Staff/Principal Thermal Engineer

Job Title

Staff/Principal Thermal Engineer

Role Summary

Own thermal architecture, performance, and strategy for photonic and electronic modules and systems from concept through production. Lead cooling solution design, simulation methodology, validation, and thermal failure analysis while coordinating cross-functionally with optical, mechanical, electrical, packaging, firmware, and reliability teams.

This is a high-ownership engineering role with responsibility for setting thermal direction across programs and mentoring other thermal engineers.

Experience Level

Senior. Typical guidance: Staff level ~8+ years thermal engineering experience; Principal level ~12+ years. The posting notes equivalent experience cases (see Education Requirements for equivalence language).

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include owning thermal performance and leading technical execution across programs:

• Define and own module/system thermal architecture, budgets, junction/case limits, and thermal crosstalk targets from prototype through production.
• Lead design and development of cooling solutions: thermoelectric coolers (TECs), TIMs, heat spreaders/heat sinks, and air/liquid cooling approaches.
• Perform thermal trade-off analysis considering cost, power, mechanical and electrical complexity to guide architecture decisions.
• Set simulation methodology and CFD strategy (temperature distribution, heat flow, thermal crosstalk); review and validate models.
• Define and execute thermal test and validation strategy, including instrumentation (thermocouples, IR imaging, DAQ/LabVIEW) and test-to-simulation correlation.
• Lead thermal-related failure analysis and feed findings into design margins, material selection, and qualification criteria.
• Represent thermal engineering in customer and executive technical reviews and present compliance, risks, and trade-offs at milestones.
• Partner with manufacturing and contract assembly teams for NPI and production ramp to ensure thermal performance in volume.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior and mid-level thermal engineers; may lead a small team.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience (education summarized separately):

• Significant hands-on thermal engineering experience at the system or program level (Staff: ~8+ years; Principal: ~12+ years).
• Proven experience designing and delivering cooling solutions using TECs, TIMs, heat spreaders/heat sinks, and air/liquid cooling.
• Deep CFD simulation expertise (e.g., Ansys Icepak/Fluent, Ansys Mechanical, or equivalent) and experience setting simulation strategy.
• Extensive thermal test and validation experience (IR imaging, thermocouples, DAQ systems) with demonstrated test-to-simulation correlation.
• Demonstrated thermal failure analysis and root-cause diagnostics (IR/lock-in thermography, thermal transient testing, coordination of CT/acoustic microscopy, etc.).
• Experience owning thermal architecture and making supplier/material decisions balancing performance, cost, and scalability.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and ability to communicate thermal analyses clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to support NPI, DFM, and production ramp activities with manufacturing partners.
• Role is full-time, on-site in Santa Clara, CA.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience in photonics, optical transceivers, or high-density electronics packaging.
• Experience with vapor chamber thermal design and qualification/test campaigns.
• Programming and data-analysis skills (Python, MATLAB) for test automation and data processing.
• Prior mentorship or leadership of other thermal engineers and experience presenting to customers or executive leadership.

Education Requirements

Master's or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field with a focus on heat transfer and fluid mechanics. The posting notes equivalence language: PhD + 5+ years of industry experience may be considered equivalent to MS + 8+ years for Staff-level scope; equivalent practical experience may be considered where applicable.

About the Company

Company: Xscape Photonics

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, United States

Developer of integrated photonics solutions and instrumentation, specializing in photonic circuits, control systems, and test methodologies for optical communication and sensing applications. Works on device integration, control algorithms, and validation of photonic hardware and firmware.