Working Student – Intelligence Team
[[Location:]] Amsterdam (hybrid: office at The Stack, Jacob Bontiusplaats 9, 1018 LL Amsterdam & remote)
[[Hours:]] 16 hours per week, flexible to exam schedules
[[Start:]] a.s.a.p.
Why Lucend?
AI is driving the largest data center build-out in history. Operators are investing hundreds of billions in sites full of cooling and electrical systems that get more complex every year. But their impact is immense, their technology is very complex, and there aren't enough experienced engineers to run these facilities efficiently and reliably, which puts even more strain on the environment and the grid it is connected to.
That's where Lucend comes in. We're a green-tech scale-up based in Amsterdam. Our platform, Gradient, analyzes billions of sensor readings from a site's mechanical and electrical systems and tells engineering teams what to optimize. That helps them cut energy use, prevent failures, plan maintenance, and keep equipment running longer.
As we scale up, we’re looking for a collaborative [[Working Student]] to help expand Gradient reach and drive impactful change in how the world powers digital life and AI.
About the Intelligence Team
We are the technical engine behind Gradient. We transform raw facility and sensor data into actions. Our team examines the inner workings of data centers by combining engineering research, system modeling, and data analytics to uncover optimization opportunities that improve performance, reliability, and sustainability across cooling and power systems.
We apply strong engineering fundamentals, real-world thermodynamics, and machine learning, supported by backgrounds in mechanical and aerospace engineering and computational physics. This mix enables us to approach challenges from multiple angles.
Your Impact
As a working student within the Intelligence Team, you will work on two things: building and maintaining our optimization recommendations, and getting new data center sites onboarded onto Gradient. Expect a mix of both, with the balance shifting depending on what the team needs most.
Recommendations: new and existing
• Explore, develop, and validate optimization opportunities for data center cooling and power infrastructure, delivering measurable energy, water, and cost savings.
• Build and test analytical models, contributing directly to features used in production.
• Maintain our existing recommendations: validate and continuously improve them, so they remain reliable and impactful as Gradient grows.
• Support the wider Lucend team by standardizing analyses, and ensuring data and models are consistent and reliable.
Onboarding: getting new sites connected
• Work out what raw sensor names actually refer to and map them to our internal standards.
• Validate incoming data (gaps, unexpected values, wrong units, missing assets) and work out whether it’s a sensor problem or a data problem.
• Chase down data issues with the customer or the team until they’re resolved.
• Build and improve the tooling that automates all of the above, including the name mapping and metadata extraction.
• Keep the process and naming standards documented.
• See your work directly contribute to reducing CO2 emissions on a global scale.
Goals
• Recommendations stay valid and up to date: logic is validated, kept current, and bugs are fixed.
• New sites get connected faster and with fewer manual steps every time.
• Sensor data from every site is complete, correctly mapped, and trusted by the rest of the team.
• The manual onboarding work you do in month one is largely automated by month four.
• The technical steps are documented well enough that anyone on the team can pick them up.
What we look for
• Enrolled [[in at least an HBO-level program]] (year 2+ preferred) in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related technical field.
• Comfortable with Python basics (NumPy, pandas, matplotlib) and advanced LLM use cases.
• SQL desired, but not a must; a learning mindset is key.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and able to work independently in an English-speaking environment.
• A genuine team player: low drama, no ego, and always ready to roll up your sleeves to help the wider group succeed.
Nice-to-haves
• Coursework or hobby projects on HVAC, thermodynamics, building services or energy systems.
• Familiarity with Git.
• Passion for sustainability.
To support your success and well-being, we offer:
• A flexible hybrid setup. Blend office, home, or remote work, while staying connected with the team.
• A competitive salary.
• Mobility options including public transport subscription, company bike, or travel reimbursement for your preferred commute.
• Strong focus on professional growth with plenty of opportunities for development and skill-building, including room to grow into more technical work.
• Team activities, meetups, and business events to connect and collaborate.
Practicalities
• Part-time contract of at least 6 months, with the aim of keeping great people.
• Laptop and all needed software provided.
• You must have the right to work in the Netherlands.
Ready to stay cool?
Send your CV and a short motivation (max 300 words) to hello@getlucend.com with the subject “Working Student Intelligence Team”. We review applications on a rolling basis and aim to reply within one week.