--- title: 'Senior Staff Mechanical Systems Engineer - Spark at Crusoe' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-mechanical-systems-engineer-spark-crusoe-denver-5q3c9y76f5np' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-06' --- # Senior Staff Mechanical Systems Engineer - Spark at Crusoe - **Company:** [Crusoe](https://feeny.ai/companies/crusoe) - **Location:** Denver, CO / United States - **Compensation:** $149k–$170k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-08-24 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-06 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/Crusoe/9aa892be-71db-455e-9980-ffff4badfee3/application **Skills:** Systems Engineering, Data Center Design, Medium-Volt Power Distribution, Industrial Cooling, InfiniBand, RoCE, Fiber Management, Thermal Management, UL Listing Processes, NEC Requirements, DFM Practices, Liquid Cooling Systems, DLC Architecture, Microgrid Power Sources > The Data Center Systems Engineer serves as the lead technical bridge between physical modular data centers and AI compute systems. Responsibilities include integrating electrical, thermal, and networking systems, managing power architecture, and supporting the transition to liquid-cooled architectures to ensure opti... ## Job description Crusoe is on a mission to accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence. As the only vertically integrated AI infrastructure company built from the ground up, we own and operate each layer of the stack — from electrons to tokens — to power the world's most ambitious AI workloads. When you join Crusoe, you join a team that is building the future, faster. We're in the midst of the greatest industrial revolution of our time. The demand for AI compute is boundless, and power is a bottleneck. We're solving that — with an energy-first approach that makes AI infrastructure better for the world and faster for the people innovating with AI. We're looking for problem-solving, opportunity-finding teammates with a sense of urgency, who believe in the scale of our ambition and thrive on a path not fully paved — people who want to grow their careers alongside a team of experts across energy, manufacturing, data center construction, and cloud services. If you want to do the most meaningful work of your career, help our customers and partners advance their AI strategies, and be part of a high-performing team that believes in each other, come build with us at Crusoe. About the Role: Crusoe is a vertically integrated AI Factory company with a mission to accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence. Our competitive advantage—“Speed is the only moat”—is directly tied to our ability to rapidly design, build, and deploy high-density modular power and compute infrastructure. Embedded directly within the Spark Modular Data Center (MDC) Business Unit, the Senior Staff Mechanical Systems Engineer - Spark is a key technical engine supporting the mechanical, thermal, and fluid architecture of our MDC platform. You will sit at the crossroads of hardware, software, and physical infrastructure translating next-generation GPU compute workloads, cluster topologies, power envelopes, and cooling requirements into robust, high-performance liquid-cooled MDC system designs. In this role, you will support the technical execution of current and future MDC architectures, collaborating closely with external design & engineering partners and internal R&D, Crusoe Industries (CI), Cloud Product, and Cloud Engineering teams to turn first-principles mechanical design into scalable product reality. What You'll Be Working On: - Liquid Cooling System Design: Own system-level design for direct-to-chip (DLC) and hydronic infrastructure, including Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs), primary/secondary loops, flow rate balancing, pressure drop calculations, manifolds, and leak-detection mechanisms. Perform the thermal and fluid calculations — heat load modeling, flow network analysis, pump/heat-exchanger sizing — that turn GPU rack power and cooling requirements into concrete mechanical specifications. - First-Principles Mechanical Integration: Apply core mechanical engineering principles — fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, structural mechanics, vibration/transportation dynamics — to optimize containerized envelope design, structural integrity, and environmental resiliency. - Engineering Partner Engagement: Work with external design & engineering partners and internal teams to review, iterate, and refine CAD models, BIM files, 30/60/90/100% drawing packages, and manufacturing-ready documentation. - Design for Manufacturability (DFM): Partner with Crusoe Industries (CI) and Contract Manufacturers (CMs) to optimize pipe racks, modular connections, skid assemblies, and structural mating for rapid factory assembly and field commissioning. - Spark Platform Evolution: Drive the mechanical and thermal roadmap for future Spark generations, moving from current air-cooled baselines to next-gen high-density liquid-cooled architectures. - Mechanical–Thermal Interface Ownership: Own the mechanical design as it interfaces with compute, power, and networking constraints — working closely with thermal and electrical specialists to ensure rack layout, cabling, and enclosure design are mechanically sound and thermally validated. Serve as the mechanical design authority translating early-stage liquid-cooling concepts into manufacturable production units. - Sustaining Engineering & Continuous Improvement: Provide sustaining mechanical engineering support for deployed and in-production Spark assets — investigating field issues, resolving design or component issues, implementing engineering change orders (ECOs), and feeding field learnings back into future design iterations. What You'll Bring to the Team: - Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field; Master's degree a plus. - 8-12 years of mechanical engineering experience, with deep, hands-on expertise in fluid mechanics, heat transfer, structural integrity, and mechanical system dynamics. - Direct experience designing, validating, or integrating complex liquid-cooling loops (DLC, CDUs, pumping skids, heat exchangers, or hydronic systems). - Strong working understanding of thermal engineering fundamentals (heat transfer, CFD/thermal modeling concepts) sufficient to collaborate closely and speak the same technical language as dedicated thermal engineers — you don't need to be the thermal expert, but you need to design mechanical systems that hold up under their analysis. - Proficiency with mechanical CAD tools (e.g., SolidWorks, Creo, or Inventor) and familiarity with thermal-fluid simulation tools (e.g., ANSYS Fluent/CFX, 6SigmaET, or equivalent). - Working knowledge of relevant mechanical codes and standards (e.g., ASME B31.x piping codes, ASHRAE thermal guidelines, NFPA data center cooling requirements). - Demonstrated experience collaborating with external design & engineering partners while contributing to internal design iterations and CAD review workflows. - Comfort navigating fast-moving environments where physical hardware and compute infrastructure are co-developed concurrently. Bonus Points: - Direct experience in modular data center design. - Background in complex adjacent industries such as aerospace, automotive, energy, or industrial process hardware. - Experience leading design-for-manufacturability efforts with contract manufacturers. - Familiarity with BIM workflows and full-lifecycle drawing packages (30/60/90/100%). - Professional Engineer (PE) license. Benefits: - Competitive compensation - Restricted Stock Units - Paid time off & paid holidays - Comprehensive health, dental & vision insurance - Employer contributions to HSA account - Paid parental leave - Paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability - Professional development & tuition reimbursement - Mental health & wellness support - Commuter benefits (parking & transit) - Cell phone stipend - 401(k) Retirement plan with company match up to 4% of salary - Volunteer time off ## Compensation Range Compensation will be paid in the range of up to $190,000 - $215,000 + Bonus. Restricted Stock Units are included in all offers. Compensation to be determined by the applicants knowledge, education, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data. (#INDCORP) Crusoe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, citizenship, marital status, sex/gender, sexual preference/ orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, national origin, or any other status protected by law or regulation. ## About Crusoe ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Crusoe is an energy-first AI infrastructure company that designs, builds, and operates hyperscale data centers and a cloud platform purpose-built for artificial intelligence workloads. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series E) - **Headquarters**: Denver, Colorado, USA - **Founded**: 2018 - **Founders**: Chase Lochmiller and Cully Cavness ## Core Business - Primary industry/industries: AI Infrastructure, Cloud Computing, Data Centers, Clean Energy - Target customers: Enterprise AI companies, AI-native startups, research institutions, government agencies (B2B) - **Mission**: "Accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence." ## Products & Services - **Crusoe Cloud**: An AI-optimized cloud platform purpose-built for AI workloads, featuring high-performance NVIDIA and AMD compute, accelerated storage, and optimized RDMA networking. Claims to deploy models up to 20x faster and cut costs by up to 81%. - **Crusoe Managed Inference**: A managed AI inference service built with Crusoe's proprietary MemoryAlloy technology, offering best-in-class speed, throughput, and reliability. Features the Crusoe Intelligence Foundry for model selection and API key management. - **AI Data Center Infrastructure**: Vertically integrated design, build, and operation of hyperscale AI factories (e.g., the 1.2 GW Stargate campus in Abilene, TX). Modular, scalable construction for power-hungry AI workloads. - **Crusoe Managed Kubernetes & Slurm**: Managed orchestration services that eliminate operational overhead for customers. - **Crusoe AutoClusters**: Fault-tolerant, managed cluster services for large-scale AI training. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (private company). - **Key Metric**: Raised over $1.8B+ in total funding (Series E in 2024 was $1B+; Series D in 2024 was $600M; Series C in 2021 was $350M). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: NVIDIA, NYDIG, GE Vernova, Redwood Materials, Tallgrass, AMD. The company has also partnered with leading energy and technology firms to power its data centers. - **Growth Signals**: Divested bitcoin mining business to NYDIG in 2023 to focus exclusively on AI infrastructure; broke ground on the 1.2 GW Stargate campus in Abilene, TX; expanded into Europe with a geothermal/hydro-powered deployment in Iceland; announced 1.8 GW Wyoming data center with Tallgrass; acquired GPU memory optimization startup Atero and established a Tel Aviv office. ## Competitive Advantages - **Energy-First Approach**: The company’s core differentiator is its vertical integration starting from energy sourcing. It uses "environmentally aligned power sources" (wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, natural gas with carbon capture) to power its AI factories, including pioneering technology to convert wasted natural gas into energy. - **Vertical Integration**: Controls the entire stack—from finding innovative energy sources to building and managing hyperscale data centers and operating the cloud platform. - **NVIDIA Partnership**: Close partnership with NVIDIA, providing access to the latest and highest-performance GPU hardware for its cloud and infrastructure. - **Proven Performance**: Claims 99.98% uptime, 100% customer satisfaction score, and significant cost/performance advantages (up to 81% cost reduction). ## Strategic Focus - **Massive Infrastructure Expansion**: Aggressively scaling its data center footprint, with major projects in Abilene, Texas (Stargate) and Wyoming (Tallgrass), and expansion into Europe. - **Deepening AI Cloud**: Continuing to build out its Crusoe Cloud platform with managed services (Kubernetes, Slurm, AutoClusters) to make it easier for AI companies to use their infrastructure. - **Responsible AI**: Emphasizing sustainability and responsible AI governance, as evidenced by achieving ISO 42001 certification and publishing an ESG report. - **Acquisition-led Growth**: Acquired Atero (GPU memory optimization) to enhance its core technology stack. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-Driven**: The company is united by a tangible mission: "Accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence." Employees report high levels of engagement (92% proud to work there per internal survey). - **Massive Growth Trajectory**: Crusoe is at the center of the AI infrastructure boom, building some of the world's most powerful AI factories. For job seekers, this means exposure to cutting-edge technology and the opportunity to scale a company from a startup to an industry leader. - **Culture**: The company values "moving fast and making things," continuous learning, and collective genius. It describes itself as an "AI factory company" that values velocity and impact. - **Work Policy**: Hybrid/Office presence required in most roles. Office locations include: Denver (HQ), San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Bellevue, Tulsa, Dublin (Ireland), and Tel Aviv (Israel). - **Benefits**: Competitive compensation & equity, comprehensive health & wellness, mental health resources, retirement plans, paid time off, leave of absence programs, learning & development, volunteer time off, daily meals allowance, and other location-specific perks. - **Engineering Culture**: Strong emphasis on technical excellence, working with large-scale systems, and pioneering new approaches to energy and infrastructure. The company values candidates' "AI fluency" in its hiring process. ## Sources 1. [crusoe.ai](https://www.crusoe.ai/) 2. [crusoe.ai/careers](https://www.crusoe.ai/about/careers) 3. [crusoe.ai/about/culture](https://www.crusoe.ai/about/careers/culture) 4. [crusoe.ai/about/company](https://www.crusoe.ai/about/company) ## Other roles at Crusoe - [Staff Software Engineer, AI Model Lifecycle](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-software-engineer-ai-model-lifecycle-crusoe-san-francisco-3918za8e9e1h) — San Francisco, CA / United States - [Chief of Staff (Internal)](https://feeny.ai/job/chief-of-staff-internal-crusoe-san-francisco-bwkm4fm3s4sa) — San Francisco, CA / United States - [Chief of Staff](https://feeny.ai/job/chief-of-staff-crusoe-san-francisco-qrfygkwp3rwj) — San Francisco, CA / United States - [Senior Technical Sourcing Manager, Fiber](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-sourcing-manager-fiber-crusoe-bellevue-wyvbb6jrpc2m) — Bellevue, WA / United States - [Senior Asset Analyst, Supply Chain](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-asset-analyst-supply-chain-crusoe-denver-vc7357r6rbt7) — Denver, CO / United States - [Senior Asset Analyst, Supply Chain](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-asset-analyst-supply-chain-crusoe-san-francisco-hakbnyhhqfsv) — San Francisco, CA / United States - [Associate, Capital Markets](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-capital-markets-crusoe-san-francisco-fxjyaaymqs4r) — San Francisco, CA / United States - [Senior QA Engineer, Client Interfaces](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-qa-engineer-client-interfaces-crusoe-san-francisco-m5nzrby0g8r9) — San Francisco, CA / United States - [Senior Financial Analyst, Headcount & OpEx Planning](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-financial-analyst-headcount-opex-planning-crusoe-bellevue-bm7y7n3p3kej) — Bellevue, WA / United States - [Staff Quality Control (QC) Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-quality-control-qc-engineer-crusoe-childress-88wv4gkyhqw4) — Childress, TX / United States