Fluidstack

Chief Engineer, MV Switchgear at Fluidstack (Austin, TX)

Fluidstack· Austin, TX·

Role details

Work type
Hybrid
Employment
Full-Time

Fluidstack at a glance

Builds and operates gigawatt-scale AI data centers and fully managed GPU clusters for frontier AI labs, governments, and enterprises.

Fluidstack acquires power, designs and builds data centers, and operates them, and it delivers fully managed multi-thousand-GPU clusters to AI companies. It pitches gigawatts of compute in roughly six months versus an industry norm of 18 to 24, and is the builder behind Anthropic's $50B US data center buildout.

· latest: In talks for $1B at ~$18B valuation (April 2026, reported) · backed by Cacti, Jane Street, Situational Awareness, Patrick and John Collison

Job description

About Fluidstack

We exist to make humanity more free. For most of human history, you farmed or you starved. Technology gave people more time for the things they wanted to do, instead of things they had to do. Powerful AI will be the biggest lever for human choice we've ever built - but only if models are aligned with what humanity actually wants. There are groups building AI who don't share these goals. Whoever deploys frontier compute infrastructure fastest will decide whether AI expands human freedom or shrinks it.

We're singularly focused on delivering 10 to 100s of GWs of compute faster than anyone else, rethinking every layer of the stack. We acquire power, design and build data centers, and operate them - with teams spanning hardware and software. Speed and scale are our key differentiators. Come be a part of building civilization-scale infrastructure for AI.

We hire people who care deeply about this problem space. If that is you, please apply!

How We Operate

  • Be a barrel. Full autonomy. Own things end to end, take on scope without being asked, no permission required to operate outside your core role.
  • Insane urgency. We drive everything forward as fast as possible.
  • Reason from first principles. Challenge every assumption. Zero analogy thinking, no egos, the best idea wins.
  • Love of the game. The frontier of AI is the most interesting problem of our time. We put in long hours at high intensity to push the frontier forward.
  • Build something that actually matters. If you're going to spend your time, spend it on something that matters to the world.

The Manufacturing Engineering Team Examples of key problems the team is working on

  • Take product lines from clean sheet to production. This is an opportunity to reason from first principles. Challenge every industry standard and focus on Speed and Safety.
  • Build Data Center products behind 10s of GW a year. Design and productize Data Center modules, switchgear, switchboards, busway, skids, E-Houses, and cooling systems that every Fluidstack building runs.
  • Own the designs, IP, and test campaigns. Full in-house design authority on platforms Fluidstack owns outright, from the first one-line through type testing to factory acceptance.

Role Scope

  • Own the clean-sheet design of Fluidstack's wholly-owned metal-clad MV switchgear platform, built around a purchased, type-tested vacuum breaker element.
  • Deliver a production-released, fully type-tested lineup running design and the IEEE C37.20.2 and C37.09 test campaigns in parallel.
  • Lead a dedicated team of engineers to develop the design, testing and compliance effort.
  • Run the type-test campaign at high-power laboratories, covering short-circuit, internal arc, BIL, and temperature rise, and own every redesign loop as needed.
  • Define the platform's ratings ladder, protection and IED integration, and racking and interlock architecture so one design covers MV distribution across 10s of GW of buildings a year.

What We're Looking For

The below is a starting point. We always make space for exceptional people, so if you don't fit this role exactly, tell us where you would.

  • You've designed metal-clad MV switchgear and/or GIS switchgear at an OEM as the accountable engineer.
  • You've taken a switchgear design through a full type-test campaign at a high-power lab and led the redesign after a failed internal arc or short-circuit shot.
  • You've made the insulation coordination, bus bracing, and creepage and clearance decisions.
  • You've integrated third-party breaker elements or operating mechanisms into an enclosure and secondary design you owned end to end.
  • You've led a product team from first concept to production release and held the design freeze against late-arriving change requests.

We are committed to pay equity and transparency. Fluidstack is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans’ status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Fluidstack will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to applicable law.

You will receive a confirmation email once your application has successfully been accepted. If there is an error with your submission and you did not receive a confirmation email, please email careers@fluidstack.io with your resume/CV, the role you've applied for, and the date you submitted your application-- someone from our recruiting team will be in touch.

Why work at Fluidstack

  • Mission-Driven Work: Directly building the physical infrastructure for the next generation of AI — a rare opportunity to work on frontier technology with tangible, large-scale impact.
  • Rapid Growth Trajectory: 516.7% headcount growth YoY with 270 open positions signals massive opportunity for career acceleration and ownership.
  • Technical Depth: Work spans hardware (electrical, civil, mechanical engineering for data centers) and software (GPU cluster orchestration, monitoring, infrastructure platform engineering), offering diverse technical challenges.
  • Top-Tier Talent Pool: Employees come from AWS, Tesla, Crusoe, Palantir, Oracle, and Meta, indicating a high-caliber, ambitious work environment.
  • Work Policy: Remote-friendly for many roles, with hubs in San Francisco, New York, Austin, Seattle, and Buffalo. Departments span Engineering, Operations, Data Center, Security, and more.
  • Culture: Emphasis on speed, autonomy, and removing friction — "We build technology to enable delivery of gigawatts of compute in 6 months" — reflecting a bias for action and operational excellence.

Application questions