Mechanical Operations Engineer

Mission-Critical Mechanical Operations Engineer

Location:

Spartanburg, SC

Compensation: $110,000–$160,000 + Bonus

Employment Type:

Full-Time | Mission-Critical Operations

The Mission-Critical Mechanical Operations Engineer serves as a senior technical authority responsible for the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of mechanical infrastructure supporting a High-Performance Compute Center (HPCC) and its associated critical systems.

This is a hands-on engineering role focused on system ownership, operational excellence, and continuous optimization in a high-availability environment. The engineer works directly with Mechanical SMEs, contracted operators, Electrical, Controls, and IT Infrastructure teams to ensure cooling and HVAC systems consistently meet the demands of high-density compute loads.

The role requires deep technical expertise across chilled water and HVAC systems, strong procedural discipline, and the ability to operate confidently in live environments where uptime, safety, and precision are critical.

• Mechanical System Ownership & Operations
• Serve as a senior on-site mechanical authority for HPCC cooling and HVAC infrastructure
• Provide hands-on operational support for chilled water plants, CRAH/CRAC units, cooling towers, pumps, heat exchangers, leak detection, and fuel gas systems
• Ensure mechanical systems maintain required environmental conditions to support mission-critical IT loads
• Monitor system performance, identify degradation or risk, and initiate corrective actions
• Maintenance, Reliability & Troubleshooting
• Execute and support preventative, predictive, and corrective maintenance activities
• Troubleshoot mechanical alarms, failures, and abnormal operating conditions
• Participate in root cause analyses following equipment failures or environmental excursions
• Support commissioning, system testing, and acceptance activities for new or modified equipment
• Safety, Compliance & Procedures
• Ensure compliance with Owner standards, OSHA, ASHRAE, and applicable mechanical safety codes
• Act as an on-shift authority for mechanical lockout/tagout, confined space, and hazard communication procedures
• Promote a strong culture of safety, procedural discipline, and accountability
• Support development, review, and refinement of SOPs, MOPs, and EOPs
• Cross-Functional Integration
• Coordinate closely with Electrical, Controls, Energy, and IT Infrastructure teams to support integrated site reliability
• Support outage planning, system transitions, and load changes
• Assist with mechanical system integration supporting phased expansions and scalability
• Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement
• Conduct routine system testing, water treatment oversight, and performance audits
• Identify opportunities for system optimization, efficiency improvements, and risk reduction
• Contribute to KPI tracking related to reliability, maintenance compliance, and incident response
• Support lessons-learned documentation and continuous improvement initiatives
• Work alongside contracted operators and vendors to ensure safe, reliable execution of work
• Provide technical oversight during vendor maintenance, repairs, and system modifications
• Support contractor compliance with site procedures and safety requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, HVAC Systems, or related discipline, or equivalent hands-on experience
• 8+ years supporting mechanical systems in mission-critical data centers, HPC environments, industrial facilities, or power generation sites
• Strong technical expertise in chilled water plants, cooling towers, CRAH/CRAC units, pumps, heat exchangers, and supporting infrastructure
• Experience operating in live, high-availability environments with strict procedural controls
• Working knowledge of OSHA, ASHRAE, and mechanical safety standards
• Ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings, P&IDs, and system schematics
• Strong communication skills and calm decision-making in high-pressure operational environments