Principal Thermal Product Engineer (AI)

TL;DR

Principal Thermal Product Engineer (AI): Driving the development, qualification, and manufacturing scale-up of next-generation liquid cooling solutions for high-performance AI networking systems with an accent on cold plate design and rack-level infrastructure. Focus on bridging design intent with manufacturing execution to ensure reliability and performance in large-scale AI workloads.

Location: Hybrid/Onsite in San Francisco, Boston, Santa Clara, Mountain View, or Remote (US).

Salary: $150,000–$350,000

Company

A well-funded, VC-backed AI networking hardware startup redefining infrastructure for the world’s largest hyperscalers.

What you will do

• Own the productization and manufacturing readiness of advanced thermal solutions including cold plates and liquid cooling assemblies.
• Lead thermal qualification activities such as performance validation, leak testing, and long-term reliability assessments.
• Provide hands-on support during NPI builds and manufacturing ramps to resolve technical issues.
• Define thermal manufacturing processes, test methodologies, and quality standards.
• Collaborate with suppliers and contract manufacturers to drive technical problem-solving and process improvements.
• Evaluate new thermal technologies to support future high-density AI infrastructure.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical, Thermal, or Manufacturing Engineering.
• 7+ years of experience in hardware product engineering, NPI, or thermal systems engineering.
• Proven experience supporting hardware builds on the manufacturing floor.
• Strong expertise in liquid cooling technologies and thermal validation methodologies.
• Experience collaborating with suppliers and cross-functional engineering teams.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.

Nice to have

• Experience auditing suppliers and manufacturing partners.
• Knowledge of Six Sigma methodologies and process capability analysis (CPK/PPK).
• Familiarity with thermal component manufacturing processes like brazing and CNC machining.
• Experience leading factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT).

Culture & Benefits

• Work on cutting-edge AI infrastructure with over $610M in funding.
• Collaborative environment working with world-class hyperscalers.
• Opportunity to influence manufacturing standards for next-gen hardware.
• High-impact role in a rapidly expanding startup.