Director, Data Center Engineering

Job Description

Job Description: CoreWeave is The Essential Cloud for AI™. Built for pioneers by pioneers, CoreWeave delivers a platform of technology, tools, and teams that enables innovators to build and scale AI with confidence. Trusted by leading AI labs, startups, and global enterprises, CoreWeave combines superior infrastructure performance with deep technical expertise to accelerate breakthroughs and turn compute into capability. Founded in 2017, CoreWeave became a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: CRWV) in March 2025. Learn more at About the TeamThe Data Center Design team manages the delivery of comprehensive site, campus, architectural, and engineering designs across CoreWeave's global data center portfolio. The team's work covers the full physical planning and development of data center sites, from initial site programming and master planning through the coordinated design of single-building facilities and large-scale, multi-building campuses. This includes establishing the overall layout, building locations and orientations, land utilization, construction and capacity phasing, central plants, site access and circulation, logistics areas, stormwater management, civil works, and provisions for future expansion.The Data Center Engineering team creates an integrated design that coordinates each data center building with power, cooling, water, telecommunications, controls, life-safety, security, and other shared infrastructure systems. The team is also responsible for the comprehensive design of the buildings and their supporting systems and equipment, including architecture, structure, building envelope, mechanical systems, electrical infrastructure, plumbing, controls, fire protection, and life-safety systems. The team coordinates the full design lifecycle from early-stage site planning and project definition through detailed design, construction, commissioning support, and IT deployment. It makes sure CoreWeave's technical requirements are built into each project and delivered in line with established scope, schedule, budget, quality, reliability, scalability, and operational expectations. Through disciplined leadership, multidisciplinary design coordination, and consistent execution, the team enables CoreWeave to rapidly and reliably expand its physical infrastructure to support next-generation, high-density compute workloads.We are seeking an accomplished and experienced Director of Data Center Engineering to lead CoreWeave's multidisciplinary team of engineering subject matter experts and set the technical direction for our global data center portfolio. This person will develop, maintain, and govern CoreWeave's Basis of Design, reference designs, engineering standards, and long-term design roadmap for future data centers. As a senior leader within the Data Center Design organization, the Director will serve as the senior technical authority and escalation point for engineering decisions. They will partner with the VP of Design and cross-functional teams, including Design Management, Data Center Technology, Capacity, Construction, Commissioning, Operations, Network Engineering, and Supply Chain, to turn business and technology requirements into scalable infrastructure solutions.This role requires 20% travel to various data center sites.Key Responsibilities: Engineering Team Leadership & Development: Lead, manage, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary team of engineering subject matter experts across mechanical, electrical, plumbing, architectural, civil, structural, controls, and other critical infrastructure disciplines. Establish clear expectations, foster accountability, and support the professional growth of the engineering team. Technical Strategy & Direction: Establish the technical vision and engineering strategy for CoreWeave's global data center portfolio, ensuring infrastructure solutions align with business objectives, customer requirements, deployment timelines, and the evolving needs of high-density AI compute. Basis of Design Governance: Lead the development, maintenance, and governance of CoreWeave's Basis of Design. Ensure requirements are technically sound, clearly documented, consistently interpreted, and updated to reflect lessons learned, operational feedback, technology advancements, and changing business needs. Engineering Design Roadmap: Develop and maintain a long-term design roadmap for future data centers, identifying the infrastructure architectures, capacity requirements, technologies, and engineering capabilities needed to support emerging compute platforms and increasing rack densities. Multidisciplinary Engineering Integration: Ensure mechanical, electrical, architectural, civil, structural, controls, life-safety, and other engineering disciplines are coordinated into cohesive infrastructure solutions. Partner with Data Center Technology to integrate low-voltage, structured cabling, network, and white space technology requirements. Partnership with Design Management: Work closely with Data Center Design Management to define technical requirements, establish design review milestones, resolve engineering issues, evaluate proposed changes, and support timely delivery of coordinated, constructible design packages. Design Reviews & Technical Assurance: Set expectations for technical design reviews and lead evaluations of critical drawings, specifications, calculations, equipment selections, control sequences, studies, and commissioning documentation. Ensure design risks, gaps, and interdisciplinary conflicts are identified and resolved. Technical Decision-Making & Escalation: Serve as the senior escalation point for complex engineering challenges and decisions. Facilitate alignment among internal subject matter experts and give the VP of Design and executive leadership clear options, risk assessments, and recommendations. Infrastructure Performance & Operational Feedback: Collaborate with Operations and Commissioning to review system performance, reliability events, commissioning findings, capacity limitations, and operational trends. Translate findings into corrective actions and improvements to standards, reference designs, and future project requirements. Continuous Improvement & Lessons Learned: Establish a structured process for capturing lessons learned from design, construction, commissioning, and operations. Ensure validated improvements are incorporated into the Basis of Design, reference designs, specifications, and engineering processes. Innovation & Technology Evaluation: Lead the technical evaluation of emerging data center technologies, including advanced cooling, liquid cooling, power distribution, energy storage, controls, modular infrastructure, and other systems supporting high-density compute. Develop recommendations for testing, standardization, and deployment at scale. Reliability, Efficiency & Sustainability: Drive engineering initiatives that improve infrastructure reliability, energy and water efficiency, sustainability, scalability, maintainability, and total cost of ownership without compromising performance or deployment speed. Codes, Standards & Compliance: Ensure engineering requirements and designs comply with applicable codes, regulations, safety requirements, contractual obligations, and recognized industry standards. Stay aware of regulatory and technical changes that could affect CoreWeave's portfolio. External Partner & Supplier Engagement: Provide technical direction to data center providers, A/E consultants, contractors, equipment manufacturers, and technology partners. Set clear engineering expectations and evaluate proposed solutions for compliance with CoreWeave's requirements. Equipment Strategy & Standardization: Collaborate with Supply Chain and Construction to define technical requirements for major infrastructure equipment, evaluate vendor solutions, support product qualification, and identify opportunities for standardization and strategic procurement. Engineering Resource Planning: Manage engineering resources across the project portfolio, balancing project demands, standards development, technical initiatives, and operational support. Identify capability gaps and develop hiring, consultant, or vendor strategies. Executive & Portfolio Reporting: Give the VP of Design and executive leadership clear reporting on engineering priorities, technical risks, major decisions, roadmap progress, resource needs, and initiatives affecting portfolio performance. Culture of Technical Excellence: Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, technical rigor, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement within the engineering team. Encourage subject matter experts to challenge assumptions, develop scalable solutions, and maintain a high standard of engineering quality.Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering field. 15+ years of progressively responsible experience in data center engineering, infrastructure design, construction, commissioning, or operations, including at least 8 years in an engineering leadership or people-management role. Demonstrated experience leading, developing, and coordinating multidisciplinary teams of technical engineers and subject matter experts across mechanical, electrical, civil, structural, architectural, plumbing, controls, fire protection, and life-safety disciplines. Recognized technical expertise in planning and engineering large-scale, high-density data centers, including greenfield developments, single-building facilities, and multi-building campuses. Proven experience developing, maintaining, and governing Basis of Design documents, reference designs, technical standards, engineering specifications, and long-term infrastructure design roadmaps. Strong knowledge of critical data center infrastructure, including utility services, medium- and low-voltage power distribution, substations, UPS systems, generators, cooling plants, liquid-cooling systems, water systems, BMS and controls, fire protection, and life-safety systems. Proven ability to evaluate complex engineering challenges, reconcile competing technical requirements, and make clear, risk-informed decisions that balance reliability, scalability, efficiency, constructability, maintainability, cost, and speed to market. Experience providing technical oversight across multiple concurrent projects, locations, delivery models, and stages of development, from early feasibility and master planning through detailed design, construction, commissioning, and operational turnover. Experience leading multidisciplinary technical reviews of engineering calculations, studies, drawings, specifications, equipment selections, sequences of operation, commissioning plans, and proposed deviations from established standards. Experience working with data center providers, developers, utility companies, A/E consultants, contractors, commissioning agents, equipment manufacturers, and technology partners. Strong understanding of applicable building codes, engineering standards, regulatory requirements, safety requirements, and industry best practices for mission-critical facilities. Excellent people-leadership skills, including the ability to establish technical accountability, manage performance, develop engineering talent, encourage knowledge sharing, and build a collaborative, high-performing team of subject matter experts. Excellent written, verbal, and executive-level communication skills, with the ability to translate complex engineering issues into clear business impacts, alternatives, risks, and recommendations. Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment while balancing technical initiatives, project demands, competing priorities, and evolving infrastructure requirements. Strong analytical, strategic-thinking, organizational, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.Preferred Skills: Advanced degree in engineering or a related field. Professional Engineer (PE) licensure, or certifications such as LEED, Uptime Institute, or similar industry qualifications. Demonstrated ability to identify, evaluate, and implement emerging data center technologies, particularly for high-density compute, advanced cooling, liquid cooling, power distribution, controls, modular infrastructure, and energy efficiency. Ability to keep a portfolio-level perspective while engaging directly in the details needed to resolve critical project issues. Ability to bring structure to ambiguity and translate technical and business requirements into actionable project plans. Ability to identify developing risks early, set practical mitigation strategies, and communicate recommendations confidently to senior and executive leadership. Track record of building productive relationships among internal teams, data center providers, A/E firms, contractors, consultants, and equipment suppliers.Why CoreWeave?At CoreWeave, we work hard, have fun, and move fast! We're in an exciting stage of hyper-growth that you will not want to miss out on. We're not afraid of a little chaos, and we're constantly learning. Our team cares deeply about how we build our product and how we work together, which is represented through our core values: Be Curious at Your Core Act Like an Owner Empower Employees Deliver Best-in-Class Client Experiences Achieve More TogetherWe support and encourage an entrepreneurial outlook and independent thinking. We foster an environment that encourages collaboration and enables the development of innovative solutions to complex problems. As we get set for takeoff, the organization's growth opportunities are constantly expanding. You will be surrounded by some of the best talent in the industry, who will want to learn from you, too. Come join us!Compensation & BenefitsThe base salary range for this role is $180,000 to $264,000. The starting salary will be determined by job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and the market location. We strive for both market alignment and internal equity when determining compensation. In addition to base salary, our total rewards package includes a discretionary bonus, equity awards, and a comprehensive benefits program (all based on eligibility). What We Offer In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a variety of benefits to support your needs. The benefits below reflect our US-based offerings for full-time employees; for roles in other locations, benefits vary and are shared during the hiring process. These include: Medical, dental, and vision insurance - 100% paid for by CoreWeave Company-paid Life Insurance Voluntary supplemental life insurance Short and long-term disability insurance Flexible Spending Account Health Savings Account Tuition Reimbursement Ability to Participate in Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) Mental Wellness Benefit