Mechanical Engineer | First Point Group | Johannesburg

First Point Group; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

First Point Group in Johannesburg seeks a Mechanical Engineer to lead design, evaluation and lifecycle support of mechanical and thermal management infrastructure across mission-critical data centres.

You will perform thermal cooling-load calculations, CFD reviews, and design CHW circuits, DX systems, CRAC/CRAH, and in-row cooling, ensuring N, N+1, N+2 reliability with BMS integration. Collaborate with EICs and contractors to meet ASHRAE guidelines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering is required.
• Minimum of 5+ years of progressive professional experience in mechanical design and HVAC deployment.
• Hands-on experience with mission-critical precision cooling and data-centre architectures.
• Experience with chilled-water systems, DX units, chillers, and heat rejection infrastructure.
• Familiarity with ASHRAE data centre guidelines.
• Strong documentation and coordination skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and support resilient HVAC and precision cooling for data centres in Johannesburg.
• Perform cooling-load calculations and airflow analyses.
• Evaluate CHW circuits, DX systems, CRAC/CRAH units, and in-row cooling.
• Ensure redundancy per N, N+1, N+2, 2N standards.
• Collaborate with BMS, electrical engineers, and contractors.
• Review submittals and participate in IST testing.
• Produce HLD/LLD and runbooks.

Skills

Thermal management

HVAC design

CRAC/CRAH

Data centre cooling

CFD analysis

PUE optimization

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

Revit MEP

BIM workflows

Job description

Position Summary:

As a Mechanical Engineer at First Point Group, you will lead the design, engineering evaluation, and lifecycle support of resilient mechanical and thermal management infrastructure across mission-critical Data Centres and high-availability facilities in Johannesburg. This specialized engineering position ensures continuous environmental stability, optimal power usage effectiveness (PUE), and uninterrupted operation for compute-intensive hyperscale and colocation environments. You will bridge conceptual mechanical blueprints and operational implementation, collaborating with multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver robust heating, ventilation, and precision cooling architectures.

Detailed Job Description:

The Mechanical Engineer is responsible for end-to-end mechanical system designs across critical infrastructure facilities throughout their complete project lifecycle. In this role, you will perform thermal cooling-load calculations, airflow dynamics analyses, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) reviews to optimize white space temperature distribution and airflow containment. You will design and evaluate complex chilled-water circuits, direct expansion (DX) air handling systems, Computer Room Air Conditioner (CRAC) units, Computer Room Air Handler (CRAH) plants, and in-row precision cooling solutions tailored for high-density server deployments.

Operating across engineering design, equipment procurement, construction supervision, and commissioning, you will architect redundant mechanical systems meeting stringent N, N+1, N+2, and 2N fault-tolerant reliability standards. Your scope encompasses pump sizing, hydraulic piping schematics, cooling tower heat rejection loops, and integration with Building Management Systems (BMS) for real-time telemetry and automated failover control. Partnering closely with electrical engineers, project managers, general contractors, and data center operators, you will ensure all mechanical installations adhere to ASHRAE data center guidelines, uptime certification requirements, and regional safety and environmental building codes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and support resilient HVAC, thermal management, and precision cooling infrastructure for mission-critical Data Centres across Johannesburg.
• Perform comprehensive cooling-load calculations, psychrometric analyses, and airflow distribution assessments for white space IT equipment halls.
• Engineer and evaluate chilled-water central plants, condenser water loops, and direct expansion (DX) mechanical cooling systems.
• Specify, size, and deploy precision CRAC, CRAH, and in-row cooling topologies paired with hot and cold aisle containment architectures.
• Design mechanical piping layouts, hydronic loops, circulation pump sets, heat rejection equipment, and cooling tower installations.
• Incorporate multi-tiered mechanical redundancy configurations conforming to N, N+1, N+2, and 2N concurrent maintainability standards.
• Collaborate with Building Management System (BMS) engineers to implement sequence of operations, environmental telemetry, and automated emergency cutovers.
• Review mechanical contractor submittals, equipment specifications, shop drawings, and engineering calculations for design compliance.
• Participate in factory witness testing (FWT), site installation inspections, and multi-stage Integrated System Testing (IST) commissioning.
• Author High-Level Design (HLD) documentation, Low-Level Design (LLD) schematics, technical equipment schedules, and operational runbooks.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Minimum of 5+ years of progressive professional experience in mechanical engineering design and HVAC systems deployment.
• Proven hands-on technical proficiency with mission-critical precision cooling, CRAC/CRAH architectures, and in-row cooling technologies.
• Strong working knowledge of central chilled-water systems, direct expansion (DX) units, chillers, and mechanical heat rejection infrastructure.
• In-depth background performing thermal cooling-load calculations, hydraulic pipe sizing, and airflow dynamics assessments.
• Solid practical experience designing mechanical redundancy frameworks conforming to N, N+1, N+2, and 2N fault-tolerant principles.
• Familiarity with data center thermal guidelines such as ASHRAE TC 9.9 and applicable national building mechanical standards.
• Strong analytical, technical troubleshooting, inter-disciplinary coordination, and engineering documentation skills.

Nice-to-Have Skills:

• Professional Engineering registration (such as Pr.Eng with ECSA) or equivalent international chartered engineer credential.
• Direct project engineering experience working on certified Tier III or Tier IV uptime facilities.
• Practical proficiency with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling software (e.g., 6SigmaDCX, Future Facilities, or ANSYS Fluent).
• Hands-on experience with AutoCAD, Revit MEP, and Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows.
• Recognized data center certifications such as CDCP (Certified Data Centre Professional) or ATD (Accredited Tier Designer).

Application Information:

• Work Location: Johannesburg
• Employment Type: Full Time

Recruitment Pro Tip:

When applying for this position, highlight your direct project experience with mission-critical thermal management and precision cooling architectures rather than standard commercial HVAC. Specifically feature your work with chilled-water loops, CRAC/CRAH unit integration, and N+1 or 2N redundancy implementations in data centres or high-density industrial facilities. If you have utilized CFD modeling tools or possess professional registration (such as ECSA Pr.Eng), place these credentials prominently at the top of your resume.