Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Switch is hiring a Principal Engineer (Analytics) to set technical direction and standards for engineering analytics, data, and AI platforms supporting its data center infrastructure. The role develops and governs analytical models and data systems, translating infrastructure performance into insights that guide reliability, capacity, efficiency, maintenance, and lifecycle decisions.
Responsibilities
- Set the technical direction, target-state architecture, roadmap, and engineering standards for Switch’s engineering analytics, data, and AI platforms
- Lead build-versus-buy evaluations and provide defensible technical and financial recommendations for analytical technologies and platforms
- Establish enterprise data architecture, models, schemas, and ETL/ELT patterns on the Switch Data Platform, including Starburst
- Ensure pipelines integrating controls, CMMS, Finance, and other enterprise data sources are scalable, governed, reusable, and appropriate for production use
- Architect and validate first-principles and data-driven engineering models for power, water, and cooling infrastructure
- Develop and establish standards for energy balance, thermodynamic, forecasting, reliability, and other engineering and statistical models
- Establish model validation, versioning, uncertainty, and documentation standards so analytical outputs are defensible for Engineering, Finance, Procurement, Operations, and executive decision-making
- Define data-quality standards, monitoring requirements, and remediation processes across engineering analytics systems
- Identify telemetry, instrumentation, and points-list gaps and partner with Controls and Operations to improve data fidelity
- Set technical direction for machine learning, generative AI, and agentic capabilities supporting diagnostics, predictive maintenance, engineering analysis, and workflow automation
- Evaluate emerging AI technologies and determine where they can be applied safely and effectively to engineering and operational problems
- Establish governance for AI-assisted development, model risk, approved tooling, and production use
- Set standards for production readiness, observability, access control, security, scalability, and data protection across analytics systems and applications
- Own technical risk for business-critical analytical models, pipelines, and engineering data products
- Lead architecture, design, and code reviews for complex analytics and data engineering solutions
- Serve as an escalation point for the organization’s most complex engineering analytics, data, and modeling problems
- Mentor engineers, analysts, and other technical contributors and strengthen engineering practices across the team
- Partner with Operations, Reliability, Controls, Commissioning, Construction, Design, Finance, and IT leadership to align analytics priorities with business and infrastructure needs
- Translate complex engineering and analytical findings into clear recommendations for technical, business, and executive audiences
- Use engineering analytics to support capacity planning, infrastructure reliability, energy and water efficiency, lifecycle planning, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement
- Provide technical and analytical guidance that informs infrastructure design, capital planning, procurement, operational practices, and executive decisions
Skills
- You establish technical direction and standards for complex engineering and analytical systems
- You combine deep infrastructure engineering knowledge with expertise in data engineering, statistical analysis, modeling, and AI
- You solve ambiguous problems that span multiple technical systems, functions, and business priorities
- You use first-principles engineering, statistical methods, and operational data to develop defensible conclusions
- You understand the limitations and uncertainty in analytical models and communicate those limitations clearly when decisions depend on them
- You translate complex technical findings into clear business implications and recommendations
- You influence engineering and business decisions through technical expertise and credibility rather than formal authority
- You establish reusable architectures and standards rather than solving the same problem independently for each project
- You identify systemic data, telemetry, modeling, or infrastructure issues and drive improvements across teams
- You evaluate emerging technologies based on practical engineering value, risk, scalability, and business impact
- You mentor technical talent and raise engineering practices across the organization
- You remain effective when information is incomplete, requirements are evolving, or decisions carry significant operational or business impact
- Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or an equivalent math-intensive discipline
- 10+ years of combined experience across engineering, data science, data engineering, or closely related technical disciplines
- 5+ years of experience supporting critical infrastructure or data center operations
- 5+ years of experience in data science, data engineering, engineering analytics, or a comparable analytical role
- 3+ years in a senior or lead technical role with responsibility for architecture, technical direction, or engineering standards
- Expert understanding of electrical and mechanical systems used in data center environments, including electrical feeders, transformers, generators, switchgear, UPS systems, power systems, ATS/STS units, PDU units, air handling units, cooling towers, pumping systems, and fire suppression systems
- Understanding of how critical electrical and mechanical systems interact during normal, degraded, and failure conditions
- Ability to interpret P&IDs, wiring diagrams, schematics, sequences of operation, submittals, and MEP drawing packages
- Expert knowledge of data engineering, statistical methods, and engineering modeling
- Strong understanding of thermodynamics, heat transfer, time-series forecasting, and related engineering analytical methods
- Demonstrated experience architecting and delivering complex, multi-system data and analytics platforms in production
- Advanced proficiency with Python and SQL
- Experience with distributed query engines such as Starburst/Trino
- Experience with data pipeline orchestration, version control, and cloud computing platforms
- Experience with machine-learning frameworks and AI/LLM application development tools
- Demonstrated experience establishing technical strategy and advising senior leadership
- Ability to resolve ambiguous, cross-functional technical problems and drive them to measurable outcomes
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to translate technical analysis into business impact
- Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or another relevant quantitative discipline
- Professional Engineer (PE) license
- Experience establishing enterprise data architecture or engineering analytics standards
- Experience developing first-principles and data-driven models for mission-critical infrastructure
- Experience supporting utility resourcing, power procurement, capacity planning, PUE/WUE analysis, reliability programs, condition-based maintenance, or infrastructure lifecycle planning
- Experience developing or governing generative AI, machine-learning, or agentic solutions in production environments
- Experience establishing model validation, model risk, data governance, or AI governance practices
- Experience providing technical leadership across geographically distributed data center or critical infrastructure environments
Benefits
- A supportive and forward-thinking culture of karma.
- Work with advanced data center technology and participate in emerging technology development.
- In-office, hybrid, or fully remote work options, with technology and support to keep teams connected and productive.
- Career stability, growth opportunities, and advancement in a stable, growing company.
- Comprehensive benefits coverage for you and your family that can be tailored to fit your personal needs.
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