Head of Platform Mechanical & Thermal Engineering

Overview Head of Platform Mechanical & Thermal Engineering

Lead all aspects of mechanical architecture, advanced cooling, and CAD infrastructure for next-generation high-power density ASIC systems. Build and scale the mechanical and thermal engineering organization with a strong focus on liquid cooling technologies and rack-level thermal management.

Key Responsibilities Leadership & Team Growth Build, mentor, and scale a team of mechanical and thermal engineers.

Define hiring plans and technical standards for advanced cooling and mechanical design.

Foster a culture of engineering rigor and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Mechanical & Thermal Architecture Own the design of server enclosures, modules, and racks optimized for high-power ASICs.

Drive liquid cooling solutions (cold plates, manifolds, quick-disconnects, CDU integration) and air-assisted hybrid cooling where applicable.

Ensure designs meet standards for manufacturability, serviceability, and reliability under extreme thermal loads.

Tools & Infrastructure Deploy and optimize Siemens NX for CAD / PLM workflows, with integrated libraries and release processes.

Establish and scale simulation infrastructure, including Flowtherm, Ansys Icepak, and MacroFlow for CFD and rack-level modeling.

Standardize validation workflows linking simulation to hardware measurements.

Validation & Reliability Define test plans for thermal performance, fluid integrity, and long-term reliability of liquid cooling systems.

Oversee lab infrastructure for thermal and mechanical validation at module and rack scale.

Partner with electrical and system validation teams to ensure holistic system readiness.

Cross-Functional & External Collaboration Collaborate with silicon, electrical, and system engineers to co-optimize cooling with power delivery.

Engage with suppliers, ODMs, and datacenter partners to align design with deployment environments.

Represent mechanical and thermal engineering in executive reviews, providing visibility into risks, milestones, and resources.

Candidate Profile 10+ years of experience in mechanical and thermal engineering for high-performance computing systems, with at least 5+ years in leadership roles.

Proven expertise in liquid cooling architectures for high-power density ASICs or GPUs.

Proficiency with Siemens NX for 3D CAD; experience scaling CAD / PLM environments across teams.

Hands-on experience with Flowtherm, Ansys Icepak, and MacroFlow for CFD and rack-level thermal modeling.

Strong track record bringing complex server or datacenter platforms from concept through production.

Deep understanding of thermal validation, fluid integrity testing, and mechanical reliability for liquid-cooled systems.

Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, or related field.

Base Salary & Benefits Base salary range : $225,000 - $275,000 per year

Full medical, dental, and vision packages, with generous premium coverage

Housing subsidy of $2,000 / month for those living within walking distance of the office

Daily lunch and dinner in the office

Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)

About Etched Etched is building AI chips that are hard-coded for individual model architectures. Our first product (Sohu) supports transformers and offers higher throughput and lower latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be difficult with GPUs, such as real-time video generation models and deeply parallel reasoning agents.

Other We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row) and value engineering skills. We expect technical staff to contribute to both engineering and research as needed. This role may include collaboration with suppliers, ODMs, and datacenter partners, and requires representation in executive reviews.

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