Principal Technologist, Data Centers & Advance Cooling

We’re Watts. Together, we’re reimagining the future of water.

We feel proud every day about what we do. We're all part of the same crucial mission, no matter what function we support -- it's to provide safe, clean water for the world, and to protect our planet's most valuable resource.

What we do:

For 150 years, Watts has built best-in-class products that are trusted by customers in residential and commercial settings across the world. We are at the forefront of innovation, working with cutting-edge technology to provide smart and connected, sustainable water solutions for the future. Watts is a leading brand with a quality reputation — and we have a dynamic future ahead.​

Scope of Position:

Watts Water Technologies is seeking a visionary, technically accomplished, and market-savvy leader to serve as Principal Technologist, Data Centers & Advanced Cooling Solutions. This senior-level role is ideal for an individual with deep expertise in the data center industry, particularly in direct-to-chip liquid cooling technologies, and a strong understanding of the Data Center community and their requirements to drive collaborative ecosystems.

As Principal Technologist, you will lead Watts’ strategic engagement with the emerging Open Compute Project (OCP) standards, representing the company in technical working groups and industry forums focused on sustainable, high-efficiency cooling solutions for AI, hyperscale, and high-performance computing environments. You will also be responsible for continuous engagement with top customers and industry stakeholders, identifying emerging trends, estimating market potential, and defining product development and market penetration strategies.

This position requires a unique blend of technical depth, cross-functional leadership, industry influence, and business development acumen. You will be expected to author white papers, contribute to open specifications, and collaborate across engineering, product, and commercial teams to translate technical innovation into scalable revenue growth.

Primary Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Industry Leadership and Advocacy by representing Watts in OCP working groups and technical committees focused on cooling, sustainability, and AI infrastructure.
• Influence and co-develop OCP specifications for direct-to-chip and modular cooling systems.
• Author and present white papers, technical briefs, and thought leadership content to position Watts as a leader in next-gen cooling.
• Lead cross-functional business initiatives to design and validate advanced liquid cooling solutions aligned with requirements for AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) environments.
• Collaborate closely with engineering, product management, and marketing teams to interpret industry trends and customer requirements and translate them into commercially viable solutions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies (e.g., immersion cooling, CDU integration, smart manifolds) for strategic fit and differentiation.
• Identify and support new market opportunities and partnerships within the AI, HPC, and hyperscale infrastructure ecosystem.
• Support go-to-market strategies for OCP-compliant cooling solutions, including pricing, positioning, and customer engagement.
• Coordinate with business development team to engage with hyperscaler’s, OEMs, and colocation providers to drive adoption of Watts’ thermal management solutions.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Thermal Science, or a related field; PhD a plus.
• 10+ years of experience in thermal systems, data center infrastructure, or hardware architecture.
• Deep understanding of direct-to-chip cooling technologies, and mission critical AI infrastructure demands.
• Recognized as a trusted voice in the industry through media, panels, or keynote speaking.
• Proven track record of contributing to open standards or collaborative engineering communities.
• Strong technical writing and public speaking skills; experience publishing white papers or presenting them at industry events.
• Experience working with hyperscale operators, OEMs, or liquid cooling vendors is highly desirable.
• Exceptional executive presence and ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to non-technical stakeholders.
• Skilled in narrative building, storytelling, and persuasive communication.
• Demonstrated ability to lead without authority across engineering, product, marketing, and sales.
• Strong stakeholder management and conflict resolution skills.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.

General Applica