Principal Mechanical Design Engineer

Upscale; Kentucky; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equal Opportunity Employer

Travel opportunities to supplier sites

Job summary

Upscale, Inc. in Kentucky is seeking a Principal Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the mechanical design of high‑performance network enclosures. You will coordinate with HW EEs, SI, and manufacturing teams to deliver low‑cost, robust system solutions for demanding AI workloads.

You will guide a team of engineers, own the thermal design, and drive the development process from feasibility through production release, while mentoring peers and optimizing for quality, cost, and schedule.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering
• Minimum of 15+ years in network enclosure system design
• Proven track record leading high‑quality, low‑cost design solutions
• Strong CAD skills with SolidWorks and PDM
• DFM and DFA design for manufacturing and assembly
• Understanding of part manufacturing (injection molding, sheet metal, machining)
• Knowledge of mechanical enclosure parts and hard tooling costs
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities
• Problem-solving mindset with attention to resolution
• Thermal development process expertise including simulations and fan policy

Responsibilities

• Strong understanding of liquid ORV3 cooled system design
• Strong understanding of comprehensive thermal requirements with high complexity heatsinks, custom cold plates, manifolds and advanced thermal solutions
• Lead, mentor, and less experienced mechanical design engineers. Provide technical guidance and problem-solving expertise
• Excellent understanding of the mechanical development phases, from feasibility, hand calculations & trade studies to conceptual CAD generated to detailed design files, prototyping, testing, through final production release
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including electrical engineering, software, manufacturing, and product management to ensure seamless integration and product success
• Strong understanding of part drawing standards and tolerancing practices
• Strong understanding of the overall product development process
• Identify and implement new technologies and tools to enhance design capabilities and efficiency
• Strong understanding of the product compliance system requirements with relevant industry test standards
• Strong understanding of product testing. Capable of determining test setup and both non-operational vibration and shock test limits to ensure product quality
• Present detailed system design/thermal reviews across the entire NPI team
• Strong team collaboration. Conduct and participate in whiteboard brain discussions with the entire team
• Work closely with mechanical suppliers to better understand manufacturing capabilities, delivering high-quality, low-cost part design solutions
• Willing to share the sustaining effort and/or support
• Willing to travel to support both domestic and/or foreign supplier parts and assembly FAI approvals. Support operations contract manufacturing partner by being on site for early development, QA and FCS builds

Skills

SolidWorks

PDM

Enclosure design

Thermal engineering

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentoring

Vibration testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

PDM

Job description

Why join Upscale, Inc.

Upscale, Inc., is building the high-performance infrastructure powering the next generation of artificial intelligence. Backed by over $500M in funding and rapid global adoption, we are scaling systems designed for the world’s most demanding AI workloads.

We focus on first-principles engineering across silicon, systems, and networking—where performance, scale, and execution are critical. Our team is talent-dense and high-performing. We value ownership, technical rigor, and speed, and we offer the opportunity to work on foundational problems with immediate, real-world impact.

If you’re looking to do high-impact work, move fast, and help define the infrastructure behind the future of AI—Upscale is where you can produce meaningful work at the frontier—and operate at a high standard.

As a Principal Mechanical Design Engineer - You will be responsible for being the lead mechanical lead design engineer in working cross functionally with other HW engineers and operations in developing high-quality low-cost system design solutions. You will work in close collaboration with HW EE, SI, Mechanical/Thermal Engineers peers, operations teams, contract manufacture and mechanical enclosure suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Strong understanding of liquid ORV3 cooled system design


• Strong understanding of comprehensive thermal requirements with high complexity heatsinks, custom cold plates, manifolds and advanced thermal solutions


• Lead, mentor, and less experienced mechanical design engineers. Provide technical guidance and problem-solving expertise


• Excellent understanding of the mechanical development phases, from feasibility, hand calculations & trade studies to conceptual CAD generated to detailed design files, prototyping, testing, through final production release


• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including electrical engineering, software, manufacturing, and product management to ensure seamless integration and product success


• Strong understanding of part drawing standards and tolerancing practices


• Strong understanding of the overall product development process


• Identify and implement new technologies and tools to enhance design capabilities and efficiency


• Strong understanding of the product compliance system requirements with relevant industry test standards


• Strong understanding of product testing. Capable of determining test setup and both non-operational vibration and shock test limits to ensure product quality


• Present detailed system design/thermal reviews across the entire NPI team


• Strong team collaboration. Conduct and participate in whiteboard brain discussions with the entire team


• Work closely with mechanical suppliers to better understand manufacturing capabilities, delivering high-quality, low-cost part design solutions


• Willing to share the sustaining effort and/or support


• Willing to travel to support both domestic and/or foreign supplier parts and assembly FAI approvals. Support operations contract manufacturing partner by being on site for early development, QA and FCS builds

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering


• Minimum of 15 plus years of experience in network enclosure system design


• Proven track record of successfully leading and delivering high-quality low-cost complex design solutions


• Strong proficiency in CAD software (SolidWorks and PDM)


• Expertise in DFM (Design for Manufacturing) and DFA (Design for Assembly) principles


• Strong understanding of part manufacturing processes (e.g., injection molding, sheet metal fabrication, machining)


• Strong understanding of estimated mechanical enclosure parts & hard tooling cost


• Excellent communication, and interpersonal skills


• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize tasks and resources effectively


• Problem-solving mindset with strong attention to resolution


• Excellent understanding of the entire thermal development process (e.g., feasibility, simulations, system thermal profiling, and fan policy)

Desired Skills

• Strong design background in network equipment


• Hands-on lab experience in mechanical or thermal problem solving as well as periodically supporting small system builds during early development phases


• Strong relations with rapid prototyping techniques


• Excellent collaboration skills with others

Where you fall within that range depends on your experience, skills, and impact—we benchmark against internal levels to keep things fair and consistent.

Equal Opportunity

Upscale, Inc., is building a team that reflects a wide range of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status.

Accessibility & Accommodations

We’re committed to making our hiring process accessible to everyone. If you need accommodations at any stage, just reach out to us at [e-mail]—we’re happy to help. Note: This inbox is only for accommodation requests.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.