Principal Thermal Engineer

Qualcomm•San Diego, CA

3d•$210,000 - $315,000

About The Position

Qualcomm is driving the next generation of AI computing, delivering breakthrough technologies that power intelligent experiences from edge devices to the data center. Our Hardware Systems organization is seeking a Principal Thermal Engineer to solve complex thermal challenges and enable industry-leading performance, efficiency, and reliability across the Qualcomm Dragonfly™ AI300 platform and future AI computing platforms. This position offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge thermal architecture, simulation, validation, and optimization challenges, helping bring innovative AI products from concept through production while collaborating with world-class experts across silicon, packaging, hardware, and system engineering teams.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field and 8+ years of System/Package Design/Technology Engineering or related work experience.
Master's degree in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field and 7+ years of System/Package Design/Technology Engineering or related work experience.
PhD in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field and 6+ year of System/Package Design/Technology Engineering or related work experience.

Nice To Haves

10+ years of industry experience in electronics cooling, with a strong focus on high-performance computing, AI, or data center products.
Experience developing thermal solutions for high-power processors, GPUs, AI accelerators, or advanced compute platforms utilizing air, liquid, or hybrid cooling technologies
Deep understanding of thermal management technologies and design elements, including thermal interface materials (TIMs), heat spreaders, heat sinks, vapor chambers, heat pipes, and forced-air cooling solutions.
Experience with advanced semiconductor packaging technologies, including 2.5D and 3D package architectures; exposure to high-power AI accelerator packaging is highly desirable.
Proficiency in scripting and programming for data analysis, model automation, and tool development using languages such as Python, C/C++, MATLAB, or equivalent.
Strong expertise in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, with hands-on experience using industry-standard tools such as ANSYS Icepak, Celsius EC, Flotherm, or similar platforms.
Demonstrated ability to design, execute, and analyze thermal validation experiments in a laboratory environment, including hands-on use of airflow, temperature, power, and data-acquisition instrumentation.
Experience correlating simulation models with empirical test results and driving model accuracy improvements throughout the product development lifecycle.
Excellent communication, presentation, and cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to influence technical decisions across diverse engineering teams.
Ability to clearly communicate complex technical concepts, analyses, and recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Familiarity with AI/ML workloads, accelerator architectures, and associated thermal challenges is a plus

Responsibilities

Lead thermal architecture solutions through simulation and test while working with various stakeholders.
Perform thermal simulations utilizing CFD tools from silicon to data center environment throughout product development phase.
Drive direction and strategy discussions, work cross-functionally with technical leads on tradeoffs, conduct thermal design reviews and presentations.
Conduct thermal tests to validate/characterize models and present results to stakeholders.
Analyze and document simulation and test results.