Principal Data Center (Facilities) Architect
Principal data center facilities architect (remote, North America) who organizes community-led projects and publishes industry guidance for hyperscale AI data centers — covering high-density power, liquid cooling, structural loading, water systems, telemetry, and grid integration. ~Twice-quarterly travel; $185k–$250k base plus 20% bonus.
- Compensation
- $185K–$250K / yr
- Location
- Remote – North AmericaEmployment: Full-timeTravel: Approximately twice per quarterJob...
- Work setup
- Remote
- Seniority
- Principal
- Employment
- Full time
- Experience
- 10+ years
- Category
- Architecture
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, engineering science, or closely related technical discipline
- 10+ years progressively responsible experience with hyperscale data center physical and operational infrastructure
- Direct experience designing, deploying, commissioning, or optimizing facilities for GPU-accelerated AI/ML, HPC, or high-density computing
- Hands-on knowledge of facilities supporting rack densities of 100kW or greater
- Expert understanding of advanced liquid cooling (CDUs, fluid management, piping, chillers, facility water)
- Strong knowledge of data center power architectures: high/medium/low-voltage distribution, UPS, monitoring, resilience, grid interaction
- Experience with structural and operational requirements of heavy, high-density rack environments
- Practical understanding of tools, processes, constraints, and stakeholders in designing and constructing data center facilities
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives across multiple companies, disciplines, and stakeholder groups
- Proven consensus-building and meeting-facilitation skills with senior technical participants
- Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, and technical-authoring abilities
- Experience working across multiple geographies and cultures
- Ability to travel within North America and internationally, averaging about twice per quarter
Nice to have
- Experience with an industry standards body, open-source community, consortium, association, or multi-company engineering initiative
- Recognized industry thought leader in data center facilities, critical infrastructure, liquid cooling, hyperscale operations, or AI infrastructure
- Experience developing technical specifications, reference architectures, basis-of-design criteria, white papers, or published guidance
- Experience leading industry conferences, workshops, technical forums, or working groups
- Knowledge of global design, manufacturing, supply-chain, and sales-channel models for data center infrastructure products
- Technical marketing, market-development, or sales-enablement experience
- Advanced engineering degree or relevant professional certification
Full description
Location: Remote – North America
Employment: Full-time
Travel: Approximately twice per quarter
Job Summary
We are seeking a Principal Data Center Facilities Architect to help shape the physical infrastructure required for the next generation of hyperscale AI data centers.
This individual will provide authoritative facilities guidance and organize community-led projects involving hyperscalers, cloud and colocation providers, technology manufacturers, energy partners, and data center operators. The work will influence open reference designs, facility-readiness criteria, technical specifications, best practices, and industry initiatives addressing high-density power, liquid cooling, structural loading, water systems, telemetry, and grid integration.
This is not a traditional role focused on designing a single company’s facilities. It is an opportunity for an established industry leader to bring competing technical and commercial perspectives together and translate them into practical, scalable, and broadly adoptable infrastructure guidance.
Job Responsibilities
- Organize and participate in community-led projects that influence reference designs and best practices for data center facilities supporting hyperscale AI infrastructure.
- Guide the development and refinement of facility designs capable of supporting GPU clusters, 100kW+ racks, advanced liquid cooling, and other high-density computing environments.
- Provide technical leadership across high-, medium-, and low-voltage power distribution, UPS systems, structural loading, fluid management, coolant distribution units, chillers, piping, and related facility systems.
- Help develop and maintain basis-of-design criteria and facility assessments covering site access, loading, utilities, cooling, power, water, and operational readiness.
- Support initiatives involving advanced power monitoring, telemetry, battery energy storage, peak-load management, grid interaction, and facility resilience.
- Advance projects addressing water sourcing, outdoor chillers, piping distribution, and the facility interfaces required to support liquid-cooling systems.
- Connect facility telemetry and management-interface initiatives with broader IT systems-management platforms.
- Launch and mature strategic projects, subprojects, and technical workstreams in collaboration with project leads and community members.
- Review technical contributions and help move work products through discussion, review, approval, publication, and conference presentation.