THE POSITION:The Sr. Director, Mechanical Engineering will provide executive leadership for innovation initiatives, campus master planning, and enterprise-wide mechanical engineering strategy supporting large-scale, multi-phase hyperscale data center developments. Reporting to the Vice President of Mechanical Engineering, this role is responsible for driving the technical vision, engineering standards, and long-term infrastructure strategy required to deliver scalable, cost-effective, and energy-efficient mission critical facilities that support the company's current and future growth objectives.
This position serves as a senior technical leader and strategic partner across Development, Construction, Operations, Procurement, and Executive Leadership teams to ensure alignment between business objectives, operational resiliency, sustainability goals, and engineering execution.
Responsibilities:- Lead the mechanical engineering and design management strategy for campus-scale and portfolio-wide data center developments.
- Oversee the preparation, coordination, and executive approval of project contract documents produced by third-party engineering and design consultants.
- Establish and drive enterprise engineering standards, governance processes, and best practices across all mechanical systems and mission critical infrastructure designs.
- Provide technical leadership to ensure projects are delivered on schedule, within budget, and aligned with operational performance, reliability, and scalability objectives.
- Serve as the company's subject matter expert for mission critical mechanical infrastructure, including advanced air cooling and direct-to-chip liquid cooling technologies.
- Lead the evaluation, adoption, and implementation of emerging technologies and innovative cooling solutions to improve efficiency, resiliency, and sustainability across the data center portfolio.
- Direct the development, maintenance, and continuous improvement of enterprise Basis of Design (BOD) standards, engineering specifications, and OFCI equipment standards.
- Oversee procurement support activities including vendor evaluations, technical submittal reviews, equipment approvals, and factory witness testing for critical infrastructure systems.
- Drive strategic initiatives focused on energy efficiency, sustainability, operational resiliency, and future-ready infrastructure solutions.
- Provide technical guidance and engineering oversight for operational issues, retrofit initiatives, and infrastructure upgrades within existing facilities.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with external consultants, equipment manufacturers, contractors, and industry partners to support innovation and operational excellence.
- Monitor industry trends, regulatory changes, and emerging technologies to position the organization as a leader in mission critical infrastructure design and engineering.
- Manage, mentor and develop engineering and design management personnel while fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
THE DETAILS:- Location: Denver, CO preferred; alternate STACK data center locations considered
- Travel: Some domestic travel required, estimated 25-33%
- Must be eligible to work in the United States
- Must pass comprehensive background screening
MUST-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS:- Professional Engineer (PE) Registration preferred (Mechanical)
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent industry experience required; advanced degree preferred
- Minimum 10+ years of progressive experience in mission critical facility design, with substantial experience leading hyperscale or campus-scale data center programs
- Proven experience leading enterprise-level engineering strategy, standards development, and cross-functional technical teams
- Technical Depth: Deep knowledge of IT cooling technologies (both air and direct-to-chip liquid), mechanical cooling system controls, plumbing, and fire protection.
- Strong understanding of mechanical cooling system controls, optimization strategies, and operational resiliency requirements
- Demonstrated success managing third-party consultants, large-scale engineering programs, and complex stakeholder environments
- Strong executive communication, leadership, and strategic planning capabilities
- Proficient in MS Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint
- Working knowledge of AutoCAD, Bluebeam, and Adobe Acrobat, Bluebeam, and Adobe Acrobat, Pipeflow, Cadence Design Systems
Compensation Range: $228,960.00 - $263,940.00
THIS MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR YOU IF:- You are a strong communicator, you are persuasive and clear, blending analytics with experience in decision-making.
- You do not get flustered easily. You can juggle multiple priorities while balancing urgent requests with shifting timelines and deliverables.
- You are a team builder. You take the time to understand and develop the strengths of your resources while formulating long-term plans for the growth and success of the team.
- You are naturally curious and driven toward continual improvement. While you celebrate your successes, you take time to review and analyze campaigns for future learning.
- We offer a competitive compensation package with strong benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401K program, flexible spending accounts - even a cell phone subsidy.
- We foster a culture of appreciation, including peer-to-peer recognition and rewards programs.
- Fun is part of our DNA, with events, game nights, happy hours, and barbecues.
- We're growing - this is a great time to join and make an impact!
Note to external agencies: We are not accepting any blind submissions or resumes/cvs from recruitment agencies. Any candidates sent to STACK Infrastructure, Inc. will not be accepted or considered as a submission without a signed agreement in place. Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired; such resumes will be deemed the sole property of STACK Infrastructure, Inc.
