Principal Engineer, Mechanical Innovation

Job Type: Full Time | Location: Texas | Department: Innovation | Reporting to: Chief Innovation Officer | Work Location Type: #remote

IREN is a vertically integrated AI Cloud provider, delivering large-scale data centers and GPU clusters for AI training and inference. IREN’s platform is underpinned by its expansive portfolio of grid-connected land and power in renewable-rich regions across North America, Europe and APAC. 

• 12+ years of progressive mechanical engineering experience with deep specialization in HVAC and cooling systems — including air-side cooling design, cooling distribution, fluid system engineering, thermal modeling, and CFD analysis — within data center, mission-critical, energy, or industrial infrastructure.
• Demonstrated experience developing mechanical engineering design deliverables — cooling system layouts, fluid schematics, equipment schedules, CFD studies, and design basis documents — at a level of technical depth and completeness suitable for direct use in construction and procurement.
• Experience working across both innovation/development and project execution environments — able to develop standards and design concepts in a research context and apply them practically within the constraints of active construction projects.
• Strong cross-discipline collaboration skills with the ability to coordinate mechanical decisions with electrical, structural, controls, and construction stakeholders; clear and precise technical communication, both written and verbal.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering required; PE registration preferred. Hyperscale or owner-operator data center experience highly valued. Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required (estimated 20–35%).

• Serve as IREN's internal subject matter expert in mechanical and HVAC engineering — providing authoritative technical guidance on air-side cooling systems, cooling distribution, fluid systems, thermal management, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and mechanical plant design for next-generation and industrialized data center infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain mechanical engineering design deliverables within the Innovation program, including cooling system layouts, equipment schedules, fluid system schematics, CFD analyses, thermal performance models, and design basis documents that establish IREN's technical standards for mechanical systems.
• Evaluate emerging mechanical and HVAC technologies, equipment, and methodologies — providing technically grounded recommendations to the VP, Mechanical Innovation on opportunities to improve thermal performance, system efficiency, and deployability across IREN's infrastructure portfolio.

• Partner directly with the NGDC and IMDC project engineers to translate Innovation-developed mechanical standards and architectural concepts into executable designs — providing hands-on technical support through design development, review, and resolution of complex mechanical and thermal system issues.
• Review and provide technical approval of mechanical designs, calculations, and specifications produced by NGDC and IMDC project teams, ensuring alignment with Innovation standards and identifying deviations that require resolution before designs are released for procurement or construction.
• Support the development of mechanical systems within IREN's modular and prefabricated assemblies — including cooling distribution units, mechanical skids, and prefabricated fluid handling systems — providing mechanical engineering expertise through design, factory acceptance testing, and field commissioning.

• Ensure mechanical and HVAC designs are coordinated with the electrical team — resolving interdependencies between cooling systems, power distribution, and thermal loads at the design stage to prevent field conflicts and ensure integrated system performance.
• Maintain active technical alignment with the NGDC and IMDC programs — participating in design reviews, interface meetings, and technical workshops to ensure that mechanical decisions made within each program are consistent with Innovation standards and do not create downstream conflicts across disciplines or projects.
• Identify and escalate cross-discipline interface issues — including mechanical-to-electrical, mechanical-to-structural, and mechanical-to-controls conflicts — to the VP, Mechanical Innovation with clear technical framing and recommended resolution paths.

• Serve as a technical resource to IREN's engineering, construction, and commissioning teams on mechanical and HVAC matters — responding to RFIs, supporting design clarifications, reviewing submittals, and providing field technical support for complex mechanical installations.
• Support commissioning activities for mechanical systems — including review of commissioning plans, participation in functional testing and thermal performance validation, troubleshooting of HVAC and fluid system anomalies, and documentation of as-commissioned performance against design intent.
• Capture field learnings and construction observations, feeding technically validated lessons back into Innovation's mechanical engineering standards to continuously improve design quality and reduce rework on future projects.

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of IREN's mechanical engineering standards library — authoring and updating design criteria, equipment specifications, and calculation templates for cooling and fluid systems in alignment with applicable codes (ASHRAE, SMACNA, ASME, NFPA) and IREN-specific requirements.
• Produce clear, complete technical documentation for all mechanical engineering deliverables — ensuring that design intent, thermal assumptions, and interface requirements are captured in a form that enables downstream teams to execute accurately without requiring further interpretation.