ABOUT xAI
xAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. All employees are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.
ABOUT THE ROLE:
We are seeking an exceptional Sr. Manager, Engineering to lead physical infrastructure engineering for xAI’s hyperscale AI compute facilities. This role will oversee the design, development, and optimization of critical systems including structural, civil, architectural, controls, electrical, mechanical, HVAC, liquid cooling, power distribution, fiber optic networks, and related infrastructure that power our rapidly expanding supercomputing clusters.
You will build and lead a world-class multidisciplinary engineering team while driving technical strategy for new builds, expansions, and continuous improvement of mission-critical facilities. This high-impact position requires deep expertise in data center or industrial-scale infrastructure, a bias for rapid execution, and the ability to deliver reliable, high-density, energy-efficient systems at unprecedented scale. This is a full-time, primarily onsite role with significant travel to project sites and vendor locations.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead the end-to-end engineering of physical infrastructure for xAI data centers and compute facilities, including structural and civil engineering (foundations, seismic design, site development, underground utilities), architectural engineering (facility layout, aesthetics, code compliance, and buildability), electrical systems (high-voltage, switchgear, UPS, generators, redundancy topologies), mechanical systems (HVAC, liquid cooling, chillers, CRAC/CRAH), controls & automation (BMS, SCADA, PLCs, monitoring), and high-capacity fiber optic networks (backbone, interconnects, and data hall connectivity).
- Build, mentor, and grow a high-performing multidisciplinary engineering team covering structural, civil, architectural, controls, electrical, mechanical, fiber infrastructure, and related disciplines.
- Develop and own technical standards, design guidelines, and best practices for power density, thermal management, structural integrity, seismic resilience, fiber performance and redundancy, uptime (targeting 99.999%+), efficiency (PUE/WUE optimization), and scalability to support massive GPU/accelerator clusters.
- Partner closely with construction, operations, procurement, and AI hardware teams to ensure seamless integration from design through commissioning, startup, and handover.
- Drive innovation in areas such as advanced liquid cooling, high-efficiency power delivery, intelligent controls, sustainable materials and design, optimized facility layouts, and high-bandwidth, low-latency fiber infrastructure to meet the extreme demands of next-generation AI training.
- Manage engineering budgets, schedules, risk assessments, and vendor relationships (OEMs, EPC firms, consultants, fiber providers) while maintaining aggressive timelines in a fast-paced environment.
- Enforce rigorous safety, quality, compliance, and reliability standards, including seismic design, structural integrity, redundancy requirements (N+1, 2N, etc.), architectural code compliance, fiber network resilience, and regulatory adherence.
- Provide technical leadership and regular updates to senior leadership on infrastructure roadmaps, performance metrics, lessons learned, and strategic recommendations.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
- 7+ years of engineering experience.
- 2+ years in a direct people leadership role leading a team of engineers, contractors, technician or other support staff.
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- 7+ years of experience in physical infrastructure engineering for data centers, hyperscaler facilities, power plants, or other industrial projects.
- Deep expertise across multiple disciplines: structural and civil engineering, architectural engineering, electrical (power distribution, substations, backup systems), mechanical (cooling, HVAC, fluid systems), controls/automation, and fiber optic infrastructure for mission-critical environments.
- Experience leading the design and delivery of high-density compute infrastructure supporting AI, HPC, or similar workloads at massive scale, including robust fiber networking.
- Strong track record of building and leading technical teams, delivering complex projects on aggressive schedules and budgets, and solving ambiguous, high-stakes engineering challenges.
- Hands-on experience with relevant tools and standards (e.g., AutoCAD, Revit, ETAP, BIM, structural analysis software, fiber design tools, ASHRAE, IEEE, NFPA, IBC, Uptime Institute Tier standards, TIA-942).
- Ability to thrive in a high-velocity, high-ambiguity environment with a hands-on, continuous improvement mindset and exceptional problem-solving skills.
- Experience with liquid cooling systems, high-voltage power infrastructure for GPU clusters, advanced controls/BMS, large-scale structural/civil/architectural design, or high-capacity fiber networks for AI data centers.
- Background supporting hyperscalers, large AI training clusters, or similar power- and cooling-intensive environments with extensive fiber interconnects.
- Familiarity with fast-track design-build approaches, value engineering, sustainability practices, and integrated structural/architectural/fiber solutions in critical infrastructure.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license.
- Experience managing multimillion-dollar engineering scopes and cross-functional stakeholder alignment.
- Ability to work in industrial/data center environments and lead teams under pressure during phases.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- This role is primarily onsite at key project Memphis area locations and will require relocation if not local to the area.
- Must be willing to travel to other sites and/or visit vendors (up to 15%).
- Must be willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed.
xAI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our Recruitment Privacy Notice.