Mechanical Design Engineer (Thermal)

Datacenter People; Reno (NV); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision cover

High 401(k) match

Bonus opportunities

Parental leave

Job summary

Datacenter People are seeking a Thermal Design Engineer to join its data center power team in Reno, Nevada. You will become the SME for thermal management across a leading rack power distribution product portfolio, including Open Compute Project (OCP) architectures, with opportunities to grow a team.

You will work on liquid cooling interactions, high-density data center applications, and collaboration across mechanical, electrical and manufacturing teams, traveling internationally as needed.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in thermal design of electro-mechanical or power electronic products
• Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience
• Hands-on experience with CFD, FEA and thermal simulation in CAD-integrated/multi-physics environments
• Understanding of liquid cooling systems and cold-plate design
• Experience with busbar systems, PDUs or rack-level power distribution
• Self-managing, comfortable with ambiguity and able to lead without direct authority
• Able to explain complex technical concepts clearly to non-technical audiences
• Willing to travel internationally for engineering conferences

Responsibilities

• Perform thermal analysis and simulation using Autodesk CFD and Omniverse-enabled environments
• Model heat transfer including conduction, convection and liquid cooling
• Evaluate thermal performance of busbars, PDUs and power shelves in liquid-cooled racks
• Develop simulation-driven design improvements to optimize performance and density
• Support early-stage design validation and risk mitigation
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical and manufacturing engineers to integrate thermal solutions
• Produce simulation reports for design reviews and qualification
• Correlate simulation results with empirical test data
• Contribute to design for manufacturability and reliability investigations
• Represent the business at international engineering conferences

Skills

Thermal design

CFD/FEA

Communication

International travel

Education

Mechanical or Electrical Engineering degree

Tools

Autodesk CFD

Omniverse simulation

CAD/multi-physics

Autodesk Inventor

Job description

Datacenter People are currently supporting a global leader in electrical and digital infrastructure in the search for a Thermal Design Engineer to join its data center power team in Reno, Nevada.

**Candidates requiring relocation within the US will also be considered**

This is the first role of its kind within the business unit. You will become the subject matter expert for thermal management across a market-leading portfolio of rack power distribution products used by some of the world's largest hyperscalers, with the potential to build a team as the function grows.

The role combines hands-on simulation and design work with a visible, cross-functional remit, making it well suited to an engineer who enjoys influencing product direction as much as running the analysis.

The Opportunity

You will support the development of next-generation power distribution and infrastructure products for data center environments, with a particular focus on Open Compute Project (OCP) architectures and high-current, high-voltage applications.

A key part of the role is understanding how liquid cooling interacts with the product portfolio and ensuring effective thermal management within cabinets and containment, reducing risk as rack densities continue to rise.

What the Job Involves…

• Perform thermal analysis and simulation of electro-mechanical products using Autodesk CFD and Omniverse-enabled simulation environments
• Model heat transfer behavior including conduction, convection and liquid cooling systems
• Evaluate the thermal performance of high-current busbars, PDUs and power shelves within liquid-cooled rack environments
• Develop simulation-driven design improvements to optimize performance, power density and thermal efficiency
• Support new product development through early-stage design validation and risk mitigation
• Work with mechanical, electrical and manufacturing engineers to integrate thermal solutions into product architecture
• Produce simulation reports to support design reviews and qualification
• Correlate simulation results with empirical test data during validation
• Contribute to design for manufacturability, reliability assessments and root cause investigations

As the thermal SME, you will also share technical insight with engineering, marketing and sales teams, and represent the business at international engineering conferences.

We're Looking for Someone Who...

• 3+ years' experience in thermal design of electro-mechanical or power electronic products
• Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience
• Hands-on experience with CFD, FEA and thermal simulation, ideally within a CAD-integrated or multi-physics environment
• Understanding of liquid cooling systems and cold-plate design
• Experience with busbar systems, PDUs or rack-level power distribution
• Self-managing, comfortable with ambiguity and able to lead without direct authority
• Able to explain complex technical concepts clearly to non-technical audiences
• Willing to travel internationally for engineering conferences

Data center experience is preferred, but candidates from other industries with strong, transferable thermal design experience will also be considered. Knowledge of OCP hardware, 48V or 400V rack power architectures, Autodesk Inventor, PLM/ECO processes and Hipot, SELV or thermal testing would be advantageous.

This role will suit a collaborative, outward-facing engineer rather than someone who prefers to work in isolation on analysis or CAD.

What Makes This Role Interesting...

• First dedicated thermal management role within the business unit, with genuine ownership and influence
• Potential to build and grow a team as the function develops
• Work at the forefront of high-density, liquid-cooled and OCP-aligned data center power
• Market-leading products trusted by the world's largest hyperscalers
• Visibility across engineering, marketing and sales
• International exposure through engineering conferences

Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental and vision cover, a high 401(k) match, bonus opportunities and above-benchmark parental leave

We regret that due to the high volume of applications we are unable to acknowledge each one. Please bear in mind that if you are selected for interview we will contact you within the next seven days.