Principal Mechanical Architect – Data Center Cooling

Hunter Philips Executive Search; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-related bonus

Long-term incentive

Job summary

Hunter Philips Executive Search seeks a Principal Mechanical System Architect to lead cooling architecture for hyperscale data center programs in the USA. You will own the mechanical design from concept through commissioning and operation, setting standards and repeatable solutions for scalable AI infrastructure.

You will define central plant topology, liquid-cooling and high-density strategies, and partner with Electrical, Controls, Construction and Operations to ensure integrated performance.

Qualifications

• 10+ years mechanical engineering experience in hyperscale data centers or mission-critical infrastructure.
• Deep expertise in data center cooling systems and thermal management.
• Experience defining system architecture and standards beyond individual projects.

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical system architecture from concept to commissioning and operations.
• Define cooling topology, redundancy philosophy and design criteria for high-density compute environments.
• Establish mechanical standards and reference designs across the portfolio.
• Lead technical strategy across central plant, chilled-water, liquid-cooling systems.
• Direct design reviews and resolve complex system and integration issues.
• Collaborate with Electrical, Controls, Construction, Commissioning and Operations teams.
• Translate field lessons into continuous improvement for future designs.

Skills

Hyperscale data center experience

Mechanical system architecture

Cooling systems expertise

Engineering standards development

Technical leadership

Tools

CAD tools

CFD simulation

Job description

Hunter Philips Executive Search seeks a Principal Mechanical System Architect to lead cooling architecture for hyperscale data center programs in the USA. You will own the mechanical design from concept through commissioning and operation, setting standards and repeatable solutions for scalable AI infrastructure.

You will define central plant topology, liquid-cooling and high-density strategies, and partner with Electrical, Controls, Construction and Operations to ensure integrated performance.