MISSION

The Principal Architect – Mechanical/cooling is the discipline authority for cooling and thermal systems across all presales engagements. This role owns cooling standards, reference architectures, and capability development for the zone. The PA-Mechanical manages a pool of 8–12 SAM specialists, allocates their time between account work (70%) and standards/innovation work (30%), and ensures technical quality across all cooling designs submitted in bids. The role is accountable for cooling solution excellence, standards enforcement, specialist development, and the continuous evolution of cooling capabilities in response to market innovation (especially AI DC thermal management).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Discipline Standards & Architecture

• Define and maintain cooling reference architectures for all datacenter segments and technologies

• Set Tier 1 non-negotiable standards: ASHRAE compliance, safety, environmental controls

• Define Tier 2 efficiency standards: PUE contribution from cooling, WUE targets, free-cooling strategies

• Review all qualifying bids for cooling scope: quality gate approval/rework authority

• Document standards exceptions and manage deviation approvals

• Evolve standards based on market feedback and emerging technologies: AI DC, immersion cooling, liquid cooling innovation

SAM Pool Management & Resource Allocation

• Manage 8–12 SAM specialists: hiring, performance management, development, retention

• Allocate SAM time: protect 30% for standards/innovation; manage account requests beyond 70%

• Approve/deny staffing requests from SSAs based on capacity and priorities

• Track capacity and forecast for bid planning

• Manage SAM performance and development

Cooling Capability & Innovation

• Lead SAM 30% standards time: new cooling architectures, liquid cooling playbooks, AI DC thermal design patterns

• Drive cooling capability roadmap: what new technologies/products should we develop (immersion, 2-phase, high-temp cooling)

• Evaluate and qualify OG cooling products: CDU partners, immersion platforms, next-gen chillers

• Build standardized cooling modules: primary plant configs, chilled water distribution patterns, CDU sizing playbooks

• Track AI DC thermal innovation: GPU cluster cooling requirements, warm water interfaces, immersion feasibility

• Lead SAM community: knowledge sharing, mentoring, innovation forums

Quality Assurance & Governance

• Review all submitted bid designs for cooling scope: first-pass quality gate

• Issue rework notices for designs not meeting standards

• Escalate ASHRAE/compliance violations to Technical Sales, Offers & Solutions Leader

• Participate in Technical Architecture Council: advise on cooling trade-offs, constraints, integration points

• Advise Technical Sales, Offers & Solutions Leader on standards exceptions and overrides

• Track override log: identify trends and update standards/messaging

Strategic & Market Leadership

• Engage with strategic accounts: technical relationships with hyperscaler cooling engineering teams

• Competitive intelligence: track competitor cooling architectures, inform strategy

• Collaborate with Product Management and cooling OG partners: align portfolio with market needs

• Technical representation: industry events, standards bodies, customer advisory boards

BE/Btech/MBA