Associate Principal Engineer, Systems Architecture

Flex; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Flex in Austin, TX, is seeking an Associate Principal Engineer, Systems Architecture, reporting to the CTO. You will define and validate AI infrastructure platforms, drive integration across electrical, mechanical, software, and networking domains, and guide architecture decisions from concept to deployment.

The role emphasizes systems-level leadership, customer-facing communication, and mentoring engineers to deliver scalable, reliable platform solutions for SpinCo and related initiatives.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in systems architecture or related field.
• Proven success defining system requirements and leading product development from concept to deployment.
• Experience integrating electrical, mechanical, software, and networking systems.
• Strong customer-facing and communication skills.
• Ability to mentor engineers and drive engineering excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead system architecture development, feasibility assessments, and technology roadmaps.
• Define system requirements, specifications, interface controls, and validation criteria.
• Drive cross-functional integration across electrical, mechanical, cooling, software, controls, networking, and manufacturing.
• Own requirements management, system decomposition, trade studies, risk assessments, and architecture decisions.
• Lead system integration, verification, validation, prototype builds, qualification testing, and production readiness.
• Partner with internal and external stakeholders to support deployment planning and manufacturing readiness.
• Champion systems engineering best practices, architecture governance, emerging technologies, and technical leadership.

Skills

Systems architecture

Systems engineering

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical leadership

Hardware integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Flex is the diversified manufacturing partner of choice that helps market-leading brands design, build and deliver innovative products that improve the world. A career at Flex offers the opportunity to make a difference and invest in your growth in a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative environment.

Flex intends to spin off its Cloud and Power Infrastructure segment into a new, independent publicly traded company, which we’re calling SpinCo, until the name is unveiled. The spin is planned for Q1 2027. If the intended spin occurs, this role will support SpinCo, which will focus on critical digital infrastructure, delivering end-to-end power and thermal management solutions for AI data centers and other mission-critical applications.

Associate Principal Engineer, Systems Architecture

Located in Austin, TX.

Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, the Associate Principal Engineer, Systems Architecture will serve as a technical leader responsible for defining, integrating, and validating complex AI infrastructure systems across power, cooling, compute, controls, software, networking, and facility interfaces. This role provides the systems-level engineering leadership that connects architecture, requirements, interface management, design tradeoffs, validation strategies, and manufacturing readiness. The position drives the translation of customer and product requirements into scalable, reliable, and deployable platform solutions from concept through production and deployment.

What a typical day looks like:

• Lead system architecture development, feasibility assessments, and technology roadmaps for AI infrastructure platforms and integrated systems.
• Define system requirements, specifications, interface controls, and validation criteria to meet customer and business objectives.
• Drive cross-functional integration across electrical, mechanical, cooling, software, controls, networking, and manufacturing teams.
• Own requirements management, system decomposition, trade studies, technical risk assessments, and architecture decision-making.
• Lead system integration, verification, validation, prototype builds, qualification testing, and production readiness activities.
• Partner with internal and external stakeholders to support deployment planning, manufacturing readiness, customer reviews, and technical discussions.
• Champion systems engineering best practices, architecture governance, emerging technologies, and technical leadership across engineering teams.

The experience we’re looking to add to our team:

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline; Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in systems architecture, systems engineering, infrastructure engineering, hardware development, or complex product development environments.
• Proven success defining system requirements and leading multidisciplinary product development programs from concept through manufacturing and deployment.
• Strong expertise in systems architecture, requirements management, interface control, hardware/software integration, and verification & validation methodologies.
• Experience integrating complex electrical, mechanical, thermal, software, controls, networking, and infrastructure systems.
• Demonstrated ability to drive architecture decisions, manage technical risk, resolve system-level integration challenges, and lead cross-functional engineering teams.
• Excellent customer-facing, communication, analytical, problem-solving, and technical leadership skills, with the ability to mentor engineers and drive engineering excellence.

Flex is an Equal Opportunity Employer and employment selection decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. We do not discriminate based on: age, race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, pregnancy status, or any other status protected by law. We're happy to provide reasonable accommodations to those with a disability for assistance in the application process. Please email [e-mail] and we'll discuss your specific situation and next steps (NOTE: this email does not accept or consider resumes or applications. This is only for disability assistance. To be considered for a position at Flex, you must complete the application process first).