Thermal Design Engineer

Mind Robotics; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Mind Robotics is seeking a Thermal Engineer to own the thermal design and analysis of their robotic systems in Palo Alto. You will develop thermal solutions for actuators and manage cooling within constraints.

The ideal candidate should have over 5 years of experience in thermal design, strong fundamentals in heat transfer, and experience with CFD tools. This role is crucial as Mind Robotics continues to advance in complex electromechanical systems.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience designing thermal solutions for electromechanical systems.
• Strong fundamentals in conduction, convection, and radiation.
• Experience with thermal management and cooling solutions.

Responsibilities

• Own thermal design and analysis across robotic systems.
• Develop thermal architectures for actuators and manage heat dissipation.
• Specify and select thermal components and manage supplier relationships.

Skills

Thermal design and analysis

CFD tools

Problem-solving approach

SolidWorks

Hands-on testing

Tools

Ansys Icepak

Flotherm

SolidWorks Flow Simulation

Job description

Responsibilities

• Own thermal design and analysis across the robot including arms, end effectors, and on-board compute from concept through volume production.

• Develop thermal architectures for high-torque-density actuators (motors, gearboxes, drives) in joints, where heat dissipation is the limiting factor on continuous performance.

• Design cooling solutions for end effectors within tight volume, mass, and cable-routing constraints.

• Develop thermal management for on-board compute (CPUs, GPUs, custom accelerators, power electronics), including airflow, heat sinks, heat pipes, vapor chambers, TIMs, and active cooling where needed.

• Build thermal models (analytical, CFD, FEA) and validate them with hands-on testing (thermocouple instrumentation, IR imaging, calorimetry, and accelerated stress tests)

• Specify and select thermal components (TIMs, fans, heat pipes, heat sinks, blowers, phase-change materials) and own supplier relationships.

• Define thermal limits, derating curves, and protection logic in collaboration with electrical, firmware, and controls teams.

• Contribute to DFM/DFA so thermal solutions scale from low-volume prototypes to high-volume production.

• Develop accelerated test plans to validate thermal performance over the product's lifetime, including environmental and duty-cycle stress.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience (or equivalent "hard tech" projects) designing and validating thermal solutions for complex electromechanical systems.

• Strong fundamentals in conduction, convection, and radiation, plus working knowledge of two-phase cooling and heat-pipe / vapor-chamber design.

• Hands-on experience with CFD tools (Ansys Icepak, Flotherm, SolidWorks Flow Simulation, or similar) and thermal FEA.

• Track record solving thermal problems in at least one of: high-torque-density motors / actuators, dense power electronics, or compute (CPU / GPU / custom accelerator).

• Comfortable instrumenting, testing, and debugging thermal performance on real hardware

• Experience designing for volume processes (extrusion, die casting, brazing, stamping) and working with thermal component suppliers and contract manufacturers.

• High proficiency in SolidWorks, Catia, or similar CAD tools.

• Hands-on problem-solving approach with the ability to iterate quickly.

• You are comfortable with ambiguity, move fast, and have an "engineering curiosity" that drives you to understand how the entire system works, not just your part.

Bonus

• Experience in robotics, prosthetics, EV powertrains, drones, or other dense electromechanical systems.

• Familiarity with motor / actuator thermal modeling (winding hot-spot estimation, lumped-parameter networks).

• Experience with liquid cooling or hybrid air / liquid systems.

• PhD or research experience in thermal sciences.