About this opportunity
ICON Consultants, LP lists this Principal Mechanical Engineer opportunity in plano, Texas. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Principal Mechanical Systems Engineer - Liquid Cooling & CDU Technology
Employment Type: Direct Hire
Pay Rate : Starting at $171,000 annually (DOE - Open to Negotiate)
Note: Relocation is also available!
Drive the Future of High-Density Data Center Cooling
We are seeking a highly accomplished engineering leader to take ownership of next-generation liquid cooling solutions supporting the rapidly growing demands of AI, HPC, and high-density data center infrastructure. This is not a support or maintenance role. We are looking for an expert who has personally architected and delivered liquid cooling systems and thrives at the intersection of innovation, product development, and technical leadership.
You will serve as a key technical authority for our Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) portfolio, influencing product strategy, leading critical design decisions, and guiding products from concept through successful deployment. The ideal candidate combines deep engineering expertise with the ability to collaborate across customers, suppliers, manufacturing teams, and executive stakeholders to bring industry-leading cooling solutions to market.
This role offers a rare opportunity to shape emerging cooling technologies while directly influencing the future direction of a growing product line.
What You'll Do
Own the architecture and technical direction of advanced liquid cooling and CDU systems.
Lead end-to-end product development from concept, prototyping, validation, commercialization, and production launch.
Make system-level engineering decisions involving fluid dynamics, thermal management, reliability, manufacturability, and performance optimization.
Partner closely with customers to understand cooling requirements and translate them into innovative product solutions.
Serve as the technical escalation point for complex engineering challenges.
Drive cross-functional collaboration across mechanical, electrical, controls, manufacturing, quality, and supplier teams.
Evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities to improve performance, efficiency, and scalability.
Mentor engineering teams while establishing best practices and design standards across the organization.
What Sets You Apart
You are the engineer others rely on when the solution isn't obvious.
Rather than contributing to a single subsystem, you have owned complete liquid cooling platforms and understand how pumps, heat exchangers, controls, piping networks, flow characteristics, and thermal performance work together as an integrated system. You have successfully taken products from a blank sheet of paper to deployment in the field and are comfortable making difficult technical decisions that drive business outcomes.
You possess both the technical depth to solve complex engineering problems and the leadership presence to gain alignment across customers, suppliers, and internal teams.
Required Qualifications
Extensive hands-on experience designing and leading liquid cooling systems and CDU-related equipment.
Strong expertise in:
Pumps and pumping systems
Fluid flow analysis
Thermal calculations and optimization
Piping and system integration
Cooling system reliability and performance
We are specifically seeking candidates who have personally owned system design decisions and delivered liquid cooling solutions, not individuals who have only supported adjacent technologies.
Proven success leading products through the entire lifecycle:
Design and prototyping
Validation and testing
Manufacturing readiness
Field deployment and support
The ideal candidate understands not only how to design a product, but how to transform an idea into a scalable, market-ready solution.
Technical Leadership & Influence
Experience functioning as the lead technical authority across multiple stakeholders.
Ability to guide customer discussions, influence supplier decisions, and align engineering teams around technical objectives.
Strong systems-thinking mindset with the ability to balance performance, cost, schedule, quality, and customer requirements.
This role requires someone who can confidently lead from the front, navigate ambiguity, and serve as the trusted expert when critical design decisions must be made.
Ideal Background
Mechanical Engineering or related technical degree.
Experience supporting AI, HPC, data center, mission-critical infrastructure, industrial thermal management, or advanced cooling technologies.
Track record of delivering complex electromechanical products in production environments.
Passion for innovation and solving challenging thermal management problems at scale.
Why This Opportunity?
This is a chance to own technology that is becoming increasingly critical to the future of AI infrastructure and next-generation computing. You'll have the autonomy to influence product direction, solve complex engineering challenges, and leave a lasting impact on a rapidly evolving market.
If you've built liquid cooling systems, led CDU development, and enjoy transforming cutting-edge engineering concepts into real-world products, we'd like to talk with you.
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Worksite address
plano, TX, 75086, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.