Senior Thermal Engineer, Expeditionary AI / HPC Data Centers

Anduril • Mountain View, CA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

We are looking for a Senior Thermal Engineer in Costa Mesa, CA to own the thermal management of expeditionary AI/HPC data centers—air-transportable, modular compute and command-and-control infrastructure built to run at forward operating locations. You will apply a deep understanding of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and HVAC to keep high-density compute running reliably in austere environments with extreme temperatures and limited power.

Requirements

• MS or higher in mechanical engineering, applied physics, or related field focused on heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and HVAC
• In-depth understanding of heat transfer and fluid dynamics
• 5+ years designing thermal management systems for data centers or comparable mission-critical infrastructure
• Full-spectrum data center thermal experience—air-side and water-side cooling, heat rejection, chilled water plant design, power density management, and liquid cooling
• Steady-state and transient system modeling of thermal management systems, including HVAC and refrigerant simulations
• Validating and testing data center thermal equipment, with knowledge of applicable operating standards
• Track record of staying abreast of the latest data center thermal management technologies
• CAD experience with Siemens NX or SolidWorks

Nice To Haves

• Coding in Python or MATLAB for applications such as lumped-capacitance steady-state and transient analysis
• Thermal FEA/CFD experience—STAR-CCM+, ANSYS, Icepak or FloEFD.
• Familiarity with efficiency metrics (PUE/WUE) and thermal design for high-density AI/HPC compute
• Experience with modular, transportable, or ruggedized data centers and operation in austere, high-ambient environments
• Be able to obtain and hold a U.S. Secret security clearance

Responsibilities

• Own the thermal design and analysis of deployable data center cooling systems—air-side and water-side cooling, heat rejection, chilled water plant, and liquid cooling—from rack and chip level up through the full facility.
• Use first principles to discern the right level of analysis, running hand calcs, spreadsheets, and MATLAB/Python first-order models before detailed design.
• Define cooling architecture and heat-rejection strategy—CRAH/CRAC, air-side economization, chilled water plants, dry coolers, CDUs, rear-door heat exchangers, and direct-to-chip and immersion liquid cooling—to keep equipment within limits as power density scales.
• Develop cooling approaches for high-density racks and trade off air, liquid, and hybrid cooling for modular, transportable systems in austere, high-ambient environments.
• Work with electrical, mechanical, and facilities engineers to characterize IT and equipment heat loads across operating and failure modes.
• Weigh cooling architectures against reliability, efficiency (PUE/WUE), and total cost, driving trade studies that balance thermal margin with capital and operating cost.
• Own the thermal FEA/CFD and system models, predict facility performance, and set red/yellow limits for commissioning and operation.
• Lead prototype builds, field testing, commissioning, and operational validation of cooling designs (CAD, sensor and DAQ selection, data post-processing, results).
• Present thermal status at internal and customer reviews with a clear view of timelines and technical status.
• Develop internal tools to improve analysis effectiveness and efficiency.
• Support failure reviews and root-cause analysis with test data and thermal analysis.

Benefits

• Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package.
• top-tier benefits for full-time employees
• comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior