Senior Associate, Data Center Mechanical Engineering

Ares Management Corporation; Bellevue (WA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision

401(k) match

HSA contributions

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Ada Infrastructure, part of Ares Management Corporation, is seeking a Senior Associate, Data Center Mechanical Engineering for North America. You will guide mechanical design strategies for data center projects, focusing on safety, reliability, scalability, and speed to market.

You will collaborate with cross‑functional teams to coordinate cooling plants, air distribution, and controls, while evaluating strategies and vendor solutions to meet program objectives and customer requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• PE license or ability to obtain licensure.
• 7+ years of mechanical engineering experience in data center or mission‑critical projects.
• Knowledge of cooling plants, chilled water, heat rejection, air distribution, and controls.
• Experience coordinating multi‑disciplinary teams and ensuring compliance with codes.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement mechanical design strategies for NA data center projects.
• Coordinate cooling plants, air distribution, and controls interfaces.
• Review mechanical designs for standards, codes, and project requirements.
• Evaluate cooling strategies and equipment selections to meet reliability and energy goals.
• Collaborate with construction, operations, and vendor teams to ensure constructability and maintainability.

Skills

Mechanical design

CFD modeling

Load calculation

Hydronic simulation

Technical communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Professional Engineering (PE) license

Tools

CFD software

Hydronic simulation software

Load calculation tools

Job description

Ada Infrastructure is a global data center business committed to being a positive force for technology, people, and the planet. As part of the digital infrastructure platform of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES), a leading global alternative investment manager, Ada Infrastructure is positioned to be a leader in reliable, safe, secure, and sustainable digital infrastructure. With eight in‑flight campuses across Japan, the UK, and Brazil, we have over 850MW of power currently available and more than 1,500MW in our global pipeline.

As the Senior Associate, Data Center Mechanical Engineering (North America), you will support the development and implementation of mechanical design strategies for data center projects across the North America region. This role focuses on ensuring that mechanical systems are designed to meet customer requirements, operational needs, and program objectives for safety, reliability, scalability, and speed to market.

Responsibilities

• Support development and implementation of mechanical design strategies for North America data center projects, including cooling plants, heat rejection systems, chilled water systems, condenser water systems, air distribution systems, and associated controls interfaces.
• Collaborate with design management and consultant teams to ensure mechanical systems are fully coordinated and integrated with all disciplines (civil, architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, fire protection & life safety, controls, and security).
• Provide technical guidance and perform design reviews of mechanical systems to ensure compliance with company standards, industry codes, and project requirements.
• Support evaluation of cooling strategies and system configurations to meet customer requirements, reliability objectives, energy performance goals, and constructability considerations.
• Collaborate with project teams and utility or infrastructure stakeholders, as applicable, to support regional implementation of mechanical infrastructure strategies.
• Support sales engineering team in the preparation of technical responses for customer RFPs, including mechanical design narratives, system concepts, and solution development.
• Support evaluation and selection of mechanical equipment, technologies, and vendor solutions in alignment with program objectives.
• Collaborate with construction and operations teams to ensure mechanical designs support efficient construction, commissioning, maintainability, and long‑term operations.
• Identify risks related to mechanical system design, constructability, coordination, and schedule, and proactively support mitigation strategies.
• Stay informed on advancements in mechanical engineering and data center cooling technologies, and recommend improvements to enhance performance, efficiency, and reliability.
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of global mechanical design standards, specifications, and best practices in coordination with international peers.
• Participate in cross‑regional collaboration efforts to align on design approaches and share lessons learned across the global portfolio.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• Professional Engineering (PE) license.
• 7+ years of relevant experience in mechanical engineering for data center, mission‑critical, or similarly complex infrastructure projects.
• Strong knowledge of mechanical systems including cooling plants, chilled water systems, heat rejection systems, air distribution systems, and controls integration for mission‑critical environments.
• Familiarity with industry standards, codes, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience supporting design development and coordination with multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Understanding of reliability, redundancy, and maintainability principles as applied to data center mechanical systems.
• Understanding of mechanical analytics tools, including load calculation, CFD modeling, and hydronic simulation modeling software.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and technical communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced project environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working on hyperscale or high‑density data center projects.
• Experience with availability/reliability modeling.
• Familiarity with construction methodologies, cost considerations, and project execution for mechanical systems.
• Experience with prefabrication or modular design approaches.
• Experience participating in client‑facing technical discussions and solution development.

Reporting Relationships

Head of Design & Innovation, NA & Global, Ada.

Compensation

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $140,000.00 – $160,000.00. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance‑based bonus.

Benefits

Ares U.S. Core Benefits include Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans; 401(k) program with company match; Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA); Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Long‑Term Disability (LTD) and Short‑Term Disability (STD) insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP); and commuter benefits plan for parking and transit. Additional benefits include access to a world‑class medical advisory team, a mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry, a mindfulness and wellbeing app, financial wellness benefit with an advisor, new parent leave, reproductive and adoption assistance, emergency backup care, matching gift program, education sponsorship program, and more.