Director, Mechanical Engineering

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Director, Mechanical Engineering based in Germany.

This is a senior technical leadership opportunity to shape the mechanical engineering strategy behind a global portfolio of AI infrastructure facilities. As the mechanical engineering design authority, you will oversee engineering standards, reference designs, and project delivery across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. You will play a critical role in developing advanced cooling architectures capable of supporting increasingly powerful AI and high-performance computing workloads. Working closely with electrical, structural, controls, procurement, and technology teams, you will balance performance, reliability, energy and water efficiency, cost, and speed of deployment. You will also guide external design partners, resolve complex engineering challenges, and ensure consistent technical excellence from concept through commissioning. As the infrastructure portfolio expands, you will build and lead a high-performing mechanical engineering team. This role offers the opportunity to influence the design and delivery of next-generation AI infrastructure at global scale.

Accountabilities:

As the mechanical engineering authority, you will establish technical direction, ensure design consistency, and support the successful delivery of complex AI infrastructure projects across multiple regions. Your responsibilities will include:

• Serve as the mechanical engineering subject matter expert and design authority across the global portfolio, overseeing projects from concept and detailed design through construction, commissioning, and handover.

• Develop, implement, and maintain mechanical design standards, technical specifications, and basis-of-design documentation, ensuring consistent application across all projects and regions.

• Contribute to the reference design for AI infrastructure facilities, balancing technical performance, scalability, energy and water efficiency, capital expenditure, and delivery schedules.

• Own the liquid cooling architecture, including facility water systems, technology cooling systems, and coolant distribution units, in collaboration with technology teams to align infrastructure with rack, GPU, and thermal requirements.

• Provide technical guidance to active projects, rapidly resolving mechanical engineering challenges that could affect construction progress, commissioning, or delivery timelines.

• Monitor developments in AI hardware and cooling technologies, including increasing rack densities, warmer-water operation, and emerging cooling methods, translating relevant innovations into updated engineering standards.

• Lead mechanical design reviews and technical assurance activities, approving and governing any deviations from established standards.

• Collaborate with electrical, controls, structural, and other engineering specialists to optimise integrated designs for safety, reliability, cost, and delivery speed.

• Partner with Procurement to standardise specifications for long-lead mechanical equipment, including chillers, dry coolers, coolant distribution units, pumps, and air-handling systems, supporting framework agreements, prefabrication, and modular deployment.

• Champion safety by design, reliability, maintainability, and energy and water efficiency, working with Operations to ensure facilities are designed for effective long-term operation.

• Incorporate lessons learned from project delivery and operations into engineering standards and processes to improve the efficiency, quality, and safety of future facilities.

• Oversee the mechanical engineering scope delivered by external design partners, mentor engineers, and build and develop the mechanical engineering team as the project pipeline grows.

• Provide regular updates to the Senior Director of Infrastructure Engineering on mechanical engineering progress, technical risks, key decisions, and delivery status.

Requirements:

You will bring extensive mechanical engineering expertise, a strong background in mission-critical infrastructure, and the ability to translate complex technical decisions into scalable, commercially sound solutions. The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• A degree in Mechanical Engineering, Building Services Engineering, or a related discipline. Chartered or professional engineer status, such as CEng or PE, is preferred.

• Significant experience in data centre or mission-critical mechanical engineering, including senior technical leadership of mechanical design for large-scale programmes.

• Deep technical knowledge of data centre cooling systems, including chilled water, heat rejection, air-side design, hydraulic design, and cooling control philosophies.

• Proven experience developing and deploying mechanical design standards, reference designs, or basis-of-design documentation for hyperscale, colocation, or large-scale data centre developments.

• Hands-on experience designing and delivering high-density and liquid-cooled environments for AI and high-performance computing workloads, including direct-to-chip cooling, coolant distribution units, and facility water systems.

• A strong understanding of how GPU cluster thermal requirements influence facility-level mechanical design and cooling architecture.

• Familiarity with data centre mechanical engineering codes and standards across Europe and North America, including relevant ASHRAE guidelines and NFPA standards.

• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to balance capital expenditure, delivery schedules, reliability, maintainability, and operational performance when making engineering decisions.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex engineering concepts and technical trade-offs clearly to engineers, business stakeholders, and executive leadership.

• A collaborative leadership style that builds trust across multidisciplinary teams while maintaining accountability and ensuring compliance with engineering standards.

• The ability to operate effectively at both strategic and technical levels, providing direction while remaining engaged in detailed engineering decisions and project challenges.

• Experience mentoring technical professionals and developing engineering teams is important for the role's growing leadership responsibilities.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary: UK base salary range of £175,000–£225,000, reflecting the scope of the role, experience, qualifications, location, and contribution.

• Performance-based bonus: Eligibility for a discretionary bonus as part of the total rewards package.

• Equity awards: The opportunity to participate in the organisation's long-term growth and success through equity.

• Retirement and pension contributions: Support for long-term financial wellbeing.

• Comprehensive health and wellbeing coverage: Access to health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits, subject to location and local regulations.

• Generous annual leave: A generous allocation of vacation days each year.

• Remote working: A remote position within Europe, offering flexibility in where you work, subject to applicable location and employment requirements.

• Global collaboration: The opportunity to work with an international team across Europe and North America on complex, high-impact AI infrastructure projects.

• Technical and professional impact: The opportunity to establish engineering standards, shape next-generation cooling systems, and build a mechanical engineering function as the portfolio scales.