MEP Systems Engineer

Metric DCX; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision coverage

Company-paid life insurance and short/

Job summary

Metric DCX is seeking an owner's-side MEP Systems Engineer to translate hyperscale AI cluster requirements into facility design standards and hold every design to them. You will own basis of design for power, coolant loops, redundancy, and BMS/EPMS controls, ensuring AI-readiness of designs from shell to room level.

You will lead design reviews, drive vendor evaluation for major MEP systems, and oversee commissioning through turnover, while pushing for prefabricated assemblies to save schedule

Qualifications

• 10+ years in mechanical/electrical engineering for data centers or critical facilities in either design, commissioning, or owner's engineering with deep working knowledge of NEC, NFPA, IEEE, ASHRAE standards and BMS/EPMS systems.

Responsibilities

• Own the facility basis of design: power distribution, direct-to-chip liquid cooling (CDUs, cooling loops, water quality), heat rejection, electrical redundancy, and BMS/EPMS controls.
• Translate AI hardware requirements into rack, row, and room-level facility specs, and keep standards current as hardware evolves.
• Review third-party site designs (powered shells, build-to-suit, colo) for AI-readiness, giving clear accept/modify/reject calls with cost implications.
• Lead design reviews with architects/engineers, pushing toward prefabricated and factory-built assemblies for schedule and cost savings.
• Drive equipment selection and vendor evaluation for major MEP systems (switchgear, UPS, generators, CDUs, chillers).
• Own commissioning from the owner's side through to first-time-right turnover.
• Act as escalation engineer for operating sites providing root cause analysis, corrective designs, & retrofits.

Skills

Data center engineering

Owner-side engineering experience

Standards compliance (NEC NFPA IEEE AS

Job description

A new AI Infrastructure firm is looking for an owner's-side MEP Systems Engineer for the mechanical, electrical, and controls systems behind our AI compute fleet. You'll translate hyperscale AI cluster requirements into facility design standards, and hold every design to them, whether it's the firm's basis of design or a third-party build.

Role Scope:

• Own the facility basis of design: power distribution, direct-to-chip liquid cooling (CDUs, cooling loops, water quality), heat rejection, electrical redundancy, and BMS/EPMS controls.
• Translate AI hardware requirements into rack, row, and room-level facility specs, and keep standards current as hardware evolves.
• Review third-party site designs (powered shells, build-to-suit, colo) for AI-readiness, giving clear accept/modify/reject calls with cost implications.
• Lead design reviews with architects/engineers, pushing toward prefabricated and factory-built assemblies for schedule and cost savings.
• Drive equipment selection and vendor evaluation for major MEP systems (switchgear, UPS, generators, CDUs, chillers).
• Own commissioning from the owner's side through to first-time-right turnover.
• Act as escalation engineer for operating sites providing root cause analysis, corrective designs, & retrofits.

You'll be an early engineer on this team, helping write the standards the rest of the fleet will inherit.

Initial Success Pathway:

60 days: Fluent in the AI facility requirements set, first design review cycle complete with documented findings, AI-readiness checklist for third-party designs drafted and in use on live deals.

6 months: Basis of design V1 issued for the reference deployment, major equipment selections made with technical justification, commissioning oversight running on the first project with ops acceptance criteria built in.

1+ year: First site commissioned and operating to design intent (density, PUE, thermal stability under load); field and operational lessons feeding back into standards. Third-party review process trusted by the deal team as fast and decisive.

Experience:

• 10+ years in mechanical/electrical engineering for data centers or critical facilities in either design, commissioning, or owner's engineering with deep working knowledge of NEC, NFPA, IEEE, ASHRAE standards and BMS/EPMS systems.
• Direct experience with high-density AI/HPC infrastructure: direct-to-chip liquid cooling, 100kW+ racks, large-scale UPS/generator plants. You've designed, commissioned, or operated it, not just read about it.
• Owner-side design review experience: holding architects, engineers, vendors, and developers accountable to a requirements set and putting a cost on every deviation.

Package:

• Generous base, bonus and additional incentive based compensation
• Health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
• Company-paid life insurance and disability
• Full suite of other optional benefits
• 401k Plan with 4% company match (USA employees)