Data Center Safety Engineer (Automation)

DATA CENTER SAFETY ENGINEER (AUTOMATION)

The Environmental Health and Safety team is seeking highly driven engineers to establish both human and system safety controls throughout the expansion of SpaceX's large-scale AI infrastructure and supercomputing facilities in the Memphis area. This role is critical in ensuring high-density critical infrastructure meets rigorous control reliability requirements enabling the safe rapid scaling of compute capacity to meet aggressive deployment timelines. The ideal candidate will have a comprehensive understanding of electrical system architecture, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and energy storage system architecture.

RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• Oversee electrical safety programs including arc-flash analysis, lockout/tagout (LOTO), and safe work practices on UPS, PDUs, switchgear, and generators
• Conduct regular risk assessments of power systems, cooling infrastructure, fire/smoke, energy storage, and human factors
• Perform Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), HAZOP studies, and other structured risk assessments for critical systems
• Ensure proper grounding, bonding, and power quality monitoring/telemetry to prevent equipment damage and personnel injury
• Validate automatic transfer switch (ATS) and generator failover procedures from a safety perspective
• Monitor and mitigate risks related to cooling failures, hot spots, thermal runaway, and extreme temperature/humidity conditions
• Establish safe operating limits and emergency response procedures for CRAC/CRAH, chillers, energy storage systems, and liquid cooling systems
• Develop, maintain, and regularly drill emergency response plans for power loss, cooling failure, fire, water events, and other critical incidents
• Ensure compliance with applicable codes and standards (NFPA, OSHA, IEC, local building/fire codes, Uptime Institute guidelines, ISO 45001, etc.)
• Oversee electrical safety programs including arc-flash analysis, lockout/tagout (LOTO), and safe work practices on UPS, PDUs, switchgear, and generators
• Conduct regular risk assessments of power systems, cooling infrastructure, fire/smoke, and human factors
• Ensure proper grounding, bonding, and power quality monitoring/telemetry to prevent equipment damage and personnel injury
• Validate automatic transfer switch (ATS) and generator failover procedures from a safety perspective
• Monitor and mitigate risks related to cooling failures, hot spots, thermal runaway and extreme temperature/humidity conditions
• Establish safe operating limits and emergency response procedures for CRAC/CRAH, chillers, energy storage and liquid cooling systems
• Develop, maintain, and regularly drill emergency response plans for power loss, cooling failure, fire, water events, and other critical incidents

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial/systems engineering, chemical engineering, fire protection engineering, or related field

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

• Experience with programming PLCs, IoT device administration, and scripting/coding for automation or data analysis
• Proficiency with PFMEA, root cause analysis, statistical process control, and structured problem-solving methodologies
• Experience with CAE / CFD tools (Ansys)
• CSP (Certified Safety Professional)
• PE (Professional Engineer) license
• CEM (Certified Energy Manager) or data-center-specific credentials
• NFPA-related certifications
• Hands-on experience in data centers, critical facilities, or mission-critical environments
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, enthusiasm for the mission of enabling multi-planetary life 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• This is not a remote or hybrid position and will require relocation if not already local to the Memphis, TN area
• Position occasionally requires the ability to travel and support other critical computing infrastructure