Principal Engineer, Mechanical Innovation

Job Type: Full Time |
Location: Texas |
Department: Innovation |
Reporting to: Chief Innovation Officer |
Work Location Type: #remote

IREN is a vertically integrated AI Cloud provider, delivering large-scale data centers and GPU clusters for AI training and inference. IREN’s platform is underpinned by its expansive portfolio of grid-connected land and power in renewable-rich regions across North America, Europe and APAC.

This role operates at the intersection of innovation and execution — translating the mechanical engineering standards and architectural concepts developed by the Innovation team into practical designs and technical guidance that project teams can act on.

The Principal Engineer works directly with the NGDC and IMDC project engineers to execute new designs, ensures cross-discipline alignment with electrical, Next-Gen Data Center, and Industrialized Manufacturing programs, and serves as a technical resource to IREN's broader engineering, construction, and commissioning organizations.

With 100% renewable energy, we build, own and operate our data centers and take pride in being at the forefront of sustainable solutions for the ever-evolving applications of high-performance compute. We believe that human progress is invaluable, but it should be done in the right way – responsibly, sustainably and having a positive impact on the communities we operate in.

• 12+ years of progressive mechanical engineering experience with deep specialization in HVAC and cooling systems — including air-side cooling design, cooling distribution, fluid system engineering, thermal modeling, and CFD analysis — within data center, mission-critical, energy, or industrial infrastructure.
• Demonstrated experience developing mechanical engineering design deliverables — cooling system layouts, fluid schematics, equipment schedules, CFD studies, and design basis documents — at a level of technical depth and completeness suitable for direct use in construction and procurement.
• Experience working across both innovation/development and project execution environments — able to develop standards and design concepts in a research context and apply them practically within the constraints of active construction projects.
• Strong cross-discipline collaboration skills with the ability to coordinate mechanical decisions with electrical, structural, controls, and construction stakeholders; clear and precise technical communication, both written and verbal.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering required; PE registration preferred. Hyperscale or owner-operator data center experience highly valued. Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required (estimated 20–35%).

• Serve as IREN's internal subject matter expert in mechanical and HVAC engineering — providing authoritative technical guidance on air-side cooling systems, cooling distribution, fluid systems, thermal management, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and mechanical plant design for next-generation and industrialized data center infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain mechanical engineering design deliverables within the Innovation program, including cooling system layouts, equipment schedules, fluid system schematics, CFD analyses, thermal performance models, and design basis documents that establish IREN's technical standards for mechanical systems.
• Evaluate emerging mechanical and HVAC technologies, equipment, and methodologies — providing technically grounded recommendations to the VP, Mechanical Innovation on opportunities to improve thermal performance, system efficiency, and deployability across…