Mechanical Subject Matter Expert (SME) - Data Centers

 The Mechanical Subject Matter Expert (SME) serves as the technical authority for mechanical infrastructure systems within our hyperscale data center environments. This role is responsible for the reliability, performance, and efficiency of cooling systems and associated mechanical infrastructure across the site and broader portfolio.

The SME acts as both a hands-on mechanical expert and strategic advisor, supporting real-time operations while influencing cooling system design, energy strategy, and global mechanical standards.

Technical Ownership & Operations

• Serve as the onsite technical authority for mechanical infrastructure systems, with an emphasis on practical field operation
  
• Oversee and support systems including:
  • Chiller plants and chilled water systems
    
  • Evaporative (future) and DX cooling systems
    
  • Cooling towers (future) and heat rejection systems
    
  • CRAH/CRAC units and Fan Wall air distribution
    
  • Water distribution and treatment systems
  • Fire suppression and life safety systems
• Perform or oversee hands-on troubleshooting, repair, retrofit, and maintenance of mechanical equipment
  
• Analyze system performance and operating data to identify inefficiencies and optimization opportunities

Procedures, Safety & Reliability

• Develop, review, and approve SOPs, MOPs, and EOPs for mechanical systems
  
• Contribute to and support site mechanical safety programs, including risk mitigation for personnel and critical systems
  
• Plan and approve work procedures for maintenance, troubleshooting, and retrofit activities
  
• Lead or participate in incident response and root cause analysis (RCA) for mechanical failures
  
• Ensure compliance with ASHRAE standards, local codes, and safety requirements

Design, Integration & Commissioning

• Provide oversight from basis of design (BOD) through commissioning and operations
  
• Review mechanical system designs, equipment selections, and sequences of operation
  
• Provide QA/QC oversight of construction and retrofit activities
  
• Oversee system configurations and component upgrades, ensuring compliance with change management processes
  
• Participate in commissioning, testing, and factory witness activities
  
• Validate system performance for redundancy, failover, and thermal stability

Continuous Improvement & Strategy

• Provide feedback on global mechanical maintenance strategies and system design improvements
• Drive improvements in cooling efficiency, water usage, and system resilience
• Optimize system performance to support energy efficiency (PUE/WUE targets)
  
• Support development of scalable, repeatable hyperscale cooling system designs
  
• Support long-term planning for capacity, retrofits, and emerging cooling technologies

Program & Stakeholder Leadership

• Collaborate across electrical, controls, and operations teams
  
• Interface with OEMs, vendors, contractors, and service providers
  
• Manage vendor relationships for maintenance, upgrades, and retrofit work
  
• Provide training to Critical Facility Operators and cross-functional teams on mechanical systems and procedures

Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant mechanical industry experience or trade experience
  
• Bachelor’s degree or trade certification in a related field (or equivalent experience)
  
• Strong expertise in:
  
  • HVAC and cooling systems in critical environments
    
  • Chilled water systems and refrigeration cycles
    
  • Psychrometrics and thermal performance
• Experience supporting maintenance, troubleshooting, testing, and/or construction of mechanical systems
  
• Working knowledge of electrical, controls, and fire/life safety systems
  
• Ability to interpret:
  
  • P&IDs
    
  • Mechanical drawings and specifications
    
  • Equipment shop drawings

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in hyperscale or colocation data center environments
  
• Familiarity with ASHRAE standards and data center cooling guidelines
  
• Trade certification or state HVAC/mechanical license
  
• Experience with commissioning and integrated systems testing (IST)
  
• Background with OEMs, contractors, or field service engineering
  
• Experience with energy modeling, CFD, or system optimization tools
  
• Professional Engineer (PE) license

Key Competencies

• Deep expertise in mechanical systems and thermal management
  
• Strong troubleshooting capability in live, mission-critical environments
  
• Ability to operate across operations, construction, and design phases
  
• Strong cross-functional communication across engineering and operations teams
  
• High attention to detail in system reliability, redundancy, and risk mitigation

Travel Requirements

• Initial onboarding may require additional travel about 30-40% of the time (1–3 months)
• Ongoing travel approximately 10–15%, including factory witness testing, site support, and collaboration

#RelatedDigital #LI-RB1 #Onsite

Related Digital is a leading vertically integrated data center development and investment platform. We deliver digital infrastructure solutions to hyperscale technology companies so they can accelerate artificial intelligence and cloud computing ambitions.

Founded by Related Companies, one of the most prominent, privately-owned real estate development firms in the United States, Related Digital uniquely combines Related’s 50-year+ history of executing complex real estate and infrastructure projects with its track record in real estate investing and clean energy solutions. With a multi-billion-dollar, near-term development pipeline in the U.S., Related Digital has the expert capabilities, depth of expertise and national scale to help hyperscale companies significantly grow their data center capacity on a rapid timeframe. 

Strategic Advantage:
Related Digital harnesses expertise across real estate development and investment, data center development, complex infrastructure construction and clean energy development to bring differentiated solutions to hyperscale technology companies.

­National Footprint:

Related Digital is based in New York and Dallas with operations across the United States. Related Companies has offices in gateway cities across the U.S. and London, and developments in 28 states and the District of Columbia, and boasts 4,000 employees.

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