Lead Mechanical Product Engineer

Role overview A leadership role for a mechanical engineer to own the design, performance, and customer integration of cooling and mechanical products built for AI data center infrastructure. The position serves as the US-based bridge between a domestic engineering team and a product team in China, guiding offerings from requirements through manufacturing, testing, and field improvement. It combines hands-on product engineering with customer-facing applications support across refrigeration, liquid cooling, and airflow systems.

Responsibilities - Own mechanical requirements, design decisions, specifications, drawings, bills of materials, and engineering changes for mechanical equipment and components. - Develop and validate calculations for cooling capacity, heat transfer, airflow, fluid flow, pressure drop, piping, and equipment selection. - Lead mechanical integration of chillers, cooling distribution units, fan walls, piping, and pod infrastructure, coordinating with electrical, controls, monitoring, and fire protection teams. - Review designs for performance, reliability, serviceability, manufacturability, and applicable codes and certifications. - Work with suppliers and manufacturing partners on component selection, design reviews, and production readiness. - Define product testing and factory acceptance criteria, drive corrective actions, and incorporate field feedback. - Meet with prospective customers to understand cooling loads, site conditions, and integration constraints, recommending configurations and supporting proposals and bids.

Requirements - Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field. - 5–7 years designing or engineering HVAC, refrigeration, liquid cooling, or other thermal equipment. - Demonstrated ownership of a mechanical product or complex system through design release, production, and issue resolution. - Strong knowledge of heat transfer, refrigeration, hydronics, pumps, piping, airflow, and component selection. - Experience producing and reviewing engineering calculations, schematics, drawings, and technical specifications. - Ability to explain technical tradeoffs to customers and collaborate across engineering, sales, manufacturing, and supplier teams.

Nice to have - Experience with data center or other mission-critical cooling applications. - Background with air-cooled chillers, cooling distribution units, free cooling, glycol systems, or high-density compute environments. - Familiarity with product testing, factory acceptance testing, commissioning, and field troubleshooting. - Experience working with external manufacturing partners and managing design changes across product variants.

Benefits and work setup - In-office culture ideally based in San Francisco, Long Beach, or Houston, with bi-weekly WFH Fridays; flexibility for exceptional remote candidates. - Subsidized health, dental, and vision insurance. - Equity in a rapidly growing startup and 401(k) with 4% employer match. - Unlimited PTO, parental leave, and Healthcare and Dependent Care FSA or HSA options. - Commuter benefits where applicable and periodic in-person team and company on-sites.