Principal Civil Structural Architectural (CSA) Engineer

Lambda, The Superintelligence Cloud, is a leader in AI cloud infrastructure serving tens of thousands of customers. Our customers range from AI researchers to enterprises and hyperscalers. Lambda's mission is to make compute as ubiquitous as electricity and give everyone the power of superintelligence. One person, one GPU.

If you'd like to build the world's best AI cloud, join us.

*Note: This position requires presence in our San Francisco Bay Area or Bellevue office locations 4 days per week; Lambda’s designated work from home day is currently Tuesday.

About the Job

As a Principal CSA Engineer at Lambda, you will shape the civil, structural, and architectural foundation of our next-generation AI data centers. You will define global design standards, lead CSA strategy, and ensure every facility—whether leased or purpose-built—meets Lambda’s requirements for scalability, resiliency, sustainability, and speed to market. Your designs will directly influence performance, reliability, and cost efficiency, enabling our customers to access the compute capacity they need without compromise.

This role goes beyond traditional data center design and construction—it’s about reimagining how infrastructure can accelerate the AI revolution. You will drive innovation in CSA systems, set a new bar for efficiency and sustainability, and help Lambda deliver infrastructure that consistently delights customers while transforming the economics of deep learning at scale.

What You’ll Do

- Define and drive CSA vision, standards, and strategies to ensure Lambda’s AI data centers are resilient, sustainable, and customer focused.

- Invent, validate, and scale CSA design solutions that meet critical business demands through prototyping, delivery, and continuous improvement.

- Lead CSA design/BOD, construction, and lifecycle oversight across facilities, ensuring compliance with building codes, regulatory frameworks, and environmental standards.

- Partner across disciplines to integrate CSA seamlessly with mechanical, electrical, liquid cooling, networking, and operations teams.

- Optimize new and existing facilities to rapidly deploy capacity, leveraging modular and advanced construction technologies.

- Lead vendor and contractor management for CSA scopes, including negotiations, design reviews, construction oversight, and quality/safety assurance.

You

- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Civil, Structural, or Architectural Engineering (or related).

- 20+ years’ experience delivering mission-critical facilities in high-density environments, with 7+ years in hyperscale data centers.

- Deep expertise in CSA design and constructability solutions for AI/ML racks, liquid-cooling systems, and power distribution.

- Proven ability to deliver CSA systems that balance cost, reliability, and speed in fast-paced environments.

- Strong fluency with building codes, regulations, and civil/structural design tools (IBC, IFC, ASCE, ACI, AISC).

- Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and drive customer-focused outcomes across global programs.

- Comfortable operating in fast-moving environments, with a history of aligning technical execution to meaningful business results.

- Ability to bring clarity, drive, and rigor—balancing technical depth with pragmatic execution.

- Willing to travel up to 50% for data center audit, setup, commissioning, and optimization.

Nice to Have

- Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Civil, Structural, or related discipline.

- Experience leading high-performing cross-functional teams (civil, structural, architects, contractors, product/program managers).

- Expertise in prefabrication, modular construction, or other next-generation build approaches.

- Familiarity with emerging technologies in cooling, power, and sustainability.

- LEED accreditation or PMP certification.

- Eligibility for Top Secret Security Clearance.

- Proven mentorship and leadership experience.

Salary Range Information

The annual salary range for this position has been set based on market data and other factors. However, a salary higher or lower than this range may be appropriate for a candidate whose qualifications differ meaningfully from those listed in the job description.

About Lambda

- Founded in 2012, with 500+ employees, and growing fast

- Our investors notably include TWG Global, US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT), Andra Capital, SGW, Andrej Karpathy, ARK Invest, Fincadia Advisors, G Squared, In-Q-Tel (IQT), KHK & Partners, NVIDIA, Pegatron, Supermicro, Wistron, Wiwynn, Gradient Ventures, Mercato Partners, SVB, 1517, and Crescent Cove

- We have research papers accepted at top machine learning and graphics conferences, including NeurIPS, ICCV, SIGGRAPH, and TOG

- Our values are publicly available: https://lambda.ai/careers

- We offer generous cash & equity compensation

- Health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents

- Wellness and commuter stipends for select roles

- 401k Plan with 2% company match (USA employees)

- Flexible paid time off plan that we all actually use

A Final Note:

You do not need to match all of the listed expectations to apply for this position. We are committed to building a team with a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lambda is an Equal Opportunity employer. Applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, sex, gender, marital status, sexual orientation and identity, genetic information, veteran status, citizenship, or any other factors prohibited by local, state, or federal law.