Nscale · 1 day ago
Senior Manager / Director, Utility Engineering
United States
Full-time
Remote
Senior Level, Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$150K/yr - $230K/yr
8+ years expNScale is a GPU cloud provider engineered for AI, focusing on delivering high-performance infrastructure for AI start-ups and enterprises. The Senior Manager / Director of Utility Engineering will lead utility strategy and execution for data centers, ensuring the optimization of critical utilities to support high-density AI workloads.
AI InfrastructureArtificial Intelligence (AI)GPUInformation TechnologyInternetTelecommunications
Responsibilities
Develop and own the long-term utility strategy (power, water, and related infrastructure) to support high-density AI / GPU data centers across existing and new regions
Evaluate and select sites based on grid capacity, reliability, renewable/low-carbon options, interconnection queues, and regulatory constraints
Build and maintain load forecasts based on AI / GPU growth scenarios and translate them into concrete utility capacity plans
Lead technical and commercial engagements with utilities, ISOs/RTOs, transmission owners, and large energy providers from early-stage site diligence through energization
Negotiate and manage interconnection agreements, service agreements, and tariffs in partnership with legal, regulatory, and energy procurement teams
Track and influence grid upgrade timelines and constraints that impact data center development schedules
Coordinate with municipal and regional water and sewer authorities, industrial park utilities, and private providers to secure adequate capacity for data center cooling and domestic uses
Support the development and review of water and sewer service agreements, connection requirements, and rate structures, escalating key commercial issues to internal stakeholders
Work with external design teams to ensure water and sewer demand profiles, peak usage, and discharge characteristics are aligned with local utility and regulatory constraints
Define technical requirements and design standards for utility interfaces to high-density GPU data centers (substations, transformers, switchgear, protection, metering, etc.)
Collaborate with internal and external design teams on one-line diagrams, protection schemes, redundancy strategies (N, N+1, 2N), and fault / reliability studies
Provide engineering leadership on integration of alternative or on-site energy sources (renewables, storage, generators, microgrids, etc.) to improve resilience and cost
Serve as the utility engineering owner for a set of data center development projects from due diligence through energization
Work closely with development, construction, and operations to align utility milestones with project schedules and capacity needs
Visit sites as needed to support commissioning, troubleshooting, and design clarifications in the field
Identify risks early (grid constraints, upgrade requirements, permitting, schedule slippage) and implement pragmatic mitigations
Ensure that utility designs meet or exceed reliability targets suitable for AI / GPU workloads with high power density and utilization
Partner with operations, reliability, and capacity planning to monitor actual performance versus design assumptions and close gaps
Continuously refine designs and standards to reduce losses, improve PUE / energy efficiency, and lower total cost of ownership
Lead internal and external partners, setting clear priorities and delivering against aggressive timelines
Act as the subject matter expert for utility and grid topics, educating internal stakeholders including executives, development, finance, and product teams
Communicate clearly with non-technical stakeholders about utility risks, trade-offs, and options
Contribute to overall infrastructure strategy, including how power availability, cost, and carbon intensity influence data center and AI capacity roadmaps
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, or related field
8–12+ years of experience in utility engineering, power systems, or grid-connected infrastructure, with significant exposure to large-scale data centers, industrial loads, or hyperscale cloud environments
Deep understanding of transmission and distribution systems, interconnection processes, protection and controls, and utility planning
Proven experience working directly with electric utilities, ISOs/RTOs, or transmission owners on high-capacity interconnections
Demonstrated success leading complex, multi-stakeholder projects from concept through energization, ideally across multiple regions or countries
Strong ability to interpret and produce electrical one-lines, protection schemes, and system studies (load flow, short-circuit, reliability)
Excellent communication skills, able to translate technical utility issues into clear business trade-offs and recommendations for non-engineers
Preferred
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, Energy Systems, or similar
Professional Engineer (PE) license or equivalent credential
Experience with high-density AI / GPU or HPC data centers, including unique power profiles and redundancy requirements
Familiarity with water systems and utilities
Familiarity with renewable energy integration, energy storage, microgrids, and low-carbon or sovereign energy strategies
Experience working in fast-paced growth environments or startups, where speed and execution are paramount
International experience dealing with utilities, regulators, and grid operators in multiple jurisdictions
Benefits
Medical
Dental
Vision
Flexible paid time off
Parental leave
Retirement plan participation
Company
Nscale
Nscale provides a full-stack AI cloud platform designed for enterprise-scale workloads.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$1.72BKey Investors
AkerSandton Capital Partners
2025-10-01Series C· $433M
2025-09-25Series B· $1.1B
2024-12-09Series A· $155.54M
Leadership Team
Josh Payne
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Karl Havard
Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)
Recent News
2026-01-22
2026-01-22
2026-01-21
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