechanical Engineer, R&D

Fluidstack; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Fluidstack seeks an experienced mechanical engineer to design HVAC systems for data-center scale projects. You will own hydraulics, heat transfer, and equipment sizing, ensuring reliable cooling for modular units.

You will specify major cooling equipment, validate designs against test data, and contribute to vendor packages. Revit or Plant CAD skills are a plus; ambitious candidates welcomed.

Qualifications

• You've designed mechanical or HVAC systems for data centers or industrial plants.
• Your hydraulic and thermal calcs are yours, not the vendor's.
• You've specified and integrated major cooling equipment.
• You've validated designs against commissioning or test data.
• You draw clean P&IDs and mean them.
• Bonus: Liquid and direct-to-chip cooling. Revit or plant CAD. ASHRAE datacom depth. Field commissioning exposure.

Responsibilities

• Engineer mechanical systems: cooling distribution, piping, heat rejection for modular units.
• Run hydraulics, heat transfer, and equipment sizing end to end.
• Develop vendor packages: CDUs, pumps, dry coolers.
• Support prototypes and first builds: reconcile test data with design.

Skills

HVAC design

Data center experience

P&IDs drafting

Hydraulics calcs

Tools

Revit

Plant CAD

Job description

About Fluidstack

We exist to make humanity more free. For most of human history, you farmed or you starved. Technology gave people more time for the things they wanted to do, instead of things they had to do. Powerful AI will be the biggest lever for human choice we've ever built - but only if models are aligned with what humanity actually wants. There are groups building AI who don't share these goals. Whoever deploys frontier compute infrastructure fastest will decide whether AI expands human freedom or shrinks it.

We're singularly focused on delivering 10 to 100s of GWs of compute faster than anyone else, rethinking every layer of the stack. We acquire power, design and build data centers, and operate them - with teams spanning hardware and software. Speed and scale are our key differentiators. Come be a part of building civilization-scale infrastructure for AI.

We hire people who care deeply about this problem space.

How We Operate

• Be a barrel. Full autonomy. Own things end to end, take on scope without being asked, no permission required to operate outside your core role.

• Insane urgency. We drive everything forward as fast as possible.

• Reason from first principles. Challenge every assumption. Zero analogy thinking, no egos, the best idea wins.

• Love of the game. The frontier of AI is the most interesting problem of our time. We put in long hours at high intensity to push the frontier forward.

• Build something that actually matters. If you're going to spend your time, spend it on something that matters to the world.

Role Scope

• Engineer the mechanical systems in the reference design: cooling distribution, piping, and heat rejection for modular units.

• Run the calcs: hydraulics, heat transfer, and equipment sizing owned end to end.

• Develop vendor packages: CDUs, pumps, and dry coolers specified, evaluated, and integrated.

• Support prototypes and first builds: test data reconciled against design.

What We're Looking For

• The below is a starting point. We always make space for exceptional people, so if you don't fit this role exactly.

• You've designed mechanical or HVAC systems for data centers or industrial plants.

• Your hydraulic and thermal calcs are yours, not the vendor's.

• You've specified and integrated major cooling equipment.

• You've validated designs against commissioning or test data.

• You draw clean P&IDs and mean them.

• Bonus: Liquid and direct-to-chip cooling. Revit or plant CAD. ASHRAE datacom depth. Field commissioning exposure.

We are committed to pay equity and transparency.

Fluidstack is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans’ status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Fluidstack will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to applicable law.

You will receive a confirmation email once your application has successfully been accepted. If there is an error with your submission and you did not receive a confirmation email, please email [e-mail] with your resume/CV, the role you've applied for, and the date you submitted your application-- someone from our recruiting team will be in touch.