Principal, Mechanical SME

About the role

Hut 8 brings exceptional people together to solve the world's most consequential problems at the intersection of energy and technology. Today, that means building infrastructure for AI at a pace and scale without precedent. Tomorrow, it could mean powering a new era of innovation through robotics, advanced manufacturing, or an industry that does not yet exist. Whatever the technology demands, our ambition holds: to build the defining physical infrastructure company of our generation.

We look for thinkers and builders with the rigor, humility, and ownership to solve problems at this scale. They start from zero and choose truth over tradition. They back the best idea, whatever its source. They bet on themselves and embrace the hard truths that force them to grow. Our commitment is to keep the path from idea to execution short, trust them with critical decisions and the work that follows, and surround them with colleagues whose curiosity extends beyond their expertise.

About the Role

The Mechanical Systems Expert is Managed Services' expert embedded in a data center build - supporting design review and commissioning to ensure cooling systems are operable and maintainable at turnover. Every design decision eventually becomes someone's 3 a.m. problem; this role reviews the design and witnesses the testing on behalf of that person.

Operability Design Review

Review mechanical and cooling designs - chilled water plants, air and liquid cooling systems, CDUs, CRAHs, heat rejection, water treatment - through an operations lens: maintenance access and laydown, isolation and redundancy behavior, degraded-mode operation, instrumentation adequacy, and failure-mode consequences. File review comments that change designs, not just document concerns.

Construction-Phase Verification

Walk mechanical installations at key milestones: pipe routing and support, valve access, equipment clearances, insulation quality, and cleanliness/flushing protocol compliance - catching operability problems while they're still cheap to fix.

Commissioning Witness

Witness Level 3-5 commissioning of mechanical systems: functional performance tests, staging and failover sequences, failure scenarios, and integrated systems testing. Drive operational issues into the Cx log with clear acceptance criteria and verify closure personally.

Turnover Readiness

Verify mechanical turnover packages: O&Ms, as-builts, valve tags and system labeling, water treatment baselines, spare parts and consumables lists, and PM program inputs (frequencies, procedures, vendor contacts). Validate training actually equips operators to run the plant.

Operations Transition Support

Support early operations stabilization post-turnover: alarm tuning input, setpoint refinement, and first-months troubleshooting alongside the operations team.

Program Feedback

Feed operational lessons into Hut 8 mechanical design standards and the next project's basis of design.

What we're looking for

• 8+ years in critical facilities mechanical operations, commissioning, or chief-engineer-track roles.
• Deep hands-on knowledge of chilled water plants, hydronic systems, and data center cooling topologies - air-cooled, water-cooled, and liquid/direct-to-chip.
• Level 1-5 commissioning fluency from the witness/operations side, including integrated systems testing.
• Sharp eye for maintainability in design reviews: access, isolation, and instrumentation gaps.
• Turnover documentation rigor - you read the O&M before signing for it.
• Comfortable embedded with a construction team while holding the operations line.
• Water treatment and cleanliness protocol experience for critical hydronic systems.
• CFC/EPA certifications, trade licensure, or engineering degree all welcome paths.