Data Center Design Engineer

About Us At Cloudflare, we are on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks that powers millions of websites and other Internet properties for customers ranging from individual bloggers to SMBs to Fortune 500 companies. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare all have web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Company Cultures list and ranked among the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company. At Cloudflare, we’re not looking for people who wait for a polished roadmap; we’re looking for the builders who see the cracks in the Internet that everyone else has simply learned to live with. We value candidates who have the instinct to spot a "normalized" problem and the AI-native curiosity to create a solution using the latest tools. Our culture is built on iteration, leveraging AI to ship faster today to make it better tomorrow, while ensuring that every improvement, no matter how small, is shared across the team to lift everyone up. If you’re the type of person who values curiosity over bureaucracy, and that AI is a partner in solving tough problems to keep the Internet moving forward, you’ll fit right in. Location: Austin, TX About the Role We are seeking a Data Center Design Engineer to design Cloudflare’s pending and future infrastructure deployments for generational improvement in cost, quality, and speed of deployment. In this role, you will lead electrical design and end-to-end execution for new sites, expansions, and infrastructure upgrades supporting compute, storage, and high-density liquid-cooled GPU deployments. We are looking for someone who excels at progressing many projects in parallel, managing dynamic day-to-day priorities with many stakeholders, and serving as Cloudflare's owner's representative to refine data center design best practices in a high-growth environment. Getting stuff done is a must! The Data Center Strategy team is part of Cloudflare’s global Infrastructure (INF) team. The INF team grows and manages Cloudflare’s global data center/PoP footprint, enabling Cloudflare’s tremendous growth with compute, network, and data center infrastructure, utilizing an extensive range of global partner vendors. What you'll do: Translate data center capacity requirements into actionable white space design and/or rack plans within individual data center contract constraints for power, coolingManage implementation phase of cage projects with data center providersDesign low voltage structured cabling, fiber, cross-connect & conveyance infrastructure as well as any supporting infrastructure on the data center ceiling/floorWork with supply chain team on rack integration plans and location deployment qualification • Work cross-functionally with Cloudflare data center engineering team and other internal teams (capacity planning, network strategy, security) to verify scope and solution and create repeatable standard installation procedures • Take ownership of and lead projects to design and implement data center expansions or new data centers on tight deadlines with minimal oversight • Technical support in negotiations with external data center partners • Assist in RFP preparation, review and cost/engineering analysis • Review one-line diagrams and cooling equations for new and existing data centers (Data Center M&E) • Power component (PDU) review/approval for Hardware sourcing team • Implement, document and maintain power consumption tracking tools and fulfil ad-hoc reporting requests • Research new and innovative power efficiency technologies and programs • Travel up to 25% to perform infrastructure audits, validate data center construction work and buildouts, and participate in commercial processes. • Develop and execute modular and prefabricated data center construction strategies to accelerate time-to-market and optimize cost efficiency • Perform electrical short-circuit, coordination, arc flash, and load flow engineering studies to ensure system reliability and compliance • Other duties as assigned • Partner with Hardware Sourcing and SRE/Infrastructure teams to validate PDU specifications, rack integration plans, and power distribution topologies across global PoP footprints • Lead electrical design and end-to-end execution for new sites, expansions, and infrastructure upgrades from site qualification and basis of design through energization, commissioning, and operational handover • Serve as Cloudflare's electrical owner's representative, defining design criteria, scopes, deliverables, responsibility matrices, review gates, and acceptance requirements for data center operators, consulting engineers, contractors, commissioning agents, utilities, and vendors • Design and review utility-to-rack infrastructure, including utility service, transformers, switchgear, generators, UPS systems, transfer systems, modular and prefabricated electrical assemblies, busway, feeders, whips, rack PDUs, grounding, and metering • Define electrical interfaces and auxiliary-load requirements for direct-to-chip liquid cooling, coolant distribution units (CDUs), pumps, controls, leak detection, facility water systems, and heat-rejection equipment • Develop and review basis-of-design documents, single-line diagrams, specifications, equipment schedules, calculations, sequences of operation, and interface control documents • Oversee technical acceptance of FAT, SAT, Level 1–5 staged commissioning, integrated systems testing, failure-mode testing, deficiency closure, and turnover documentation • Define EPMS, metering, telemetry, and capacity-tracking requirement