Sr. Principal Engineer – Thermal Advanced Development
This senior technical position is responsible for helping lead and shape the strategic direction of next-generation thermal management technologies - including liquid cooling, cryo-cooling, waste heat recovery, footprint density improvement, etc. - for data center and critical infrastructure applications. The goal is to advance Vertiv's thermal technology portfolio from concept through proof-of-concept, establish technical best practices across the advanced development organization, and deliver robust design guidelines that enable seamless handover to New Product Development & Introduction (NPDI) teams for productization.
Vertiv's Thermal Business Unit is a global leader in designing, manufacturing, and servicing mission-critical thermal management solutions for data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial facilities worldwide. The Thermal BU's portfolio spans the complete thermal chain from chip to atmosphere, including room cooling, in-row cooling, rack cooling, direct-to-chip liquid cooling, coolant distribution units (CDUs), rear-door heat exchangers, chillers, dry coolers, and trim coolers. Operating across all major regions (Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific), the Thermal BU serves hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, and edge data center customers with solutions optimized for increasingly high-density AI and high-performance computing environments. Within this business unit, the Advanced Development group is responsible for incubating next-generation thermal technologies and proving their viability before transitioning them to NPDI teams for productization. This role sits at the forefront of that mission, driving innovation in emerging thermal architectures that will define Vertiv's competitive position in the rapidly evolving data center cooling market.
Responsibilities
- Define and lead the technical strategy for mission critical thermal advanced development projects from concept through prototype validation.
- Serve as the senior technical lead on cross-functional project teams, directing engineering activities, resolving complex technical challenges, and ensuring milestones are met on time and within budget.
- Develop and document comprehensive design guidelines and specifications for handover to NPDI teams when projects transition from advanced engineering to product development.
- Communicate complex technical information clearly and effectively to diverse audiences including senior leadership, cross-functional teams, external partners, and customers.
- Mentor and lead engineers and technicians on projects, fostering a collaborative and high-performance team environment and helping to develop the next generation of technical talent.
- Establish and maintain relationships with external research partners (e.g., universities, national labs) to identify and advance emerging thermal technologies.
- Conduct and oversee thermal analysis, modeling, and testing to validate advanced cooling concepts.
- Influence technology roadmaps and provide expert guidance on industry trends, competitive technologies, and regulatory developments in thermal management and refrigerants.
- Drive continuous improvement in advanced development methods, tools, and processes across the organization.
- Represent Vertiv as a subject matter expert at industry conferences, standards bodies, and customer engagements.
- Perform a variety of engineering calculations using traditional engineering methods to verify design requirements, which may include stress calculations, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics.
- Develop solutions to complex problems where little or no precedence exists - the use of ingenuity and creativity is regularly required.
- Other Duties as assigned
Education and Certifications
- Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) or directly related degree at minimum.
- Advanced Degree preferred
Requirements
- Min 10-15 years of experience
- Able to travel 10%
- Highly self-directing with the ability to set priorities, define project scope, and drive results with minimal oversight
- Extensive track record as a technical lead directing multi-disciplinary project teams from concept through prototype/validation, with demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent programs.
- Demonstrated leadership in guiding and developing others to complete projects efficiently and on schedule
- Demonstrated record of meeting deadlines and project goals
- Deep expertise in thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics
- Strong ability to write clear, actionable design guidelines and technical documentation suitable for use by downstream product development teams
- Demonstrated history of delivering quality products to market with understanding and respect for phases of the product development process
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to present complex technical concepts to executive leadership and non-technical stakeholders
- Recognized as a technical authority within the organization or industry
- Experience with 3D CAD software, preferred CREO 4.0 and greater
Preferred:
- Experience in cryogenic cooling system development
- Experience in programming and/or creating thermal system energy models to compare new ideas to baseline systems
- Experience using AI design tools for thermal components or systems (e.g., generative design, topology optimization, AI-driven CFD)
- Experience with 2-Phase heat transfer fluids, including “natural” refrigerants, such as R744, R718, etc.
- Experience with 1-phase and/or 2-phase Liquid Cooling technologies
- Knowledge of psychometric chart and refrigeration cycles
- Experience with CFD and/or FEA software, preferred Ansys
- Understanding of manufacturing limitations, break sheet metal and formed copper tubes
- Familiarity with data center thermal architecture and critical infrastructure cooling requirements
- Patent portfolio or published research in thermal management technologies
#LI-CM1
