Thermal /Mechanical Hybrid Engineer

The Consensus; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision packages with

Housing subsidy for office proximity

Job summary

Etched is seeking a highly experienced Thermal/Mechanical Engineer to lead the design and optimization of dry-to-chip cold plate modules for high‑performance data center systems. You will own thermal management from concept through validation, focusing on water cooling, TIM selection, and integrated mechanical design.

You will run liquid thermal simulations, specify materials, and ensure reliability. This role requires collaboration with mechanical, electrical, and vendor teams in a hands-on,

Qualifications

• Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Thermal Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in thermal and mechanical engineering with emphasis on water cooling and advanced thermal management.
• Strong mechanical design proficiency and experience with direct-to-processor cooling systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead in-house design and optimization of direct-to-chip cold plate modules.
• Develop thermal management systems for high-performance data center products, focusing on water cooling and advanced concepts.
• Run liquid thermal simulations to predict performance of heat exchangers; manage mechanical design, fabrication, and assembly of cold plates.
• Evaluate TIMs for heat sinks; document design specs, simulations, and test results; collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Skills

Thermal engineering

Mechanical engineering

Thermal simulations

Water cooling systems

Direct-to-chip cold plate design

GD&T

TIM selection

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Thermal Engineering

Tools

NX

Creo

CATIA

ANSYS Fluent

Job description

About Etched

Etched is building hardware for frontier intelligence. We co-design chips, racks, software, and manufacturing to deliver best-in-class throughput and latency across both prefill and decode workloads. Our first products are heavily focused on inference. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced Thermal/Mechanical Engineer who has experience designing direct-to-chip cold plate modules to join our team and lead our efforts in optimizing thermal management for high-performance systems. You must be familiar with both the thermal and mechanical aspects of the cold plate module as well as their adjacent components such as thermal interface material (TIM). You will play a crucial role in developing and implementing advanced thermal management solutions for our high-performance data center products. Your expertise in water cooling, thermal simulations, mechanical engineering and cooling system design will be essential in ensuring optimal thermal performance and reliability.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the in-house design and optimization of various direct-to-chip cold plate modules
• Lead the design and optimization of thermal management systems for high-performance data center products, focusing on water cooling solutions and advanced cooling concepts.
• Cover both the thermal and mechanical engineering design
• Be very familiar with the key components of a cold plate, including but not limited to pedestals, nozzles, pedestals, internal fin designs (e.g. skived fins), etc.
• Develop and implement water cooling solutions, including internal manifolds, quick disconnects, CDUs (Coolant Distribution Units), and heat exchangers. Ensure effective cooling and thermal management for high-power processors and other critical components
• Candidate must be able to run liquid thermal simulations to predict and analyze thermal performance of the heat exchanger
• Must be familiar with the mechanical design, fabrication, and mechanical assembly of the cold plate.
• Evaluate and select thermal interface materials (TIMs) for various heat sinks and cooling solutions. Optimize TIM performance to enhance thermal conductivity and heat dissipation.
• Explore and implement advanced thermal cooling concepts, including phase change cooling, liquid cooling, and other cutting-edge technologies.
• Oversee the testing and validation of thermal management systems to ensure they meet performance, reliability, and efficiency standards. Address any issues related to thermal performance and provide solutions.
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for thermal management designs, including design specifications, simulation results, and testing reports. Report on performance and any issues identified during testing.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including mechanical engineers, electrical systems engineers, and vendors, to ensure seamless integration and operation of thermal management solutions.

You maybe a good fit if you have

• A Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Thermal Engineering, or a related field. Advanced degrees or certifications in thermal management or related areas are highly desirable.
• A Minimum of 5 years of experience in thermal and mechanical engineering with a strong focus on water cooling systems and advanced thermal management solutions.
• Strong expertise in mechanical design
• Proven expertise in designing and managing direct-to-processor cooling systems and thermal simulations.
• Extensive experience with cold plate designs, water cooling systems, including internal manifolds, quick disconnects, CDUs, and heat exchangers
• Proficiency in mechanical tolerances and generating mechanical drawings using GD&T
• Proficiency in mechanical CAD software and tools such as NX, Creo, CATIA, or similar is required
• Apply DFM and DFA principles to optimize designs for cost-effective manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance, ensuring high efficiency and reduced production costs.
• Proven expertise in designing and managing direct-to-processor cold plate modules
• Proficiency in thermal simulation tools such as Fluent and techniques to predict and analyze thermal performance of heat exchangers
• Knowledge of various thermal interface materials (TIMs) and heat sink designs
• Experience with advanced thermal cooling concepts and technologies.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage
  • $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits
• Housing subsidy of $2k per month for those living within walking distance of the office
• Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)
• Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more
• Daily lunch + dinner in our office
• Unlimited compute budget subject to ROI justification

How we’re different

Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We are the first inference-focused frontier AI system, betting early on transformer and transformer-like architectures and on increasing model sizes. Our addressable market is the entirety of inference, unlike many of our competitors.

We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both and work across disciplines as needed.