Location: Hybrid – Santa Clara, CA Type: Full-Time | Compensation: $150K–$300K + Competitive Equity Visa Sponsorship: H-1B, O-1, OPT Available About the Opportunity Initio Capital is hiring a Thermal & Mechanical Engineering Lead on behalf of a high-performance computing startup that’s building custom RISC-V–based server solutions for AI and data-intensive workloads. This is a stealth-mode, venture-backed team led by industry veterans in silicon, architecture, and system design—with the mission to reimagine server infrastructure from the ground up. This role is perfect for a strategic and hands-on thermal leader ready to architect cooling solutions across the entire stack: from silicon to full server enclosures . You'll collaborate directly with cross-functional teams and vendors to ship enterprise-grade thermal designs that enable performance at the edge of compute boundaries. About the Role As Thermal/Mechanical Lead , you’ll be responsible for end-to-end ownership of mechanical and thermal design for next-gen server and compute systems. You'll guide architecture decisions, validate models with Ansys tools, and oversee component sourcing, prototyping, and testing. You’ll also shape the foundation of the internal hardware design team while working closely with contract manufacturers and external partners. What You’ll Do Architect and deliver high-efficiency cooling systems (air, liquid, immersion)

Lead design and simulation using Ansys IcePak and Mechanical for CFD and FEA modeling

Build and validate thermal models for silicon, modules, and system enclosures

Develop MCAD designs, manage PLM processes, and align with product timelines

Source thermal components and manage relationships with suppliers and manufacturers

Support full lifecycle: concept, prototype, test, and production

Collaborate with silicon, packaging, and system architects to optimize thermal reliability and performance

Mentor junior engineers and scale the internal hardware/mechanical team

✅ What We’re Looking For 15+ years of hands-on experience in thermal system design , especially for data center hardware and high-density compute

Expert in Ansys Suite (IcePak, Mechanical) for CFD/FEA modeling

Strong MCAD/PLM skills (Creo, SolidWorks, or equivalent)

Proven technical leadership in fast-paced or startup environments

Fluent in vendor/supplier management and contract manufacturing workflows

Advanced degree (Ph.D. or MS) in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on conjugate heat transfer or equivalent thermal domain

Bonus Points Familiarity with CPU socket design , semiconductor packaging , and rack-scale thermal architecture

Understanding of OCP mechanical design guidelines , colobox and rack-level layout

Experience in liquid cooling deployments , custom cold plate design, or immersion-cooled infrastructure

Past work on hardware/software co-optimization in thermally constrained systems

Compensation & Perks Salary: $150K – $300K

Equity: Competitive early-stage grant

Hybrid in Santa Clara, CA

H-1B, O-1, and OPT sponsorship available

Mission-driven team reinventing the future of compute from silicon up

Unique opportunity to lead and scale a critical hardware function in a fast-growth environment

If you’re ready to build thermal systems that power the next era of AI and high-performance computing—this is the role. Apply now to join the founding hardware team.