Data Center Standards Architect (AI)

TL;DR

Data Center Standards Architect (AI Infrastructure): Designing the standards, systems, and processes to scale data center infrastructure with an accent on high-density AI and GPU environments. Focus on creating repeatable reference architectures and developing the engineering "operating system" for infrastructure scale.

Location: Hybrid (San Francisco, CA). Must be present in the office 4 days per week

Salary: $443,000 – $517,000

Company

Lambda is a leader in AI cloud infrastructure, providing superintelligence compute power to researchers and enterprises.

What you will do

• Define and own engineering standards for high-density AI and GPU infrastructure environments.
• Create repeatable reference architectures, technical specifications, and deployment standards to improve build quality and consistency.
• Develop the engineering "operating system" for scale, including standards libraries, design review processes, and quality gates.
• Establish technical standards for power distribution, liquid cooling, rack integration, and fiber management.
• Lead cross-functional architecture reviews for new data center designs, expansions, and retrofits.
• Mentor engineers and technical leaders to raise the bar for systems thinking and operational excellence.

Requirements

• Experience as a staff, principal, or director-level leader in data center, cloud, or hardware infrastructure engineering.
• Proven track record of designing and scaling standards and governance systems across complex engineering organizations.
• Deep familiarity with DC power, cooling, rack layouts, cabling, and lifecycle management.
• Ability to influence without authority across engineering, operations, supply chain, and executive stakeholders.
• Strong systems-thinking mindset with the ability to turn ambiguous problems into scalable mechanisms.
• Must be based in San Francisco and able to work from the office 4 days per week.

Nice to have

• Experience with AI, ML, GPU, HPC, or hyperscale cloud infrastructure.
• Expertise in liquid cooling and advanced thermal management for high-density compute.
• Familiarity with DCIM, BMS, EPMS, or infrastructure observability platforms.
• Background in Electrical, Mechanical, or Systems Engineering.
• Experience working with global data center portfolios and colocation providers.

Culture & Benefits

• Generous cash and equity compensation packages.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents.
• 401k plan with 2% company match for USA employees.
• Flexible paid time off policy and wellness/commuter stipends.