Staff Engineer, Data Center

Company Description LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network, built to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. Our products help people make powerful connections, discover exciting opportunities, build necessary skills, and gain valuable insights every day. We're also committed to providing transformational opportunities for our own employees by investing in their growth. We aspire to create a culture that's built on trust, care, inclusion, and fun – where everyone can succeed. Join us to transform the way the world works. Job Description This role will be based in Hillsboro, OR. At LinkedIn, our approach to flexible work is centered on trust and optimized for culture, connection, clarity, and the evolving needs of our business. The work location of this role is hybrid, meaning it will be performed both from home and from a LinkedIn office on select days, as determined by the business needs of the team. This role focuses on Field Engineering and owner-side Infrastructure Delivery, ensuring data center infrastructure is planned, built, validated, commissioned, and transitioned into reliable production operation. The scope includes mechanical, electrical, cooling, liquid cooling, controls, low-voltage, and white space systems supporting high-density compute environments. You will provide both Construction Management (CM) oversight and Field Engineering (FE) leadership across system-level execution and physical infrastructure deployment activities in active construction and operational settings. This position spans the full infrastructure lifecycle, including planning, construction execution, commissioning, turnover, and operational support for data center capacity. Success in this role requires the ability to balance technical requirements, field conditions, schedule, cost, safety, quality, and long-term operational reliability. Responsibilities: Serve as the field engineering lead for data center infrastructure systems, ensuring technical validation, commissioning readiness, and operational performance. Own technical oversight of infrastructure system performance and integrity across mechanical, electrical, cooling, liquid cooling, and white space systems. Review engineering drawings, specifications, and submittals to identify system risks, constructability issues, and integration gaps. Provide field technical leadership for liquid cooling systems, including CDU operation, coolant distribution performance, controls integration, leak detection diagnostics, startup validation, troubleshooting, and optimization. Validate field conditions and ensure installed systems meet design intent, technical standards, and operational requirements. Lead commissioning activities including startup, integrated systems testing, and operational readiness validation. Investigate field issues, installation conflicts, equipment deficiencies, and design discrepancies, driving timely resolution and corrective actions. Perform root cause analysis and resolution of infrastructure performance issues across mechanical, electrical, and cooling systems. Partner with operations teams to support system reliability, optimization, and post-turnover performance improvement. Lead owner-side execution of data center infrastructure delivery, including white space buildouts, retrofits, capacity expansions, and infrastructure upgrades. Drive field execution of data center infrastructure deployments, ensuring mechanical, electrical, cooling, liquid cooling, networking, and supporting infrastructure systems are installed, integrated, and delivered in accordance with design and operational requirements. Work directly with contractors, subcontractors, vendors, landlords, and commissioning teams to ensure successful infrastructure delivery. Drive field execution planning, including sequencing, logistics coordination, constraints management, and installation readiness. Monitor construction progress, schedule performance, field risks, and installation quality; drive resolution of execution issues as needed. Support procurement and execution activities including scope definition, technical vendor evaluations, and bid reviews. Conduct site walks and field reviews to ensure alignment with design intent, safety requirements, and delivery objectives. Own punch-list closure, turnover documentation, as-built validation, and readiness for operational handoff. Qualifications Basic Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, Civil Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience. 8+ years of experience in field engineering, data center infrastructure delivery, commissioning, construction execution, or related infrastructure roles. Experience supporting installation, commissioning, and operational readiness of critical infrastructure systems in mission-critical environments. Experience with data center mechanical, electrical, cooling, and white space infrastructure systems. Experience supporting infrastructure deployment activities, including fit-outs, capacity expansions, retrofits, or infrastructure upgrades. Experience with liquid cooling systems or high-density compute environments (GPU/AI infrastructure preferred). Experience working in live or active data center environments during infrastructure deployment and operational activities. Ability to read and interpret engineering and construction documentation, including drawings, specifications, RFIs, submittals, schedules, and change documentation. Experience collaborating with engineering, operations, contractors, vendors, commissioning agents, and landlords. Experience with field troubleshooting, technical problem-solving, and issue-resolution skills. Ability to travel to project sites as required. Preferred Qualifications: Experience in AI infrastructure, hyperscale data centers, or other high-density compute environments. Experience with liquid cooling systems, including CDU integration, coolant distribution networks, thermal management, and cooling performance optimization. Experience supporting integrated systems testing, commissioning, startup, and operational handoff of critical infrastructure systems. Familiarity with data center infrastructure including servers, GPUs, racks, structured cabling, fiber networks, network infrastructure, and MMR/POP environments. Experience operating across both field engineering and construction execution responsibilities within mission-critical facilities. Experience working in live operational data center environments while supporting infrastructure deployment, upgrades, or expansions. Suggested Skills: Owner-side accountability Construction leadership Data center infrastructure knowledge Liquid cooling awareness White space fit-out experience Additional Information LinkedIn is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range for this role is $133,000 to $216,000. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, certifications, and specific work location. This may be different in other locations due to differences in the cost of labor. The total compensation package for this position may also include annual performance bonus, stock, benefits and/or other applicable incentive compensation plans. For more information, visit https://careers.linkedin.com/benefits. Equal Opportunity Statement We seek candidates with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. LinkedIn considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class. LinkedIn is committed to offering an inclusive and accessible experience for all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. Our goal is to foster an inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone has the opportunity to be successful. If you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening, apply for a position, or participate in the interview process, connect with us at accommodations@linkedin.com and describe the specific accommodation requested for a disability-related limitation. Reasonable accommodations are modifications or adjustments to the application or hiring process that would enable you to fully participate in that process. Examples of reasonable accommodations include but are not limited to: Documents in alternate formats or read aloud to you Having interviews in an accessible location Being accompanied by a service dog Having a sign language interpreter present for the interview A request for an accommodation will be responded to within three business days. However, non-disability related requests, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response. 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Global Data Privacy Notice for Job Candidates ​ Please follow this link to access the document that provides transparency around the way in which LinkedIn handles personal data of employees and job applicants: https://legal.linkedin.com/candidate-portal. Equal Opportunity Statement We seek candidates with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. LinkedIn considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class. LinkedIn is committed to offering an inclusive and accessible experience for all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. Our goal is to foster an inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone has the opportunity to be successful. If you need a Reasonable Accommodation to search for a job opening, apply for a position, or participate in the interview process, connect with us and describe the specific Accommodation requested for a disability-related limitation. Fill out an Accommodation request here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/b660a0327d044969abfd7a4e73d15c36 Reasonable accommodations are modifications or adjustments to the application or hiring process that would enable you to fully participate in that process. Examples of reasonable accommodations include but are not limited to: Documents in alternate formats or read aloud to you Having interviews in an accessible location Being accompanied by a service dog Having a sign language interpreter present for the interview A request for an accommodation will be responded to within three business days. However, non-disability related requests, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response. LinkedIn will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by LinkedIn, or (c) consistent with LinkedIn's legal duty to furnish information. Pay Transparency Policy Statement ​ As a federal contractor, LinkedIn follows the Pay Transparency and non-discrimination provisions described at this link: https://lnkd.in/paytransparency. Global Data Privacy Notice for Job Candidates ​ Please follow this link to access the document that provides transparency around the way in which LinkedIn handles personal data of employees and job applicants: https://legal.linkedin.com/candidate-portal. Equal Opportunity Statement We seek candidates with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. LinkedIn considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class. LinkedIn is committed to offering an inclusive and accessible experience for all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. Our goal is to foster an inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone has the opportunity to be successful. If you need a Reasonable Accommodation to search for a job opening, apply for a position, or participate in the interview process, connect with us and describe the specific Accommodation requested for a disability-related limitation. Fill out an Accommodation request here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/b660a0327d044969abfd7a4e73d15c36 Reasonable accommodations are modifications or adjustments to the application or hiring process that would enable you to fully participate in that process. Examples of reasonable accommodations include but are not limited to: Documents in alternate formats or read aloud to you Having interviews in an accessible location Being accompanied by a service dog Having a sign language interpreter present for the interview A request for an accommodation will be responded to within three business days. However, non-disability related requests, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response. LinkedIn will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by LinkedIn, or (c) consistent with LinkedIn's legal duty to furnish information. San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance ​ Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, LinkedIn will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Pay Transparency Policy Statement ​ As a federal contractor, LinkedIn follows the Pay Transparency and non-discrimination provisions described at this link: https://lnkd.in/paytransparency. Global Data Privacy Notice and Compliance Posters for Job Candidates Please use this link to access documents that provide information about how LinkedIn handles the personal data of employees and job applicants, as well as the E-Verify Participation Notice and the Department of Justice Immigrant and Employee Rights Section Right to Work posters: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/candidate-portal.