Senior Thermal Engineer

Microsoft•Redmond, WA

18h

About The Position

Microsoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is the team behind Microsoft’s expanding Cloud Infrastructure and responsible for powering Microsoft’s “Intelligent Cloud” mission. SCHIE delivers the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Teams, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform globally with our server and data center infrastructure, security and compliance, operations, globalization, and manageability solutions. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering a trusted experience to customers and partners worldwide and we are looking for engineers to help achieve that mission. We are looking for a Senior Thermal Engineer to focus on the thermal hardware design of Azure servers and related components at the server and rack level. A strong mix of technical breadth and depth is required to work cross-functionally with different disciplines (Mechanical, Electrical, Thermal, and Software) to develop thermal hardware to effectively manage high performance data center devices. You will work with internal and external partners, focusing on delivering the next generation of world class data center hardware. The Senior Thermal Engineer's mission is to provide thermal engineering expertise to AHSI programs and create impact by achieving reliable, TCO minimized, thermal designs it a timely manner.

Requirements

Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years technical engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 5+ years technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience.
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role.
Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
This role will require access to information that is controlled for export under export control regulations, potentially under the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations or Export Administration Regulations, the EU Dual Use Regulation, and/or other export control regulations.
As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be required to provide either proof of their country of citizenship or proof of their U.S. residency or other protected status (e.g., under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) for assessment of eligibility to access the export-controlled information.
To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate’s citizenship will be verified with a valid passport.
Lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees may verify status using other documents, where applicable.

Nice To Haves

Experience with FloEFD and/or Flotherm is highly preferred.
Experience with PTC Creo and Windchill is preferred.
Minimum BS/MS in Mechanical/Thermal Engineering.
MS with focus on thermal sciences preferred.
7+ years of relevant experience in Thermal Engineering across all stages of server development and release cycles.
Strong background in thermal design and analysis for servers and related equipment, including heat exchangers.
Proven ability to partner with ODMs to develop and deliver thermal solutions that meet technical and performance specifications.
Hands-on expertise conducting thermal testing, including the use of airflow test chambers and related test equipment.
Demonstrated ownership of programs through the full lifecycle, from initial concept and design through validation and delivery.
Cross-functional collaboration with Mechanical Engineering (ME), Electrical Engineering (EE), and Software/Firmware teams to ensure thermal solutions are fully integrated with overall system requirements.

Responsibilities

Support the full lifecycle of server development, from early-stage design and architecture through validation, qualification, and product release.
Apply expertise in server thermal design and analysis to develop robust cooling solutions while accounting for mechanical, electrical, and overall system-level design considerations.
Plan, execute, and evaluate server-level thermal, airflow, and liquid-cooling testing to validate performance against defined specifications and requirements.
Perform Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling and analysis to evaluate thermal performance, airflow behavior, and cooling effectiveness.
Develop and review mechanical designs using CAD tools while supporting effective CAD data management and design documentation.
Partner closely with cross-functional engineering teams and global development partners to communicate technical requirements, resolve design challenges, and drive thermal solutions from concept through production.
Develop high-level system concepts, document and evaluate design alternatives, and translate complex engineering analysis into clear recommendations for technical teams and senior leadership.
Lead troubleshooting, debugging, root-cause investigation, and failure analysis activities using strong engineering fundamentals and analytical techniques to resolve complex thermal and system-level issues.
Provide technical guidance and engineering support to Asia-based development partners throughout design, validation, and build activities.
Communicate complex technical concepts clearly and effectively through design reviews, technical documentation, presentations, and cross-functional discussions.
Support domestic and international travel, as needed, for design reviews, development builds, testing, validation, and other engineering activities.