Thermal and Performance Architect

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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.

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

Education & Experience Recommended
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

Required Technical Expertise
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 (strong plus)

Proficiency     with CAD and simulation tools, including:

PTC Creo, Solid Works, ANSYS

Finite Element Methods and 3D modeling

Knowledge & Skills
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

Impact & Scope
Influences multiple functions and disciplines across HP

Shapes long-term thermal and mechanical strategy across the product portfolio

Complexity
Invents, develops, and introduces new thermal methods, frameworks, and technologies that     impact     multiple disciplines, platforms, and work…