Thermal and Performance Architect

HP•Fort Collins, CO

About The Position

Thermal and Performance Architect Description - Job Summary This role serves as a senior mechanical and thermal engineering leader responsible for driving large, complex initiatives that directly impact the company’s long-range goals and product strategy. The position defines and leads 3–5 year technology roadmaps for thermal and mechanical engineering, identifying key inflection points in Phase Change Materials (PCM), vapor chamber technologies, and active cooling innovations. The role operates at the system architecture level, leveraging deep technical expertise in thermal fluids, simulation, and hardware design to influence decision-making at the highest organizational levels. This leader partners closely with silicon vendors, software, firmware, and hardware teams to co-design solutions optimized for performance, performance per watt, acoustics, skin temperature, and form factor, while ensuring compliance with enterprise standards across multiple organizations and architectures.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Thermal Fluids
Typically 10+ years of experience in similar roles such as Principal or Senior Thermal Performance Engineer
Extensive experience across the hardware development lifecycle, from early architecture through production
Strong thermal analysis expertise using CFD tools such as Flotherm XT, FLOEFD, Icepak, or equivalent
Experience using thermal mockups and validation methods to confirm thermal solutions during early architecture phases
Hands-on experience with: Fans, heat pipes, vapor chambers, fluidic and microfluidic cooling designs
Relating skin temperature, acoustics, and system performance
Designing sheet metal and plastic components, including associated production tooling and manufacturing processes
Solid understanding of manufacturing and ODM production processes
Proficiency with CAD and simulation tools, including: PTC Creo, SolidWorks, ANSYS Finite Element Methods and 3D modeling
Mechanical and Thermal Engineering
Thermal Management & Performance Optimization
New Product Development & Product Lifecycle Management
Prototyping and Manufacturing Processes
Injection Molding, Machining, Sheet Metal Design
Engineering Design Process & System Architecture
Cross-Organizational Skills
Effective executive-level communication
Results orientation and ownership mindset
Learning agility in fast-evolving technology environments
Digital fluency across hardware–software boundaries
Strong customer and user-centric design perspective

Nice To Haves

strong plus

Responsibilities

Lead multi-year thermal technology roadmaps, identifying and advancing innovations in PCM, vapor chambers, fans, heat pipes, and active cooling solutions across the portfolio
Partner with silicon vendors to co-design systems based on power delivery profiles and thermal maps, influencing early platform and architectural decisions
Lead deep-dive architectural and competitive analysis of thermal solutions to maintain leadership in performance, performance per watt, and industrial design constraints
Drive development of advanced CFD workflows to predict both steady-state and transient thermal behavior during early architecture phases
Establish system-level simulation frameworks that correlate thermal throttling behaviors with real-world software benchmarks and workloads
Architect advanced thermal tuning algorithms to balance skin temperature, fan acoustics, and system performance for real-life use cases
Lead multiple project teams of mechanical and thermal engineers, along with internal and outsourced development partners, across all phases of development including concept, design, validation, tooling, testing, and production readiness
Provide architectural consultation, design input, and feedback across new product development and design reviews spanning multiple organizations
Review designs and project activities for compliance with engineering standards, development guidelines, and quality requirements, providing actionable feedback to improve product outcomes
Troubleshoot complex mechanical, thermal, electrical, and system-level issues with minimal supervision
Guide and mentor less-experienced engineers, setting a standard for thermal design innovation, rigor, and excellence
Participate in identifying and developing future technical leaders within the organization

Benefits

Health insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Long term/short term disability insurance
Employee assistance program
Flexible spending account
Life insurance
Generous time off policies, including; 4-12 weeks fully paid parental leave based on tenure
11 paid holidays
Additional flexible paid vacation and sick leave