Sr. Mechanical Engineer - Thermal

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As part of Molex's strategic investment in CAEPlus and the ongoing development of next-generation AI data center thermal management solutions, this position will operate in a unique collaboration model between the two organizations. While employed by Molex and receiving all Molex employment benefits, the successful candidate will work closely with the CAEPlus team and focus primarily on advancing CAEPlus technologies, products, and innovation initiatives.

This role offers the entrepreneurial environment of a growing technology venture combined with the resources, stability, and engineering expertise of a global industry leader.

This role leads the mechanical design, product validation, and manufacturing development of Boundary Cool thermal management solutions for the CAEPlus Phase I program. The engineer will own the detailed design of cold plates, active module integration geometry, and manufacturing drawings - driving the full product development lifecycle from concept through prototype validation. Working directly with the CAEPlus founder and cross-functional program team, this individual will apply expertise across precision machining, materials, and thermal hardware design to bring a breakthrough active cooling platform to market.

• Design and apply advanced fluid dynamic concepts into the active thermal management system to enhance convective heat transfer performance of cold plates and related thermal solutions
• Develop and validate CFD simulations of the active thermal management system, including turbulence modeling, Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) analysis, heat transfer coefficient improvement, and flow distribution characterization
• Design and execute single and multi-cold plate flow loop test protocols - measuring thermal resistance (Rth K/W), flow impedance, and pressure drop (P) across target flow rate range, consistent with Open Compute Project (OCP) standards
• Design server chassis-level and rack-level test rig configurations for NVIDIA NVL-class GPU load simulation
• Set up and operate flow loop test rig (coolant loop assembly, instrumentation, leakage detection, and data acquisition system)
• Install and calibrate thermal instrumentation including thermocouples, pressure transducers, flow meters, and power measurement equipment
• Correlate CFD simulation results with experimental thermal test data and iterate on the active cooling system to improve performance
• Collaborate with Mechanical Engineers and CAD Designers on cold plate channel geometry and active cooling system design
• Develop thermal test protocols, acceptance criteria, data acquisition procedures, and documentation of best practices for simulation and testing
• Generate performance data package documenting Rth, T, P, and flow uniformity for customer qualification
• Specify fluid fitting requirements and standards, including Universal Quick Disconnects (UQD), G1/4" BSPP, NPT and equivalent connector specifications for inlet and outlet interfaces
• Discover and invent new techniques and methods in thermal simulation, design, and testing
• Support technical paper authorship and patent filing in thermal management and active cooling

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Sciences, or Aerospace Engineering
• 3+ years of thermal engineering and CFD simulation experience
• Proficiency in ANSYS Fluent, ANSYS Icepak, Simcenter Flo Therm, COMSOL, or equivalent thermal simulation tools
• Experience with liquid cooling system design and analysis - single-phase and two-phase
• Experience setting up and operating thermal test rigs, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems
• Strong foundation in heat transfer (conduction, forced convection, radiation, and two-phase heat transfer)
• Experience with 3D CAD tools for simulation geometry preparation and model validation

• MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Sciences, or Aerospace Engineering
• Experience with direct liquid cooling (DLC) or direct-to-chip (D2C) cold plate systems
• Experience with ANSYS Fluent UDFs or Python scripting for simulation automation
• Familiarity with Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) systems and chiller systems used in hyperscale data center environments
• Familiarity with Open Compute Project (OCP) liquid cooling standard protocols
• Familiarity with NVL-class or HGX-class GPU thermal specifications and test methodologies
• Familiarity with two-phase cooling systems and simulation methodologies
• Prior experience publishing technical papers or filing patents in thermal management or active cooling

For this role, we anticipate paying $100,000 - $130,000 per year. This role is eligible for variable pay, issued as a monetary bonus or in another form.

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than…