Sr. Mechanical Engineer

Molex; Lisle (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

As part of Molex's strategic collaboration with CAEPlus, this role advances CAEPlus technologies within Molex. You will lead mechanical design and validation of BoundaryCool thermal solutions, owning cold-plate design and manufacturing drawings while partnering with the CAEPlus founder and cross-functional teams.

The position blends startup-mentality innovation with the resources of a global leader, focusing on precision machining, materials, and high-volume production readiness.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
• 5+ years in product design, design verification & validation, and manufacturing engineering.
• CAD proficiency (SolidWorks, NX, CATIA or equivalent) and CAM workflows.
• Experience with CNC machining, laser cutting, laser welding, laser etching, sheet metal fabrication, and additive manufacturing.
• Experience producing manufacturing drawings with GD&T and working with machine shops and fabrication vendors.
• Strong understanding of metallurgical concepts and material properties, including copper, aluminum, brass, other engineering alloys and polymers.
• Experience with tolerance analysis and DFM for precision machined components.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of cold plates and thermal management solutions for AI accelerators and CPUs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure integration of mechanical and electro-mechanical components.
• Develop manufacturing drawings and CAD models for CNC operations on copper, aluminum, and plastics.
• Perform tolerance analysis on all interfaces of cold plate assemblies.
• Evaluate fastener and sealing options for cold plate and thermal solution assemblies.
• Conduct DFM and DFMEA reviews for prototypes and scale-up to high-volume production.
• Define machining parameters and CNC operations in collaboration with the CM partner.
• Perform engineering calculations and provide input for simulations to validate designs.

Skills

CAD proficiency

CNC machining

Tolerance analysis

DFM/DFMEA

Material properties

GD&T

FEA familiarity

Education

BS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent

MS in Mechanical Engineering or Materials Science (Metallurgy background) preferred

Tools

SolidWorks

NX

CATIA

CAM workflows

Job description

As part of Molex's strategic investment in CAEPlus and the ongoing development of next-generation AI data center thermal management solutions, this position will operate in a unique collaboration model between the two organizations. While employed by Molex and receiving all Molex employment benefits, the successful candidate will work closely with the CAEPlus team and focus primarily on advancing CAEPlus technologies, products, and innovation initiatives. This role offers the entrepreneurial environment of a growing technology venture combined with the resources, stability, and engineering expertise of a global industry leader.

This role leads the mechanical design, product validation, and manufacturing development of BoundaryCool™ thermal management solutions for the CAEPlus Phase I program. The engineer will own the detailed design of cold plates, active module integration geometry, and manufacturing drawings — driving the full product development lifecycle from concept through prototype validation. Working directly with the CAEPlus founder and cross-functional program team, this individual will apply expertise across precision machining, materials, and thermal hardware design to bring a breakthrough active cooling platform to market.

What You Will Do

• Lead the design and development of cold plates and thermal management solutions for AI accelerator and CPU chip cooling applications
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including mechatronics engineer, thermal engineer, PCB designer, CAD designer, and CNC machinist, to ensure seamless integration of mechanical and electromechanical components
• Develop manufacturing drawings and CAD models for CNC operations on copper, aluminum, and plastic components
• Perform tolerance analysis on all mating interfaces of cold plate and thermal solution external and internal components.
• Evaluate fastener and sealing options for cold plate and thermal solution assemblies
• Conduct DFM and DFMEA review targeting initial prototype quantities scaling to high-volume production
• Define machining parameters and CNC operations in collaboration with the CNC machinist and CM partner
• Perform engineering calculations and provide input for numerical simulations to validate design concepts and optimize thermal and mechanical performance
• Conduct feasibility studies and risk assessments to identify potential design limitations and propose effective solutions
• Collaborate with vendors and suppliers to source components and materials in compliance with cost and quality targets
• Conduct thorough testing and validation of prototypes, analyzing test data, and implementing design improvements as necessary
• Support special manufacturing processes for cold plate prototyping including micro-channel machining, skiving, brazing, laser cutting, laser welding, laser etching, additive manufacturing, and other related operations
• Follow a structured product development process to bring new products to market on time and per industry standards
• Collaborate directly with customer engineering teams throughout the product development lifecycle
• Support customer-facing technical presentations with engineering drawings and manufacturability documentation

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• BS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent
• 5+ years of experience in product design, design verification & validation, and manufacturing engineering
• Proficiency in CAD (SolidWorks, NX, CATIA, or equivalent) and CAM workflows
• Experience with CNC machining, laser cutting, laser welding, laser etching, sheet metal fabrication, and additive manufacturing
• Experience producing manufacturing drawings with GD&T and working with machine shops and fabrication vendors
• Strong understanding of metallurgical concepts and material properties, including copper, aluminum, brass, other relevant engineering alloys, as well as polymers.
• Experience with tolerance analysis and DFM for precision machined components

What Will Put You Ahead

• MS in Mechanical Engineering or Material Science (Metallurgy background is a plus)
• Experience designing liquid cooling hardware (cold plates, manifolds, heat exchangers)
• Experience with micro-channel or micro-feature CNC machining
• Experience with failure analysis (FA) methods, root cause investigation, and metallography sample preparation including sectioning, mounting, polishing and etching
• Experience with material characterization and non-destructive testing (NDT), including X-ray inspection and optical or electron microscopy
• Familiarity with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools
• Familiarity with Open Compute Project (OCP) standard protocols
• Familiarity with BSPP, NPT, Universal Quick Disconnect (UQD) fluid connector standards
• Six Sigma or DFM/DFMEA certification

For this role, we anticipate paying $100,000 - $130,000 per year. This role is eligible for variable pay, issued as a monetary bonus or in another form.

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.

Hiring Philosophy

All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here .

Who We Are

At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how ourbusiness philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.

Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify. Please click here for additional information. (For Illinois E-Verify information clickhere , aquí , or tu ).