Senior Mechanical Project Engineer

Giga Energy; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Giga Energy is seeking a Senior Mechanical Project Engineer to serve as the on‑site technical representative for data center cooling and HVAC systems. The role focuses on ensuring installation aligns with design intent, resolving field issues quickly, and maintaining strong liaison between engineering and construction teams.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience with hydronic and high‑density cooling systems, including direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling, and will travel between project sites

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years of mechanical engineering experience with hydronic/HVAC design, construction, or commissioning.
• Strong knowledge of hydronic systems, piping, pumps, heat exchangers, controls, and HVAC load calculations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the on‑site Design Engineering representative throughout construction, startup, and commissioning.
• Oversee hydronic and data center cooling systems, including direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling and CDUs.
• Provide technical oversight for office and support‑space HVAC systems and ensure codes and design intent are met.
• Review submittals, coordinate with contractors, and resolve field conflicts.
• Support commissioning, testing, and startup activities and verify system performance.

Skills

Hydronic design

HVAC load calculations

Piping & hydraulics

Field troubleshooting

Communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Revit

Navisworks

Job description

What you’ll do

We are seeking a Senior Mechanical Project Engineer – Data Center Cooling & HVAC to serve as the Design Engineering team’s full‑time technical representative at active construction sites. This role is responsible for ensuring that mechanical systems are installed in accordance with the design intent, identifying and resolving field issues quickly, and maintaining a strong technical connection between the engineering team and construction activities. The Senior Mechanical Project Engineer will work closely with design engineers, construction managers, contractors, vendors, commissioning teams, and site personnel throughout construction, startup, and commissioning.

The ideal candidate is a mechanical engineer with significant experience designing and delivering hydronic systems and commercial HVAC systems, preferably in data centers or other mission‑critical facilities. The candidate should also have familiarity with direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling and other high‑density cooling technologies, as well as conventional HVAC systems serving office, administrative, and support spaces.

Where you’ll work

This is a field‑based position requiring a significant on‑site presence and the ability to travel between multiple project sites as business needs require.

Responsibilities

Design Engineering Representation

• Serve as the primary on‑site representative for the Design Engineering team throughout construction, startup, and commissioning.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of the mechanical design, design criteria, sequences of operation, equipment requirements, and overall system intent.
• Ensure construction activities and field modifications remain consistent with engineering requirements and project objectives.
• Communicate site conditions, construction challenges, and lessons learned back to the broader engineering organization.
• Act as a technical liaison between site construction teams and off‑site design engineers.

Hydronic & Data Center Cooling Systems

• Provide technical oversight of mechanical systems with a particular focus on:
  • Hydronic cooling systems
  • Pumps, heat exchangers, piping, valves, and associated equipment
  • Water treatment, fill, flushing, and system cleanliness
  • Controls and mechanical sequences of operation
  • Data center cooling systems
  • Direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling systems
  • Coolant distribution units (CDUs) and secondary cooling loops
• Review field installations for compliance with drawings, specifications, applicable codes, vendor requirements, and engineering intent.
• Evaluate proposed field changes and provide technically sound recommendations to the design team.

Office & Support‑Space HVAC

• Provide technical oversight and design support for HVAC systems serving office, administrative, warehouse, restroom, electrical, and other support areas.
• Review and support the design and installation of systems including:
  • Air‑handling units
  • VAV systems
  • Exhaust and ventilation systems
  • Ductwork and air distribution
  • Outside‑air and ventilation systems
  • Heating systems and terminal equipment
  • Building automation and HVAC controls
  • Review heating and cooling loads, equipment sizing, ventilation requirements, zoning, and air distribution strategies as required.
• Verify HVAC designs and installations meet applicable building codes, mechanical codes, energy codes, ventilation standards, and project requirements.
• Coordinate HVAC systems with architectural, structural, electrical, controls, fire protection, and other building systems.
• Resolve field conflicts involving ductwork, piping, equipment access, clearances, serviceability, and architectural coordination.
• Support troubleshooting and commissioning of office and support‑space HVAC systems to ensure comfort, ventilation, and energy‑performance objectives are achieved.

Construction Support & Issue Resolution

• Proactively identify constructability issues, design conflicts, and installation risks before they impact project schedule or system performance.
• Support resolution of RFIs, field questions, design clarifications, and non‑conformance issues.
• Review contractor submittals, shop drawings, coordination drawings, and equipment installation details as required.
• Participate in field walks and inspections to verify installation quality and design compliance.
• Coordinate directly with contractors and vendors to troubleshoot mechanical system issues.
• Document field conditions and provide clear recommendations to engineering and project leadership.
• Escalate significant design, quality, safety, schedule, or performance concerns when appropriate.

Commissioning & Startup

• Support mechanical system startup, testing, flushing, balancing, functional performance testing, and commissioning.
• Assist in troubleshooting system performance during startup and commissioning.
• Verify that installed systems operate in accordance with approved sequences of operation and design requirements.
• Work closely with commissioning agents, controls contractors, equipment vendors, and operations teams to resolve deficiencies.
• Support TAB activities for office and support‑space HVAC systems, including airflow, temperature, pressure, and ventilation verification.
• Support project turnover by ensuring outstanding engineering and mechanical issues are properly documented and closed.

Continuous Improvement

• Capture lessons learned from construction and commissioning and translate them into improvements to future designs, specifications, standards, and construction practices.
• Identify opportunities to simplify installation, improve reliability, reduce cost, and accelerate project delivery.
• Provide practical field feedback to engineers developing future data center, hydronic cooling, and HVAC system designs.
• Help develop standardized installation, inspection, testing, and commissioning practices for mechanical systems.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of relevant mechanical engineering experience, including significant experience with the design, construction, or commissioning of hydronic and HVAC systems.
• Strong working knowledge of:
  • Hydronic system design
  • Pipe sizing and hydraulic calculations
  • Pump selection and system curves
  • Heat exchangers
  • Control valves and balancing
  • HVAC load calculations
  • HVAC equipment selection and sizing
  • Duct sizing and air distribution
  • Ventilation and outside‑air requirements
  • Mechanical equipment selection
  • Piping materials and installation practices
  • Mechanical controls and sequences of operation
• Experience reviewing mechanical construction drawings, specifications, submittals, shop drawings, and RFIs.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex mechanical and HVAC systems in the field.
• Ability to interpret design intent and make sound engineering judgments when actual field conditions differ from the original design.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with engineers, contractors, trades, vendors, commissioning teams, and project leadership.
• Comfortable working independently as the senior engineering representative at a construction site.
• Willing and able to maintain a full‑time presence at active construction sites.
• Willingness to travel and temporarily support multiple project sites as required.

Bonus points

• Experience designing or delivering mechanical systems for data centers, mission‑critical facilities, industrial facilities, or other high‑availability environments.
• Experience with both commercial HVAC design and high‑density data center cooling and liquid cooling technologies.
• Familiarity with:
  • Direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling
  • Coolant distribution units (CDUs)
  • Technology Cooling Systems (TCS)
  • Facility Water Systems (FWS)
  • Secondary cooling loops
  • Water quality and coolant chemistry requirements
  • Redundant and concurrently maintainable cooling architectures
  • ASHRAE ventilation and thermal‑comfort requirements
  • Commercial HVAC equipment and controls
• Experience with mechanical system commissioning, TAB, and functional performance testing.
• Experience with building automation systems and mechanical controls.
• Familiarity with BIM/model coordination and tools such as Revit, Navisworks, or similar platforms.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license or progress toward licensure is a plus.
• Experience working in fast‑paced design‑build or construction environments.