The Data Center Chief Engineer (CE) is responsible for ensuring that all electrical, mechanical, and fire/life safety equipment within the data center is operating at peak efficiency. This involves planned preventative maintenance of equipment, daily corrective work, and emergency response. The CE serves as an expert technical resource interacting with onsite Engineering Operations Technicians (EOT) and any third-party vendors. They are expected to be a singular focal point for all facility operations within a given data center and to support AWS.

NOTE: Amazon does not sponsor for immigration, including for H-1B, TN, and other non-immigrant visas, for this role.

NOTE: Lump sum stipend will be provided to eligible candidates who relocate for this position.

PDX is an AWS GovCloud region. As required by our contracts with the federal government, effective February 24, 2026, logical access to the AWS GovCloud region will be restricted to Amazon employees who are U.S. Citizens. (GovCloud may NOT be accessed from outside of the United States).

Key job responsibilities

- Act as the primary escalation point for all facilities-related issues. Oversee operation and management of routine and emergency services on a variety of critical systems such as switchgear, generators, UPS systems, power distribution equipment, chillers, cooling towers, computer room air handlers, building monitoring systems, etc.

- Perform root cause analysis of equipment failures and troubleshooting of facility within internal Service Level Agreements (SLA).

- Provide training and guidance to Engineering Operations Technicians and are responsible for working with Facility Manager (FM) to set team culture.

- Create and deploy new standard practices for Engineering Operations Technicians, Chief Engineers, and vendor support teams

- May assist in the building out of new facilities and assist in projects to increase current facility efficiency

- Working outside of normal business hours for routine maintenance as required, including responding to out-of-hours emergency calls.

- Communicate complex technical information to a non-technical audience.

- Work with IT managers and other business leaders to coordinate projects, manage capacity, and optimize plant safety, performance, reliability and efficiency

- Ensure all safety procedures are adhered to by vendor and Amazon staff

- Establish building performance benchmarks, conduct analyses, and prepare reports on all aspects of the critical facility operations and maintenance.

- Utilize Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook and other basic administrative tools to perform day-to-day tasks

Physical Requirements:

- Willingness and demonstrated ability to work in the following physical conditions with reasonable accommodation:

- Regularly lift and/or move up to 39 pounds independently

- Participate in group lifts for 40+ pounds

- Maintain balance and perform construction tasks while on a ladder

- Regularly walk, use hands and fingers, handle or feel, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, climb stairs, twist, bend, work above shoulders, grasp, carry, push and pull objects into position

- Work in an environment requiring provided ear protection

- This role supports data centers in various operational stages. The position may be assigned to a facility still under development, which could require travel to established locations for training until your designated site becomes fully operational.

Essential Requirements:

- Ability to travel to or commute between data center locations as needed

- Willingness to temporarily work at alternative sites during training periods or until assigned facility is operational

- Travel frequency will vary based on business needs and operational status of assigned facility

- Candidates must be able to travel (over 50 miles) or commute (less than 50 miles) to active data center sites as required by business needs.

A day in the life

This role acts as Amazon's front line when it comes to hands-on electrical and mechanical equipment troubleshooting. They maintain, operate, and troubleshoot mission-critical data center facility equipment including electrical support equipment that supports servers that must maintain better than 99.999% uptime. Equipment will include but is not limited to stand-by diesel generators and related fuel systems, 3 phase electrical systems such as switchgear, UPS units, PDUs, and wet cell batteries and associated systems. Mechanical equipment includes CRAHU units, centrifugal chillers, cooling towers, water systems, air handlers and associated systems, pumps, and motors. Additional support equipment is included in the scope of the role which includes fire/life safety equipment, building automation systems, and general facilities equipment.

The CE directs, trains and supports technicians in their role of providing hands-on electrical and mechanical equipment troubleshooting and operations. Implementation and execution of site/equipment-specific training exercises is also expected. They manage projects from conception to completion. These projects involve independent work as well as collaboration with external support groups including engineering, automation, processing, and finance in both local and global settings. The CE will be tasked with creating and delivering on key milestones, obtaining and tracking quotes for all necessary costs, and documenting project results for future implementation at other facilities.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

- 3+ years of vendor management experience

- 4+ years of relevant work in a data center or other critical environment experience

- 5+ years of data center engineering or operations experience

- 5+ years of Microsoft Office including Outlook, Word, and Excel experience

- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field

- Experience in vendor management

- Experience in a data center or other critical environment

- Experience in data center engineering or operations

- Experience with Microsoft Office including Outlook, Word, and Excel

- 3+ years of mission critical facilities (example: hospital, military facility, public safety facility, etc.) experience including industrial electrical and mechanical systems

- Experience with reading and writing procedures, technical documents, and engineering drawings

- PDX is an AWS GovCloud region. As required by our contracts with the federal government, effective February 24, 2026, logical access to the AWS GovCloud region will be restricted to Amazon employees who are U.S. Citizens. (GovCloud may NOT be accessed from outside of the United States)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- 3+ years of construction or project management experience

- Electrical or mechanical Journeyman License

- operating engineering license such as DC II, DC III, or equivalent

- Experience in construction or project management

- Experience in construction or project management

- Experience leading technical teams through daily operations and maintenance evolutions

- Must be able to work in an environment that involves walking, stooping, bending, and climbing to access equipment.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, OR, HERMISTON - 96,000.00 - 166,300.00 USD annually