Principal Mechanical Engineer

About Vantage Data Centers

Vantage Data Centers powers, cools, protects and connects the technology of the world’s well‑known hyperscalers, cloud providers and large enterprises. Developing and operating across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, Vantage has evolved data center design in innovative ways to deliver dramatic gains in reliability, efficiency and sustainability in flexible environments that can scale as quickly as the market demands.

Our vision is to be the leading hyperscale data center provider globally, making a positive and sustainable impact in the communities in which we operate. Our core values are Trust, Accountability, Respect and Agility.

Design Team

As an integral part of the EMEA Development Group, the core objective of the Design team is to drive design innovation, standardization, and continuous improvement to enable the delivery of cost‑effective and high‑quality infrastructure, delivered safely and always on time. Striving for operational excellence, we specialize in pioneering technical design solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers.

Position Overview

As Principal Mechanical Program Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the mechanical systems and design of digital infrastructure. Operating at the program level, you will provide technical leadership and support to project engineers, lead on mechanical elements of product development and equipment standardization, and directly support corporate functions and new site development. You will be the foremost authority in mechanical engineering, providing thought leadership and innovative solutions from emerging industry trends and best practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Engineering support to site selection, new site development and project initiation.
• Provide engineering inputs and review of early‑stage planning, Campus Master‑Planning and Test‑Fit Designs to assure validity of business objectives and design assumptions for site acquisition and investment decision making.
• Represent Vantage Data Centers as a technical authority with hyperscale customers, investors, and other corporate stakeholders.
• Lead on all mechanical engineering elements of EMEA Product Requirements, Guidelines and Standards, managing product change for all mechanical change requests, incorporating evolving liquid cooling and AI requirements.
• Develop and lead updates to the mechanical design standards and specifications to incorporate lessons, value engineering, consistency and system reliability.
• Lead on the development of the standardized and optimized mechanical equipment in the OFCI inventory program and actively support the OFCI procurement teams with technical advice and direct collaboration with vendors.
• Creation and evaluation of high value engineering and innovation ideas, and provide recommendations based on business‑related cost‑benefit analyses.
• Proactively engage with internal and external partners, to identify and exploit lessons to implement good ideas and resolve recurring issues.
• Deliver mechanical designs using DfMA principles, focusing on modular, standardized, and prefabricated solutions (HVAC, cooling, pipework, etc.).
• Support development of fungible building blocks, enabling scalable and repeatable design across projects.
• Run CFD studies to assess airflow, heat transfer, and system performance under different operating conditions.
• Equip Project Mechanical Engineers with the necessary knowledge, processes, and tools. Support and assure the high‑quality delivery of mechanical and fire protection requirement setting, design and review.
• Hold regular meetings with Project and Global Innovation Mechanical Engineers to facilitate knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
• Ensure all designs are fully coordinated by checking interfaces with other disciplines (sustainability, electrical, structural, architectural, etc.).
• Align mechanical solutions with broader stakeholder requirements, including client, operations, and construction teams.
• Conduct short secondments to project teams to support, assure and reinforce when requested to do so.

Skills, Knowledge, and Experience

• Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering, or similar technical field, from an accredited university or college desirable.
• Accredited engineering credentials preferred (Chartered / Professional Engineer).
• 10+ years of experience as a mechanical engineer with a strong focus on data center or mission critical environments.
• Experience in EMEA construction markets is required.
• Working knowledge of critical cooling infrastructure and critical power infrastructure within a data center project.
• Knowledge of control logic and feedback loops in HVAC.
• Strong knowledge of data center metrics (pPUE, ASHRAE allowable temperatures etc.) and drivers.
• Working knowledge of building and fire code standards.
• Willingness to travel (typically once or twice a month, for up to 3 days at a time).

Vantage Data Centers is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We operate with No Ego and No Arrogance. We work to build each other up and support one another, appreciating each other’s strengths and respecting each other’s weaknesses. We find joy in our work and each other, actively seeking opportunities to inject fun into what we do. Our hard and efficient work is rewarded with an above market total compensation package. We offer a comprehensive suite of health and welfare, retirement, and paid leave benefits exceeding local expectations. Throughout the year, the advantage of being part of the Vantage team is evident with an array of benefits, recognition, training and development, and the knowledge that your contribution adds value to the company and our community.

Don’t meet all the requirements? Please still apply if you think you are the right person for the position. We are always keen to speak to people who connect with our mission and values.