Staff Mechanical Operator

Position: Staff Mechanical Operator
Location: Abernathy, TX, River Bend, LA, and New Lebanon, IN 
Duration: Perm Placement
Job ID: 179982

Job Overview:
The Staff Mechanical Operator will play a critical role in ensuring the smooth operation of AI data centers by managing and maintaining mechanical systems. This position is responsible for overseeing chiller plants, CRAC/CRAH units, air handlers, pumps, and cooling-loop systems to support gigawatt-scale infrastructure for frontier AI workloads. The role requires a hands-on approach, technical expertise, and the ability to operate in high-uptime, fast-scaling environments.

Responsibilities:

• Own mechanical operations on shift and serve as the top escalation point for mechanical system failures.
• Manage preventive-maintenance execution, including scheduling, vendor supervision, lockout/tagout, and quality assurance.
• Lead root-cause analysis for mechanical incidents and drive corrective actions to closure.
• Build and maintain mechanical SOPs, MOPs, and EOPs, and train operators on failure-response procedures.
• Drive BMS alarm hygiene and trend analysis to identify degrading equipment before failure.
• Complete commissioning-to-operations handoffs for new mechanical plants and verify performance against design.
• Support live operations while facilities are expanding and construction continues around production environments.

• Minimum of 8 years of hands-on mechanical or critical-facilities operations experience.
• Experience supporting data centers, hyperscale operators, colocation providers, or comparable critical infrastructure.
• Deep knowledge of chillers, cooling towers, CRAC/CRAH units, air handlers, pumps, and hydronic loops, including startup, failover, and recovery under load.
• Strong BMS experience, including reading trends, tuning alarms, and diagnosing equipment faults through controls data.
• Track record of owning root-cause analysis and preventive-maintenance programs at scale.
• Experience serving as the senior mechanical escalation point on shift and making decisions during outages.
• Willingness to work rotating shifts and carry on-call responsibility for mechanical outages.
• Ability to operate calmly in high-uptime, fast-scaling environments.
• Preferred experience with direct-to-chip liquid cooling, CDUs, EPA 608 Universal or equivalent certification, or commissioning handover for new-build mechanical plants.

About PTR Global: PTR Global is a leading provider of information technology and workforce solutions. PTR Global has become one of the largest providers in its industry, with over 5000 professionals providing services across the U.S. and Canada. For more information visit www.ptrglobal.com

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Pay Range: $200,000-$250,000

The specific compensation for this position will be determined by several factors, including the scope, complexity, and location of the role, as well as the cost of labor in the market; the skills, education, training, credentials, and experience of the candidate; and other conditions of employment. Our full-time consultants have access to benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and 401K contributions, as well as PTO, sick leave, and other benefits mandated by applicable state or localities where you reside or work.

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