Senior Mechanical Engineer
Job DescriptionJob Description
Mechanical Operations Engineer - SME
Location: Spartanburg, SC
Compensation: Base + Bonus + 100% Company paid benefits
Employment Type: Full-Time | Mission-Critical Operations
Overview
The Mission-Critical Mechanical Operations Engineer serves as a senior technical authority responsible for the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of mechanical infrastructure supporting a High-Performance Compute Center (HPCC) and its associated critical systems.
This is a hands-on engineering role focused on system ownership, operational excellence, and continuous optimization in a high-availability environment. The engineer works directly with Mechanical SMEs, contracted operators, Electrical, Controls, and IT Infrastructure teams to ensure cooling and HVAC systems consistently meet the demands of high-density compute loads.
The role requires deep technical expertise across chilled water and HVAC systems, strong procedural discipline, and the ability to operate confidently in live environments where uptime, safety, and precision are critical.
Key Responsibilities
Mechanical System Ownership & Operations
Serve as a senior on-site mechanical authority for HPCC cooling and HVAC infrastructure
Provide hands-on operational support for chilled water plants, CRAH/CRAC units, cooling towers, pumps, heat exchangers, leak detection, and fuel gas systems
Ensure mechanical systems maintain required environmental conditions to support mission-critical IT loads
Monitor system performance, identify degradation or risk, and initiate corrective actions
Maintenance, Reliability & Troubleshooting
Execute and support preventative, predictive, and corrective maintenance activities
Troubleshoot mechanical alarms, failures, and abnormal operating conditions
Participate in root cause analyses following equipment failures or environmental excursions
Support commissioning, system testing, and acceptance activities for new or modified equipment
Safety, Compliance & Procedures
Ensure compliance with Owner standards, OSHA, ASHRAE, and applicable mechanical safety codes
Act as an on-shift authority for mechanical lockout/tagout, confined space, and hazard communication procedures
Promote a strong culture of safety, procedural discipline, and accountability
Support development, review, and refinement of SOPs, MOPs, and EOPs
Cross-Functional Integration
Coordinate closely with Electrical, Controls, Energy, and IT Infrastructure teams to support integrated site reliability
Support outage planning, system transitions, and load changes
Assist with mechanical system integration supporting phased expansions and scalability
Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement
Conduct routine system testing, water treatment oversight, and performance audits
Identify opportunities for system optimization, efficiency improvements, and risk reduction
Contribute to KPI tracking related to reliability, maintenance compliance, and incident response
Support lessons-learned documentation and continuous improvement initiatives
Vendor & Contractor Coordination
Work alongside contracted operators and vendors to ensure safe, reliable execution of work
Provide technical oversight during vendor maintenance, repairs, and system modifications
Support contractor compliance with site procedures and safety requirements
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, HVAC Systems, or related discipline, or equivalent hands-on experience
8+ years supporting mechanical systems in mission-critical data centers, HPC environments, industrial facilities, or power sites
Strong technical expertise in chilled water plants, cooling towers, CRAH/CRAC units, pumps, heat exchangers, and supporting infrastructure
Experience operating in live, high-availability environments with strict procedural controls
Working knowledge of OSHA, ASHRAE, and mechanical safety standards
Ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings, P&IDs, and system schematics
Strong communication skills and calm decision-making in high-pressure operational environments
Company DescriptionGTN is the leader in SOW management & technical staffing, leveraging innovation to drive next- recruiting to Fortune 200 companies.Company DescriptionGTN is the leader in SOW management & technical staffing, leveraging innovation to drive next- recruiting to Fortune 200 companies.