Senior Thermal Engineer

Arista; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

Arista Networks in Santa Clara, CA seeks a Senior Thermal Engineer to tackle thermal design challenges for high‑end switching products. You will shape thermal strategy and collaborate with electrical design and validation teams to ensure robust cooling performance.

The role requires hands-on experience with Icepak and CFD/FEA tools, plus strong communication skills. Base pay is $180k–$275k with discretionary bonus and equity; total compensation ranges up to $655k depending on performance and

Qualifications

• MS Degree in Mechanical Engineering; Ph.D. preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of direct professional experience in thermal design and analysis of electronic appliances using Icepak, FloTHERM, SmartCFD.
• Experience with high power (>800W) SoC liquid cooling thermal models and system-level analysis.
• Knowledge of heat transfer modes and heat sink design, heat pipes and thermal interface materials.
• ProEngineer (PTC Creo) experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop thermal cooling strategies for next-generation, high-performance switching products.
• Perform complete thermal analysis and design using Icepak.
• Support thermal analysis requests from hardware team, product management team and other cross functional teams with either spreadsheet calculations or detailed simulation results.
• Capable of conducting different engineering experimental tests to verify design and correlate with computational results.

Skills

Thermal design

CFD/FEA simulation

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical communication

Education

MS in Mechanical Engineering

PhD preferred

Tools

Icepak

FloTHERM

SmartCFD

ProEngineer / PTC Creo

Job description

Arista Networks is an industry leader in data-driven, client-to-cloud networking for large data center, campus and routing environments. What sets us apart is our relentless pursuit of innovation. We leverage the latest advancements in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and software-defined networking to provide our clients with a competitive edge in an increasingly interconnected world. Our solutions are designed to not only meet the current demands of the digital landscape but to also anticipate and adapt to future challenges.

At Arista we value the diversity of thought and perspectives that each employee brings to the table. We believe that fostering an inclusive environment, where individuals from various backgrounds and experiences feel welcome, is essential for driving creativity and innovation.

Our commitment to excellence has earned us several prestigious awards, such as Best Engineering Team, Best Company for Diversity, Compensation, and Work-Life Balance. At Arista, we take pride in our track record of success and strive to maintain the highest standards of quality and performance in everything we do.

Job Description

Who You’ll Work With

Arista seeks to add a Senior Thermal Engineer to address thermal engineering design challenges of high-end switching products in Santa Clara, California.This position reports to the Mechanical Engineering Manager.

The total estimated annual compensation range for this position, inclusive of base salary, bonus, and equity, is $300,000 to $655,000. This range is a good faith estimate only. Bonus and equity are discretionary, subject to plan terms, and are not guaranteed components of total compensation. Actual total annual compensation may vary based on employee performance, company or equity performance, company policy, board approval, or similar factors. Please see additional base salary information below.

What You’ll Do

In this role, you will work closely with the Electrical design and hardware validation teams to ensure fulfillment of overall system requirements.As the Senior Thermal Engineer you will be responsible for addressing all thermal design related issues on different projects and shape thermal strategy for future products.

• Develop thermal cooling strategies for next-generation, high-performance switching products.
• Work independently to perform complete thermal analysis and design using Icepak.
• Support thermal analysis requests from hardware team, product management team and other cross functional teams with either spreadsheet calculations or detailed simulation results.
• Capable of conducting different engineering experimental tests to verify design (e.g., components, system level, etc.) and correlate with computational results.

Qualifications

• MS Degree in Mechanical Engineering - Ph.D. preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of direct professional experience in thermal design and analysis of electronic appliances using Icepak, FloTHERM, SmartCFD, etc.
• Experience with high power (>800W) SoC liquid cooling thermal models and system-level analysis.
• Experience in cold plate liquid cooling design and analysis, open loop or closed loop liquid cooling, CDU at rack level or facility level design and analysis.
• Experience in numerical modeling based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) (convergence, discretization, meshing).
• Knowledge and familiarity with electronic cooling and challenges of systems within data center environments.
• Knowledge of heat transfer modes; conduction, convection (passive and active), and radiation.
• Thorough understanding of heat sink type/design, heat pipes, vapor chambers, fans, blowers, pumps, thermal interface material. Experience in vendor selection.
• Flow and thermal measurement techniques, mechanical (thermal and structural) validation and qualification tests including, Environmental Test (ETE), etc.
• Knowledge of thermal airflow testing, fans, pumps, liquid loop cold plate testing, and augmentation to system thermal simulation models.
• Experience using ProEngineer (PTC Creo) a plus.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.

Compensation Information:

The new hire base pay for this role has a pay range of $180,000 to $275,000. Arista offers different pay ranges based on work location, so that we can offer consistent and competitive pay appropriate to the market. The actual base pay offered will be based on a wide range of factors, including skills, qualifications, relevant experience, and work location. The salary range provided reflects base pay only. As described above, this position may also be eligible for discretionary Arista bonuses and equity. US- based employees are also entitled to benefits including medical, dental, vision, wellbeing, tax savings and income protection. The recruiting team can share more details during the hiring process specific to the role and location.

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Additional Information

Arista Networks is an equal opportunity employer. Arista makes all hiring and employment-related decisions in a non-discriminatory manner without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or any other factor determined to be unlawful under applicable federal, state, or law law. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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