Principal Mechanical Design Engineer (AI)

TL;DR

Principal Mechanical Design Engineer (AI/Networking Hardware): Designing and developing chassis and line card infrastructure for large-scale AI workloads with an accent on reliability, scalability, and high-performance cooling. Focus on conducting complex tolerance studies, integrating electro-mechanical assemblies, and optimizing for manufacturability.

Location: San Francisco, CA or New York City, NY

Salary: $240,000–$275,000

Company

A well-funded, VC-backed AI/networking hardware startup redefining infrastructure for large-scale hyperscalers.

What you will do

• Develop chassis and line card designs meeting product reliability and scalability requirements.
• Conduct 2D/3D tolerance studies for complex electro-mechanical assemblies.
• Design components using sheet metal, plastic, die-cast, and extrusion processes with a focus on EMI and safety.
• Create CAD models in Creo, manage BOMs, ECOs, and part numbering systems.
• Collaborate with hardware, thermal, and manufacturing teams to align requirements and manage risks.
• Design cooling systems (liquid/forced-air) and support OSFP/QSFP-DD/OSFP-XD connector and cable harness design.

Requirements

• B.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering.
• 8+ years of mechanical design experience in telecom or data center hardware.
• Proficiency in Creo (preferred) and SolidWorks.
• Strong understanding of EIA, ETSI, and OCP rack standards.
• Experience with OSFP/QSFP-DD/OSFP-XD connectors and backplane systems.
• Expertise in tolerancing for complex electro-mechanical assemblies.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with NEBS testing and compliance.

Culture & Benefits

• Opportunity to work in a high-growth environment with over $110M in funding.
• Direct impact on the next generation of high-performance AI infrastructure.
• Collaborative culture operating under a Joint Development Model (JDM).