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About This Role
- The Role and Impact Join Intel in driving innovation at the forefront of thermal systems technology.
- As a Senior Thermal Architect Exempt Tech Contract Employee, you will play a pivotal role in advancing Intel's technological excellence by contributing to diverse and impactful technical projects.
- This is an opportunity to be part of a dynamic and collaborative team, solving complex thermal challenges and enabling cutting-edge system and component thermal solutions that shape the future of the industry.
- You will collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, silicon, and product teams to drive thermal innovation at both the component and system level.
- Your expertise and contributions will be instrumental in delivering meaningful results and supporting Intel's mission to create world-changing technology.
- Key Responsibilities: Define and own the thermal architecture for complex electronic systems (e.g., servers, consumer devices, AI/HPC platforms, EV systems - adjust to your domain).
- Develop thermal budgets, airflow strategies, and cooling solutions (air, liquid, two-phase, immersion, TECs, vapor chambers, heat pipes, etc.).
- Lead CFD and FEA thermal simulations using tools such as Ansys Icepak, FloTHERM, 6SigmaET, or COMSOL.
- Drive trade-off analyses between thermal performance, acoustics, cost, weight, and form factor.
- Partner with silicon and power teams to influence chip floorplans, package selection, and power delivery for thermal optimization.
- Specify and qualify thermal interface materials (TIMs), heatsinks, fans, pumps, cold plates, and related components.
- Lead thermal characterization, bring-up, and validation in the lab; correlate models to measured data.
- Mentor junior thermal engineers and establish best practices, design guidelines, and review processes.
- Engage with suppliers and ODM/OEM partners on thermal design reviews and DFx activities.
- Represent thermal engineering in cross-functional architecture reviews and executive readouts.
Requirements
- BS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field; 9+ years of hands-on thermal design experience for electronic systems.
- Deep expertise in heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics fundamentals.
- Proven track record shipping products with non-trivial thermal challenges.
- Proficiency with industry-standard CFD tools (Icepak, FloTHERM, 6SigmaET, or equivalent).
- Strong experience with lab instrumentation: thermocouples, IR cameras, anemometers, wind tunnels, and power measurement.
- Excellent ability to communicate complex technical trade-offs to both engineers and executives.
Nice to Have
- Experience with liquid cooling, two-phase cooling, or immersion cooling at rack or system scale.
- Familiarity with high-power AI/GPU/CPU thermal design (High TDP components).
- Knowledge of acoustic design and fan curve optimization.
- Scripting experience (Python, MATLAB) for simulation automation and data analysis.
- Published papers, patents, or conference presentations (SEMI-THERM, ITHERM, InterPACK).
- Experience leading thermal teams or technical programs.
- This position is not eligible for Intel immigration sponsorship.
- Join Intel today to be part of a company that values your expertise and is committed to helping you grow professionally while driving industry-leading innovation.
Benefits
- We offer a total compensation package that ranks among the best in the industry.
- It consists of competitive pay, stock bonuses, and benefit programs which include health, retirement, and vacation.
- Find out more about the benefits of working at Intel .
- Annual Salary Range for jobs which could be performed in the US: $52,000.00-$200,000.00 The range displayed on this job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target compensation for the position across all US locations.
- Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
- Your recruiter can share more about the specific compensation range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
- Work Model for this Role This role is available as a fully home-based and generally would require you to attend Intel sites only occasionally based on business need.
- However, you must live and work from the country specified in the job posting, in which Intel has a legal presence.
Sourced directly from Intel’s career page
Your application goes straight to Intel.
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Open roles at Intel
95 positions
Job ID
/job/Virtual-US/Senior-Thermal-Architect---Intel-Contract-Employee_JR0284571-1
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