Principal Design Engineer

Sanmina Corporation; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanmina Corporation in Huntsville, AL seeks a highly skilled PCBA Liquid Cooling Design Engineer to lead thermal management for advanced electronic assemblies.

You will design direct-to-chip cold plates, custom fluid loops, and micro-channel systems that sit directly on high-density PCBAs, collaborating with hardware layout designers and manufacturing partners to ensure reliable, leak-free cooling architectures.

Qualifications

• Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• At least 3 years of electronic cooling or data center thermal design experience.
• Familiar with ASME, ISO, and ASHRAE standards for electronics cooling.

Responsibilities

• Design board-level liquid cooling, cold plates, manifolds.
• Perform CFD/FEA to predict thermal performance.
• Select pumps, valves, hoses, and sensors.
• Collaborate with PCB/layout and manufacturing teams.
• Prototype, test, and validate thermal solutions.
• Ensure DFM for scalable assembly and charging processes.

Skills

3D CAD

CFD/FEA

PCB knowledge

Fluid dynamics

Lab instruments

Education

Masters in Mechanical Eng

Thermal engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

PTC Creo

Siemens NX

Ansys Icepak

FloTherm

Fluent

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled PCBA Liquid Cooling Design Engineer to lead the development of innovative thermal management systems for advanced electronic assemblies. In this role, you will design direct-to-chip cold plates, custom fluid loops, and micro-channel systems that sit directly on high-density PCBAs. You will collaborate closely with hardware layout designers and manufacturing partners to build reliable, leak-free, and highly efficient cooling architectures.

Key Responsibilities

• Thermal Solution Design: Architect and engineer board-level liquid cooling systems, including direct-to-chip cold plates, manifolds, and custom fittings.
• Simulation & Analysis: Perform Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) using tools like Ansys Icepak, FloTherm, or Fluent to predict fluid dynamics, pressure drops, and thermal resistance.
• Component Integration: Select and specify critical loop components such as pumps, quick-disconnect valves, hoses, and leak detection sensors.
• PCBA Cross-Collaboration: Partner with PCB layout engineers to optimize component placement, layout thickness, and copper weight for maximum thermal dissipation.
• Prototyping & Testing: Set up and execute hardware-level thermal validation tests, including hydrostatic pressure, leak/decay verification, and environmental chamber cycling.
• Failure Analysis: Conduct root-cause analysis on structural stress, thermal throttling, galvanic corrosion, and fluid degradation.
• DFM Optimization: Ensure designs comply with Design for Manufacturing (DFM) requirements to guarantee scalable assembly and fluid charging processes on the production line.

Required Technical Skills

• CAD Software: Proficiency in 3D modeling tools like SolidWorks, PTC Creo, or Siemens NX for physical integration.
• CFD/FEA Tools: Advanced skills in thermal simulation software such as Ansys Icepak, FloTherm, or SimScale.
• PCBA Familiarity: Practical knowledge of PCB fabrication, electronic component layouts, and standard testing tools like oscilloscopes and multimeters.
• Fluid Dynamics & Metallurgy: Strong grasp of single-phase/two-phase heat transfer, fluid flow behavior, and material compatibility (e.g., copper-to-coolant interactions).
• Lab Equipment: Experience with flow meters, thermocouples, pressure transducers, and data acquisition (DAQ) systems.

Qualifications

• Education: Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, or a highly related technical field.
• Experience: 3+ years of experience specifically focused on electronic cooling, liquid loops, or data center thermal design.
• Standards: Familiarity with international standards governing pressure vessels and electronics cooling, such as ASME, ISO, and ASHRAE guidelines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing cooling for AI hardware clusters, high-performance computing (HPC) environments, or EV power electronics.
• In-depth understanding of immersion cooling or phase-change cooling mechanisms.