Senior Data Center Thermal Engineer

Requirements:

• We require an MS in Mechanical Engineering or a related thermal sciences discipline; a PhD is preferred.
• We look for 5+ years of relevant experience in thermal systems, HVAC/R, hydronics, data center cooling, heat transfer, or applied thermal-fluid product development; advanced graduate research in these areas may count toward this requirement.
• We need a strong grasp of data center thermal management, including air cooling, liquid cooling, heat rejection, facility water systems, coolant loops, and thermal reliability considerations.
• We expect demonstrated ability to turn market or customer needs into actionable engineering requirements, concepts, test plans, and technical recommendations.
• We seek a solid experimental and analytical background in heat transfer, fluid mechanics, HVAC/R systems, hydronic systems, or thermal storage.
• We prefer familiarity with data center cooling equipment such as CDUs, cold plates, heat exchangers, dry coolers, chillers, pumps, valves, controls, and water treatment interfaces.
• We need experience designing and building liquid cooling test loops and running validation campaigns on cold plate, CDU, or calorimetric test stands, including instrumentation selection, data acquisition, data reduction, and uncertainty analysis.
• We look for experience with engineering analysis tools such as MATLAB, Python, Excel, LabVIEW, Minitab, EES, CFD, FEA, or similar tools.
• We need the ability to evaluate external suppliers, technologies, and partners from both technical and practical implementation perspectives.
• We value excellent analytical, written, and verbal communication skills.
• We expect strong time management and the ability to prioritize across multiple concurrent projects.
• We seek professionalism and collaboration aligned with our values.
• We prefer a PhD in Mechanical Engineering or a related field with research or industry focus in heat transfer, liquid cooling, data center thermal management, thermal storage, or heat reuse systems.

Responsibilities:

• We lead senior-level engineering projects focused on data center thermal management from concept definition through validation and implementation.
• We serve as the technical lead on data center cooling architectures, including air cooling, direct-to-chip liquid cooling, immersion cooling, and facility water systems.
• We assess opportunities for our technologies in data center heat reuse, thermal storage, hot water generation, water treatment, and packaged mechanical room solutions, including concepts that capture, store, upgrade, or reject waste heat for building, district, edge, or industrial uses.
• We prototype, simulate, and validate thermal management solutions in laboratory and real-world environments, and we generate experimental data to support our system-level models.
• We coordinate work across engineers, technicians, prototype shop resources, suppliers, and external collaborators to support concept demonstrations.
• We mentor engineering design team members on data center thermal fundamentals, liquid cooling trends, heat reuse, and model-informed design workflows.
• We run project meetings and prepare status updates for internal stakeholders.
• We document innovations through patents, technical reports, publications, and trade secrets.
• We track emerging developments in data center cooling, HVAC/R, heat transfer, thermal storage, controls, and sustainability, and we bring ideas forward through industry groups and technical forums such as ASHRAE, ASME, OCP, or similar organizations.
• We take on other projects and duties as assigned.

Technologies:

• Excel
• Support
• Liquid
• Matlab
• Python
• Ada
• Security

More

We are A. O. Smith, a global leader in innovative technologies and energy-efficient solutions, and we manufacture residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, along with water treatment products for residential and light commercial applications. We are headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and operate across the United States, Canada, China, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom with approximately 12,000 employees. This role is centered on senior-level data center thermal management work, with a strong emphasis on liquid cooling, heat rejection, heat recovery, and thermal storage. The position is hybrid and may involve 20–25% travel. We also offer a competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits, including medical and dental insurance, company-sponsored life insurance, retirement savings, short- and long-term disability programs, and tuition assistance.

last updated 43 week of 2026