Mechanical Engineer / Mechanical Operations Subject Matter Expert (Data Centers)
Decima International is a professional services company, providing project management and controls services to clients in the United States and the Middle East. Our mission is to become the premier professional services provider across all industry sectors we are engaged in. To accomplish this, Decima International’s founders established a simple yet powerful formula:
Approach each client engagement as a partnership, create an environment that attracts the most talented professionals and allows them to flourish, and regulate growth to maintain excellence in our service standards.
We are seeking an experienced Mechanical Engineer / Mechanical Operations Subject Matter Expert (SME) to support mission-critical data center projects through design review, commissioning, operational readiness, and facility operations. This role requires strong knowledge of mechanical infrastructure supporting Tier III and Tier IV data centers, with the ability to evaluate operational risks, develop procedures, and support clients across the facility lifecycle.
The ideal candidate will have deep experience with critical mechanical systems, operational best practices, maintenance strategies, commissioning support, and critical environment procedures. This includes the development, review, and validation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs), and Methods of Procedure (MOPs).
Experience supporting hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, or mission-critical facilities in Saudi Arabia or the broader GCC region is highly desirable.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide technical expertise for critical mechanical systems, including chilled water plants, CRAH/CRAC systems, cooling towers, pumps, heat exchangers, direct and indirect evaporative cooling systems, HVAC equipment, fuel systems, and fire protection systems.
- Review mechanical designs for operability, maintainability, reliability, and alignment with client operational standards.
- Participate in design reviews, constructability reviews, commissioning readiness reviews, operational readiness assessments, project meetings, and technical workshops.
- Evaluate mechanical system performance, operational risk, maintenance access, redundancy, resilience, and reliability objectives.
- Develop and improve preventive maintenance strategies for critical mechanical infrastructure.
- Review maintenance procedures, operating practices, commissioning reports, test scripts, and operational acceptance documentation.
- Develop, review, edit, and approve SOPs, EOPs, and MOPs, ensuring alignment with client standards, applicable codes, safety requirements, and industry best practices.
- Conduct technical reviews of procedures for operational accuracy, safety, risk mitigation, and alignment with actual facility configurations.
- Facilitate procedure validation exercises, tabletop reviews, operational readiness workshops, and cross-functional technical reviews.
- Support change management and operational governance programs related to mechanical systems, maintenance activities, and facility operations.
- Verify that mechanical systems operate in accordance with design intent, approved sequences, client requirements, and operational reliability objectives.
- Prepare clear and technically accurate documentation, including engineering reports, risk assessments, operating procedures, technical evaluations, and review comments.
- Serve as a trusted technical advisor to clients and coordinate with engineering, commissioning, construction, contractor, project management, and operations teams.
- Support business development activities by providing mechanical technical expertise during client engagements, where required.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required qualifications:
- 10+ years of experience in mechanical engineering, mechanical operations, commissioning, mission-critical engineering, facility operations, or comparable technical environments.
- Minimum 5+ years of direct data center or critical facilities operations experience.
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
- Strong understanding of mechanical infrastructure supporting critical facilities and Tier III / Tier IV data centers.
- Demonstrated experience developing, reviewing, and validating SOPs, EOPs, and MOPs.
- Strong technical knowledge of chilled water plants, CRAH/CRAC systems, cooling towers, pumps, heat exchangers, evaporative cooling systems, HVAC equipment, fuel systems, and fire protection systems.
- Experience evaluating mechanical systems for operational risk, redundancy, resiliency, maintainability, reliability, and compliance with operational requirements.
- Ability to review mechanical designs, commissioning documentation, test procedures, maintenance practices, operating procedures, and technical reports.
- Working familiarity with mission-critical and data center standards, codes, and operational practices, including ASHRAE, NFPA, ISO, IEC, Uptime Institute Tier Standards, TIA-942, BICSI, local authority requirements, and applicable international building, mechanical, electrical, and fire codes.
- Ability to apply engineering standards to real-world data center design, commissioning, operations, maintenance, operational readiness, and emergency response.
- Strong understanding of change management, Permit-to-Work systems, Lockout/Tagout, risk assessments, incident response, root cause analysis, preventive maintenance, and continuous improvement.
- Excellent technical writing, documentation, communication, and presentation skills.
- Ability to work effectively with clients, contractors, commissioning authorities, facility operations teams, and multidisciplinary project teams.
- Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, organizational, and time management skills.
- Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Preferred qualifications:
- Direct experience supporting mission-critical facilities in Saudi Arabia or the broader GCC region.
- Experience supporting hyperscale data centers such as AWS, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, or similar environments.
- Experience with colocation providers such as QTS, Equinix, Digital Realty, Compass Datacenters, Vantage, Aligned, or similar operators.
- Minimum 5+ years of project or program management experience leading complex, multidisciplinary technical projects.
- Familiarity with Uptime Institute Tier Standards, ASHRAE guidance, and applicable NFPA standards.
- Professional Engineer (PE), Chartered Engineer status, or equivalent professional registration.
- Experience working with commissioning authorities, Owner’s Engineer teams, Owner’s Representative teams, or client-side technical advisors.
- Professional certifications related to data centers, mechanical systems, commissioning, operations, or project management are preferred.
POSITION DETAILS
- Location (On-site): Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Position: Mechanical Engineer / Mechanical Operations Subject Matter Expert (Data Centers)
- Position Classification: Project-Based
Please note: This position is part of our anticipated expansion in KSA. While we are excited about the opportunities this role will offer, the position is not currently active and is associated with the planned launch of our operations in the region. By applying, you acknowledge that this is a future opportunity and not an offer of immediate employment. We appreciate your interest and encourage you to express your intent to be considered once the role becomes available.
Decima International is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to the safety and well-being of all. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), age, medical condition, marital or domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression and transgender status, mental disability or physical disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, citizenship, low-income status or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable law.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related engineering discipline.
- Minimum 5 years of direct experience in mission-critical or data center environments.
- Experience in data center design, commissioning, facility operations, or mission-critical engineering.
- Strong understanding of mechanical infrastructure for critical facilities (cooling systems, HVAC, pumps, heat exchangers, fuel systems, fire protection).
- Demonstrated experience developing, reviewing, editing, or validating SOPs, EOPs, and MOPs.
- Working familiarity with data center standards, codes, and practices (ASHRAE, NFPA, ISO, IEC, Uptime Institute Tier Standards, TIA-942, BICSI, local authority requirements).
- Ability to interpret standards and apply them to design, commissioning, operations, maintenance, and emergency procedures.
- Understanding of critical environment operational practices (change management, permit-to-work, risk assessments, lockout/tagout, incident response, root cause analysis, preventive maintenance).
- Experience aligning SOPs, EOPs, and MOPs with client standards, regulatory requirements, and international best practices.
- Excellent technical writing, documentation, reporting, verbal communication, and presentation skills.
- Ability to work effectively with clients, contractors, consultants, commissioning teams, and multidisciplinary stakeholders.
- Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, mechanical troubleshooting, organization, time management, technical leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
- Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required.
- Direct experience supporting hyperscale data centers (AWS, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle) or similar environments.
- Experience supporting colocation providers (QTS, Equinix, Digital Realty, Compass, Vantage, Aligned) or similar operators.
- Direct experience supporting mission-critical facilities in Saudi Arabia or the GCC region.
- Professional Engineer license, Chartered Engineer status, or equivalent professional registration.
- Experience working with commissioning authorities, owner's engineering, or owner's representative teams.
- Experience supporting commissioning, quality assurance, operational readiness, facility operations, technical consulting, or client advisory programs in mission-critical environments.
What We Do
Decima International is a global professional services company specializing in project and construction management, providing integrated project management solutions, program governance, and advisory services worldwide.
