Principal Sustaining Engineering Manager (Spark)

Crusoe Energy Systems; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) match

Mental wellness resources

Paid time off

Job summary

Crusoe Energy Systems is seeking a Sustaining Engineering Leader to own Spark module performance post-deployment and drive continuous improvement across fleet reliability, field feedback, and lifecycle management. You will establish baselines, define maintenance strategies, and interface with operations to convert field data into design requirements for future generations.

Lead the change process for ECOs, manage obsolescence, and ensure cost-effective service across a growing modular

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Reliability, or related engineering
• Track record of converting field performance data into design changes that reduce failures and costs
• Experience building sustaining engineering processes from the ground up

Responsibilities

• Own fleet reliability and MTBF metrics across deployed Spark modules
• Drive FRACAS and root-cause analyses to closure
• Manage component obsolescence and spares strategies for long-lifecycle hardware
• Coordinate with Data Center Ops and Field Ops to feed design requirements into NPI

Skills

Root-cause analysis

FRACAS

DMSMS

Sustaining engineering

Education

Bachelors in Eng

Tools

PLM workflows

Reliability modeling

Job description

• We are seeking a Sustaining Engineering Leader to own how Spark physical modules perform post-deployment and drive continuous improvement
• While Product Management defines future generations and NPI delivers them for production, you own each generation once it ramps: fleet reliability, field failures, configuration, component obsolescence, and the design modifications required for full service life performance
• In this role, “hardware” and “product” refers to the physical infrastructure of the Spark module: structural steel modules, RPPs, DLC cooling loops, CDUs, chillers, piping headers, electrical and mechanical systems, and power distribution gear
• Compute hardware (servers, GPUs, storage, networking, and rack specifications) is owned by Cloud Product
• Sitting on the Spark design engineering team, you capture how deployed Spark modules perform in service and aggregate the lessons learned and required changes into the design process, so the next version is more reliable, serviceable, and cost-effective
• Working with Data Center Facility Operations and Field Operations, you are the definitive evidence source for Product Management and NPI, turning field data into design requirements and acceptance criteria
• You start as the single-threaded leader of this function and build the team as the fleet expands
• I. Fleet Ownership, Facility Ops Interface & Field Issues
• Year 1 Ramp & Handover: Participate in production release and ramp readiness reviews for deploying generations as the receiving organization. Establish as-built baselines, spares strategies, service intervals, and repair-vs-replace policies prior to initial fleet launch
• Facility Operations Feedback Loop: Serve as the primary engineering interface with the Data Center Facility Operations team. Gather site-level field feedback across broader facility power, thermal, and environmental systems to analyze how site-wide operational dynamics impact individual Spark modules
• Fleet Reliability: Own subsystem failure rates, mean time between failures (MTBF), and repeat failure metrics. Define the required telemetry every deployed unit must report to ensure operational visibility
• Closed-Loop Corrective Action: Stand up and run the Failure Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action System (FRACAS) function. Drive root-cause analysis to closure with verified fixes, containing safety or fleet-wide risks immediately when issues arise
• II. Change, Configuration & Obsolescence
• Post-Release Change Control: Own engineering change orders (ECOs) for fielded generations, quantifying cost and fleet impacts prior to approval
• Configuration Baseline: Maintain as-built and as-maintained configuration baselines, ensuring field retrofits precisely target affected units
• Proactive Component Obsolescence: Manage component lifecycles using Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) practices - modeling last-time buys against fleet demand and qualifying alternate parts before component shortages occur
• Retrofits & Maintenance: Issue change packages, preventive maintenance schedules, and acceptance criteria for Field Operations execution
• III. Feedback Loop to Product Management & NPI
• Requirements into Product: Convert fleet and facility operations data into quantified design requirements for future Product Requirement Document (PRD) iterations
• Qualification into NPI: Supply field-derived acceptance criteria to NPI, ensuring historical failure modes are designed out of future module generations before release
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Own reliability, serviceability, and maintenance inputs driving Spark unit economics and long-term TCO
• Serviceability Advocacy: Represent maintainability and serviceability in design reviews, using field data to influence future hardware architecture

Benefits

• Health & wellbeing: Comprehensive health benefits designed to support your overall wellness
• Time away: Paid time off for vacations, family bonding, and unexpected needs
• 401(k) match: Build your financial future with our 401(k) matching program
• Mental wellness: Resources and support for your emotional wellbeing and navigating life’s challenges

Required: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Reliability, or a closely related engineering disciplineTrack record of converting field performance data into design changes that measurably reduce failure rates and service costsExperience building sustaining engineering processes (root-cause analysis frameworks, review boards, spares policies) from the ground up10 to 15 years in sustaining, reliability, or product support engineering for deployed capital hardware or infrastructure assetsHands-on management of component obsolescence and supplier end-of-life transitions for long-lifecycle hardwareObsolescence & Service Economics: Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) practices, last-time buy modeling, spares planning, and unit service cost driversConfiguration Management: PLM workflows, serial-level effectivity, change order management, and as-built controlReliability Engineering: Failure Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action Systems (FRACAS), structured root-cause analysis (8D, 5-Why), MTBF modeling, and population failure rate analysisDirect familiarity with liquid-cooled data center hardwareThe persistence to chase root causes past obvious answers, paired with the practical judgment needed to manage fleet disruptionsExperience with modular, containerized, or prefabricated infrastructure products in the field