One Seven Consulting Hiring! Full Time Mechanical Engineering Manager (Data Centre) in Johor - Ricebowl

We are partnering with a carrier-neutral data centre operator in a search for a Mechanical Engineering Manager (Data Centre) to serve as the on-site technical authority for mechanical and cooling infrastructure, reporting to the Director, Data Centre Operations, and safeguarding the reliability and efficiency of the facility. Based in Johor, Malaysia.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical standards and operational integrity of all on-site mechanical critical systems, including CRAC/CRAH precision cooling, chilled water plants, cooling towers, condenser water systems, HVAC, plumbing and fire suppression.
• Act as the on-site technical authority for the discipline, advising the DC Operations Manager, engineering teams and shift personnel on matters relating to critical infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain technical standards, SOPs, MOPs and EOPs, keeping procedures current and aligned with manufacturer recommendations and industry standards.
• Track cooling performance indicators such as chilled water temperatures, differential pressure, chiller efficiency (kW/RT), cooling tower approach and data hall conditions, and act promptly on any deviation.
• Drive Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) improvements through cooling efficiency upgrades, airflow management, containment optimisation, set-point tuning and waterside economisation.
• Oversee the mechanical preventive maintenance programme, covering chiller servicing and oil analysis, cooling tower cleaning and Legionella control, pump and valve maintenance, refrigerant management and fire suppression testing.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and incident investigations for cooling failures, temperature excursions and equipment faults, and give technical direction to shift engineers during major incidents and emergency response.
• Validate planned maintenance, critical works and change management proposals before execution, and act as primary technical reviewer of Permit to Work (PTW) documentation and MOPs for high-risk activities.
• Ensure compliance with Malaysian mechanical statutory requirements, including DOSH pressure vessel and refrigeration plant regulations, BOMBA fire suppression requirements, DOE refrigerant handling rules, and applicable MS IEC and UBBL standards.
• Support commissioning, acceptance testing and integrated systems testing (IST) for new infrastructure, upgrades and capacity expansions, ensuring technical handover documentation is complete and passed to operations.
• Collaborate with Design & Construction and project teams on expansions, retrofits and upgrades, contributing operational input to design reviews, constructability assessments and commissioning planning.
• Run the reliability engineering programme for the discipline, identifying recurring failure patterns, recommending design improvements and contributing to asset lifecycle planning and CAPEX proposals.
• Support internal and external technical audits and certification assessments (Uptime Institute, ISO 27001, ISO 50001), preparing technical responses and leading corrective action planning.
• Deliver technical training, knowledge-sharing and structured mentoring for shift lead engineers, technicians and M&E engineers, and support the development of internal competency frameworks.
• Evaluate new technologies and operational best practices, and present recommendations, incident post-mortems and reliability metrics to the Director, Data Centre Operations and senior leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Building Services Engineering or a related discipline. Relevant trade certifications in refrigeration and air conditioning are also considered.
• Minimum 10-15 years of experience in mechanical systems maintenance, operations and technical management within a data centre, district cooling plant, industrial facility or critical infrastructure environment, including at least 5 years at senior technical lead level.
• Deep specialist knowledge of data centre cooling systems, including chilled water plants, CRAC/CRAH units, cooling towers, in-row cooling, precision HVAC, and associated pumping and piping systems.
• Strong knowledge of chiller plant optimisation, refrigerant management, cooling tower water treatment, Legionella risk management, and HVAC commissioning and balancing.
• Familiarity with Malaysian statutory requirements for pressure vessels (DOSH), refrigeration plant licensing, BOMBA fire suppression and DOE refrigerant regulations.
• Hands-on experience with mechanical diagnostic tools such as vibration analysers, ultrasonic leak detectors, thermal imaging cameras and refrigerant analysers, and with CMMS platforms. Familiarity with BMS integration for mechanical monitoring and control.
• Solid understanding of hot aisle/cold aisle containment, airflow management and data centre thermal modelling. Experience with CFD analysis tools is an advantage.
• Strong knowledge of Uptime Institute Tier mechanical standards, ASHRAE TC9.9 thermal guidelines and cooling resilience design principles (N+1, 2N).
• Excellent written and verbal English. Proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia is advantageous.
• Industry certifications such as CDCP, CDCE, Uptime Institute Accredited Tier Specialist (ATS) or refrigeration/HVAC trade certifications are strongly preferred.