Lead Cooling Engineer

Overall Job Purpose

You will be working in a growing R&D Development team in the Centre of Excellence Cooling Division for USystems, developing innovative cooling technologies for the ever-expanding datacentre industry.

The Lead Cooling Engineer will be responsible for leading the thermal and fluid flow engineering activities associated with the development of new cooling products, supporting the Principal Cooling Engineer in delivering innovative and commercially viable solutions.

The role will focus on the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), thermal analysis, laboratory testing and validation to support the design and development of rear door heat exchangers (RDHx), coolant distribution units (CDUs), liquid cooling systems and associated cooling technologies.

The successful candidate will combine strong theoretical engineering knowledge with practical product development experience to deliver robust, manufacturable and compliant cooling solutions.

• Contribute to the USystems mission of developing innovative, technology-focused cooling product designs.
• Lead CFD modelling and simulation activities to support new product development and product optimisation.
• Research, evaluate and implement new cooling technologies and methodologies.
• Support the design, test and conformity process to ensure products meet performance, quality and compliance requirements.
• Develop and maintain thermal, hydraulic and fluid flow simulation models.
• Correlate simulation results with laboratory testing to improve product performance and modelling accuracy.
• Provide cooling engineering expertise throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Support the continuous development of modelling capabilities, design tools and engineering best practices within the R&D team.
• Promote the company's professionalism, technical excellence and ethical standards.

Key Duties

• Research, aid in the design, develop and validate new cooling products.
• Lead CFD analysis of heat exchangers, liquid cooling systems and airflow management solutions.
• Develop CFD models to analyse: Airflow distribution, Pressure drop, Heat transfer performance, Liquid flow characteristics, Thermal efficiency, System optimisation.
• Support the specification and development of next-generation cooling products, taking account of marketing and customer requirements.
• Produce and maintain technical files to meet the requirements of UK Regulations and EU Directives.
• Follow design and development procedures as required by ISO9001 and Legrand's ECO Design Policy.
• Generate engineering reports, technical specifications and supporting documentation.
• Abide by and actively promote the Legrand Group Values and Code of Ethics

Key Skills Required

• Proven experience as a Mechanical, Thermal or Cooling Engineer.
• Strong understanding of: Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, Fluid Dynamics, Thermal Management Systems, Heat Exchanger Design, Liquid Cooling Technologies
• Extensive experience using CFD software packages. Ansys is the CFD tool of choice for Legrand/USystems.
• Ability to interpret and analyse complex engineering and test data.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Ability to communicate technical information effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Excellent report writing and documentation skills.
• Ability to plan and manage multiple engineering activities simultaneously.
• Degree qualified in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline (BEng, MEng, MSc or equivalent).

Experience/Desirable

• Product design and development experience within cooling, HVAC or datacentre industries.
• Significant experience in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling.
• Experience modelling heat exchangers and liquid cooling systems.
• Experience developing Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs).
• Experience developing Rear Door Heat Exchangers (RDHx).
• Experience in thermal and hydraulic testing and validation.
• Experience correlating physical test results with simulation data.
• Experience with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems.
• Experience in Product Life Cycle Analysis.
• Knowledge of UKCA, CE and international product compliance requirements.
• Experience supporting New Product Development (NPD) programmes from concept through to production.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and supporting technical development within engineering teams.
• Competent with Microsoft Office; Solidworks CAD packages, familiarity with PDM systems (windchill) and Smartsheets beneficial.