Principal Thermal Systems Engineer, Data Center Liquid Cooling (Industry Expert)

Job Description Job Description

Be Part Of A High-Performing Team

Join a global climate technology organization developing advanced thermal solutions for high-density data centers and the broader semiconductor ecosystem. This team operates at the intersection of mechanical engineering, liquid cooling, controls, system integration, and product commercialization.

The organization is expanding its data center capabilities to support next-generation computing environments with reliable, scalable, and energy-efficient cooling architectures. Team members collaborate with engineering leaders, product teams, customers, consultants, and industry organizations to transform emerging technologies into practical commercial solutions.

This opportunity is designed for an experienced data center thermal professional who can bring immediate technical credibility, influence system direction, and communicate effectively with customers and senior stakeholders.

What's In Store For You

• A highly visible role supporting advanced data center cooling initiatives
• The opportunity to influence next-generation liquid cooling architectures
• Remote flexibility for highly qualified candidates
• Collaboration with senior engineering, product, commercial, and customer teams
• Participation in industry associations, technical committees, conferences, and standards development
• Exposure to system design, simulation, validation, commissioning, and commercialization
• Opportunities to mentor technical professionals and shape long-term engineering strategy
• Comprehensive health, retirement, family-building, educational, wellness, and paid-time-off programs
• Travel support for qualified candidates attending onsite interviews in Davidson, North Carolina

How You Will Make An Impact

• Serve as a subject matter expert for advanced data center thermal management and liquid cooling systems.
• Develop integrated cooling concepts spanning chips, racks, coolant distribution units, facility water systems, controls, and heat rejection.
• Evaluate system architectures, equipment capabilities, operating modes, control strategies, and performance tradeoffs.
• Perform or guide thermal analysis, computational fluid dynamics, modeling, simulation, and equipment evaluation.
• Develop system documentation, piping concepts, mode tables, control requirements, and sequences of operation.
• Support system validation through digital analysis, laboratory testing, commissioning, and field evaluation.
• Collaborate with product teams, technical specialists, consultants, customers, and commercial leaders.
• Provide technical guidance during strategic customer pursuits and system commercialization efforts.
• Deliver technical presentations to customers, leadership teams, sales organizations, and industry audiences.
• Participate in organizations such as ASHRAE, the Open Compute Project, IEEE, or other relevant standards groups.
• Translate emerging cooling technologies into reliable, scalable, and market-ready solutions.

Do You Have the Expertise to Lead in Data Center Thermal Systems?

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, thermal sciences, controls engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• At least eight years of relevant engineering, system integration, or technical product experience.
• Direct professional experience supporting data centers, mission-critical facilities, or data center cooling products.
• Demonstrated experience with liquid cooling technologies such as direct-to-chip cooling, immersion cooling, coolant distribution units, or facility water systems.
• Strong understanding of thermal-fluid systems, HVAC equipment, cooling infrastructure, controls, and heat rejection.
• Ability to evaluate complete thermal management systems rather than individual components.
• Experience with CFD, ANSYS, thermal modeling, fluid modeling, or system simulation is strongly preferred.
• Absorption cooling experience is highly valued.
• Experience developing system modes, control requirements, or sequences of operation is preferred.
• Commissioning, field validation, troubleshooting, or facility integration experience is strongly valued.
• Strong customer-facing, presentation, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to explain complex technical topics clearly to both engineering and business audiences.
• Experience influencing technical direction across multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Professional Engineer licensure, advanced technical education, or industry committee participation is beneficial but not required.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed.