Liquid Cooling & Thermal Engineers
Design and deployment of direct-to-chip, immersion and hybrid cooling for high-density GPU clusters.
Liquid cooling recruitment · AI infrastructure
We help hyperscalers, GPU clouds, colocation providers, OEMs and cooling vendors hire the engineers who design, deploy and operate liquid-cooled infrastructure for AI.
Recruiting across direct-to-chip, single- and two-phase immersion, rear-door heat exchangers, CDUs and high-density commissioning.
$6.7T
data center investment needed worldwide by 2030 (McKinsey)
30x
growth in US AI data center power demand by 2035 (Deloitte)
100kW+
per rack: the densities air cooling can't handle
The market
GPU racks have moved past 100kW, and hyperscalers are committing to liquid-first builds. The bottleneck for AI capacity has shifted from silicon to thermal execution: getting heat off the chip, through the CDU and out of the building, reliably and at scale.
The engineers who have done that in live, mission-critical environments are a small group. Most are employed, most are busy, and very few are applying to job adverts. Finding them takes a specialist network and a technical conversation, which is what this desk exists to provide.
$6.7T
of global data center investment may be needed by 2030 to keep up with demand for compute.
Source: McKinsey & Company
4 → 123 GW
US AI data center power demand, 2024 to 2035. A more than 30x increase that makes liquid cooling operationally critical.
Source: Deloitte, 2025
The liquid cooling stack
Liquid cooling searches go wrong at the boundaries: between the cold plate and the CDU, or between design and commissioning. We scope the layer first, then find the person.
05
Thermal strategy, cooling systems architecture, heat rejection design and liquid-first standards for AI-native builds.
04
Direct-to-chip cold plates, manifolds, single- and two-phase immersion, dielectric fluids and rear-door heat exchangers.
03
Coolant distribution units, secondary fluid networks, pumps, leak detection, controls and BMS integration.
02
Chillers, dry coolers, cooling towers, water strategy, heat reuse and the mechanical plant that ties it together.
01
Construction, commissioning, thermal validation, field service, reliability and day-to-day critical operations.
Across every layer: CFD and thermal modelling, product and applications engineering, and the leaders who own delivery.
What we do
A thermal engineer for a direct-to-chip retrofit in a live hall is not the person to architect a greenfield immersion build. A commissioning manager for CDUs is not a CFD specialist. We start with the site, the cooling architecture and the programme, then work outwards.
Who exists for your specific cooling architecture, where they sit, what they're building and what would move them.
Passive engineers respond to a credible technical conversation about a serious programme. That's the whole approach.
Every candidate is assessed on what they've designed, deployed and kept running, and what they want next, before they reach you.
Three or four viable people, each with a written view of their strengths and trade-offs.
If a role isn't hirable as written, or the pay doesn't match the market, we say so at the start rather than six weeks in.
Disciplines
From field engineers to VPs of Thermal Strategy, across design, deployment and operations.
Design and deployment of direct-to-chip, immersion and hybrid cooling for high-density GPU clusters.
End-to-end thermal architecture for AI-native builds and liquid-cooled retrofits of air-cooled halls.
Computational fluid dynamics, heat transfer analysis, and rack- and room-level thermal simulation.
Specifying and integrating coolant distribution units at rack and row scale, with controls and monitoring.
Single- and two-phase immersion deployment, fluid chemistry and heat capture across dense GPU estates.
On-site commissioning, thermal validation and operational readiness for new builds and live retrofits.
Cold plate, CDU and immersion product development, and the applications engineers who take them to customers.
VPs of Thermal Strategy, Heads of Liquid Cooling, Directors of D2C and Immersion Programmes, Critical Facilities leaders.
For liquid cooling & thermal engineers
Most of the engineers we speak to aren't looking. They take the call because it's a real conversation about the work. Here's what you get when you work with us.
01
Thermal, CDU, immersion and commissioning roles with hyperscalers, GPU clouds and cooling innovators, many of them never advertised.
02
We talk about approach temperatures, CDU sizing and what went wrong at commissioning. Not keywords on a CV.
03
The programme, the team, the sites, travel expectations, pay and bonus, as clearly as we can get them, before your first interview.
04
We represent a small number of engineers and put them in front of the teams that fit. Nothing goes anywhere without your say-so.
05
Market context on pay, help weighing competing offers, and an honest answer if a role isn't right for you.
06
Your search stays private. We never share your details with a company without your permission.
Not looking right now? That's when the best conversations start.
Who we work with
From greenfield hyperscale campuses to complex retrofits in live, mission-critical facilities.
Liquid-first campuses and global programmes for AI training and inference capacity.
Fast-scaling operators deploying dense GPU clusters on aggressive timelines.
Retrofitting air-cooled halls and building AI-ready capacity for tenants.
Integrating cold plates, manifolds and liquid-ready rack designs.
CDU, immersion and direct-to-chip innovators building product and field teams.
Design, construction and commissioning partners delivering high-density builds.
Locations
Our core market is the US, where AI data center capacity is concentrating fast. We also support hiring across EMEA and APAC when a programme needs it.
The world's largest data center market, and a deep pool of critical facilities talent.
Large-scale AI campuses, power-rich sites and fast-growing build programmes.
Hyperscale growth where water strategy and heat rejection are front of mind.
One of the fastest-growing US markets for new AI capacity.
Established Midwest hubs with expanding high-density builds.
OEM, product and cooling technology talent close to the silicon.
Process
01
Thirty minutes on the site, the cooling architecture, the programme timeline and the gap in the team.
02
A clear view of the talent available for the role, and how your pay and seniority expectations sit against the market.
03
Personal outreach to the engineers who fit, built around your programme and technical challenge.
04
Structured interviews covering technical depth, live-site experience, motivation, travel, location and visa status.
05
Three to four candidates, with a written summary for each.
06
Process management, counter-offer handling and onboarding support through to start date.
Why us
A specialist desk across AI infrastructure, building a long-term map of the liquid cooling market rather than reacting to briefs.
We understand the difference between someone who has managed cooling infrastructure and someone who has scaled it.
Fewer candidates, better matched. We'd rather send three people and place one.
We work to your build schedule, energisation dates and commissioning windows.
Client reviews
"We have been extremely satisfied with the service. Their reliable and results-driven approach helped us secure top talent in a competitive market."
Director of Engineering · Data Center
"They presented candidates who were not only technically strong, but who had real experience running mission-critical facilities. The process was efficient, transparent, and aligned to our timeline."
VP of Data Center Operations · Colocation
"What stood out was their grasp of power, cooling, and uptime considerations. They weren't just reading job specs. The shortlist was on-point and fast."
Head of Critical Infrastructure · Hyperscaler
"They delivered senior-level candidates with the right mix of technical depth and leadership capability. Strong network, strong communication, strong results."
Director, Colocation Services · Colocation
"Their ability to differentiate between someone who has managed infrastructure and someone who has scaled it made the difference. The hire they helped us secure is already making an impact."
Global Data Center Engineering Lead · Enterprise / Private Cloud
"His deep understanding of our hiring needs and ability to translate those into action resulted in the successful onboarding of some of our most successful hires."
Sat Gainda · Top 100 IT Leader, AI / GenAI
Fees
Simple, published, agreed in writing before any work begins. Every placement carries a replacement guarantee.
25%
Of first-year base salary, payable on placement. Suited to roles where you want more market coverage alongside your own pipeline.
30%
Of first-year base salary. An exclusive, prioritised search with a committed timeline and a full market map. Suited to leadership, architecture and programme-critical roles.
FAQ
We map the market by cooling technology and role, and approach engineers directly with a technical conversation about your programme. Most strong liquid cooling engineers are employed and busy, so this is where the best hires come from.
They design, deploy and operate systems that remove heat from high-density compute using liquid rather than air. That includes direct-to-chip cold plates, immersion tanks, coolant distribution units, the secondary fluid network, and the commissioning and operation of all of it.
Direct-to-chip engineers work with cold plates, manifolds and CDUs that bring coolant to the processor. Immersion engineers work with tanks of dielectric fluid in single- or two-phase systems, including fluid chemistry and handling. The skills overlap, but the hands-on experience rarely transfers directly.
Our fees are 25% of first-year base salary on a contingency basis and 30% on a retained basis, with a replacement guarantee on every placement.
It depends on the discipline, seniority and location. Field and commissioning roles tied to a site can move quickly; architecture and leadership hires usually take longer. We'll give you a realistic timeline on the scoping call.
Yes. For many roles, strong mechanical and critical facilities engineers with some liquid exposure are the realistic pool. We'll tell you where that works and where you need proven liquid cooling experience.
Our core market is the US. We also support hiring across EMEA and APAC when a programme needs it.
Yes. We establish location, travel and visa requirements up front, and we're candid about how they affect your timeline.
Continuously. If you work in liquid cooling, thermal engineering or critical facilities, we're always happy to have a confidential conversation, whether or not you're actively looking.
Let's talk
Tell us what you're building and where the gap is. You'll get a clear read on the market, an honest view of whether the role is hirable as written, and a shortlist worth interviewing.
