Principal Mechanical Engineer - CDU to join our team. This is a hybrid role based in our
Plano, TX office.SCOPE:The
Principal Mechanical Engineer serves as a core technical leader for MHIA's data center liquid cooling systems, with an initial focus on Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs). The role acts as the primary mechanical engineering authority across product design, customer technical engagement, supplier coordination, and service readiness, ensuring solutions are scalable, reliable, and manufacturable for U.S. deployment. This role bridges customer requirements (Hyperscalers), supplier engineering capabilities, and internal productization objectives, ensuring that CDU systems are technically sound, scalable, reliable, and commercially viable from concept through mass production and lifecycle support. The position plays a critical role in accelerating CDU business growth in the U.S. by enabling robust product architectures, supplier-ready designs, and customer-aligned solutions.
The ideal candidate will have at least a Minimum of twelve (12) years of experience with at least seven (7) years of minimum experience in mechanical system design and supplier-facing technical leadership for industrial or packaged equipment such as pumps, heat exchangers, HVAC systems, skid-mounted units, or thermal management systems.JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:Mechanical Engineering & Product Design- Serve as the technical authority for CDU mechanical system design, including pumps, heat exchangers, piping, valves, sensors, and skid/enclosure integration.
- Review and evaluate CDU mechanical designs, drawings, specifications, and calculations, providing clear technical feedback and approval direction.
- Lead product design activities across concept design, PoC, pilot builds, and mass-production design, ensuring design-for-manufacturing and design-for-service principles.
- Technically assess and judge CDU design performance in terms of:
- Redundancy and reliability concepts
- Safety and compliance
- Controllability and load-following performance under dynamic AI workloads
- Operability, maintainability, and durability
- Compliance with internal and customer design requirements
Customer Technical Engagement & Specification Alignment- Act as a key technical interface with customers, leading and supporting technical discussions on CDU architecture, performance, and integration.
- Translate customer technical requirements into clear, actionable design inputs and specifications.
- Provide technically sound and flexible solution proposals aligned with customer operational and business needs.
- Capture Voice of Customer (VOC) and ensure systematic feedback into product design and roadmap decisions.
- Coordinate technical alignment between customers and suppliers, serving as the engineering bridge to resolve gaps and clarify responsibilities.
- Engage directly with Hyperscalers / GAFAM customers, supporting technical reviews, RFIs/RFPs, and design clarification processes.
Supplier & Supply Chain Technical Management- Evaluate supplier engineering capabilities, including:
- Design maturity and technical depth
- Quality control and inspection processes
- Required certifications and compliance readiness
- Mass-production capability and scalability
- Collaborate with supply chain teams to assess inventory strategy, lead times, and production capacity aligned with sales and order forecasts.
- Support production planning by aligning engineering requirements with manufacturing processes and schedules.
- Lead or support technical issue resolution, root cause analysis, and follow-up on corrective actions with suppliers.
- Drive cost-down and value engineering initiatives without compromising performance, reliability, or safety.
- Support logistics and transportation considerations impacting CDU mechanical design and packaging.
Service Support- Contribute to the definition of CDU service offerings, including scope, service content, and boundary conditions.
- Review and evaluate Installation, Operation, and Maintenance (IOM) manuals; coordinate technical alignment and revisions with suppliers.
- Support the development of service revenue models and evaluate service-related profitability and cost structures.
- Gather customer service-related needs and coordinate with suppliers and service partners to ensure readiness.
- Support the creation and proposal of Service Level Agreements (SLA) aligned with customer expectations and product capability.
- This list of responsibilities is not all-inclusive, and an employee may be required to perform other relevant duties as assigned.
MINIMUM REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:- Education: Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, or equivalent experience.
- Experience: Minimum of twelve (12) years of experience with at least seven (7) years of minimum experience in mechanical system design and supplier-facing technical leadership for industrial or packaged equipment such as pumps, heat exchangers, HVAC systems, skid-mounted units, or thermal management systems.
- Ability to read, review, and interpret technical specifications and drawings, including P&IDs, general arrangements (GA), and mechanical schematics.
- Proven experience working across design, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and service organizations.
- Strong negotiation and coordination skills to support pre-award alignment on scope, schedule, responsibilities, and commercial assumptions.
- Solid project management capabilities, including action, risk, and issue tracking, escalation management, and alignment across multiple internal and external stakeholders.
- Domain knowledge of data center cooling systems, with an understanding of centrifugal chiller applications and MCP/Dry Cooler configurations at a system and interface level.
- Ability to front-end and triage customer and supplier specifications, clearly define scope and interface boundaries, and transition aligned inputs to internal engineering teams for downstream execution.
- Ability to effectively collaborate and communicate with Japanese stakeholders and team members in a global, cross-cultural working environment.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:- Knowledge of CDU, liquid cooling systems, or data center thermal management solutions.
- Experience supporting Hyperscalers or large-scale data center customers.
- Experience contributing to service design or lifecycle cost optimization.
- Familiarity with applicable U.S. standards and certifications, such as UL/CSA, ASME, NFPA, NEC, and how they impact system configuration and supplier deliverables.
- Experience with factory and site activities, including FAT/SAT, commissioning, and field troubleshooting support.
- Supplier audit or development experience, such as SQA/SDE activities, including evaluation of technical capability, quality systems, and execution readiness.
- Familiarity with U.S.-based tendering, RFQ, and proposal workflows, including front-end technical clarification and alignment during bid phases.
WORKING CONDITIONS:- Travel: 25%
- Standard Monday through Friday work week. Weekend/late-night work if applicable
- Lifting/physical requirements: Regularly required to sit for long periods, stand, walk, talk, and/or hear.
- Frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
Why Should You Apply?- Excellent Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision & 401K Matching)
- Excellent growth and advancement opportunities
- Paid vacation, sick time, and 15 holidays
- Committed to quality products and services.
- Great working environment and culture
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