Principal, Platform Thermal Engineer Lead - CA, Santa Clara, United States
Originally posted 25 June 2026 by the employer. Relisted by the employer on 5 October 2026.
About the role
As a leader of the Server Platform Thermal Mechanical (SPTM) group, you will represent, debug, and triage system-level thermal issues while supporting SOC architects with power and thermal modeling.
What you'll do
- Improve capabilities across validation through tool and script development, technical and procedural methodology enhancements, and cross-functional technical initiatives. - Debug thermal issues identified during process, bring-up, validation, and production phases of SOC programs. - Track test execution across teams to ensure features are validated and optimized on schedule. - Engage with software and hardware modeling frameworks alongside supporting technical teams.
What you'll need
- Bachelors or Masters degree in mechanical engineering. - Experience with board- and platform-level debug techniques and validation strategy. - Programming and scripting skills in C/C++, Perl, Ruby, or Python. - Knowledge of system architecture and technical debug methodologies.
Nice to have
- Extensive knowledge of CFD modeling with IcePak and Flotherm, with OpenFoam as a plus. - Experience with thermal mechanical lab equipment such as anemometers, flowbenches, thermocouples, vibe/shock tables, environmental chambers, and Instron.
This role has been open 119 days — well above the 51-day median for Hardware Systems Engineering roles.
Hardware Systems Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
1003
|
Median days open
51 d
|
Median salary
$155k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | AMD | All employers we track in this specialty (1003 roles · 104 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 45 | 1003 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 400 | 6298 · 145 employers |
| Median days open | 51 d | 51 d (same as this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $155k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Intel Corporation · 72 open roles · median 34 d
- KLA Corporation · 63 open roles · median 48 d
- Teradyne · 61 open roles · median 34 d
- NVIDIA · 53 open roles · median 72 d
- Applied Materials · 51 open roles · median 70 d
- AMD (this employer) · 46 open roles · median 52 d
How we counted: 1003 open Hardware Systems Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 104 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 22 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.