Thermal-Mechanical Manufacturing Engineer

About the Team

OpenAI’s Hardware organization develops system-level and silicon solutions designed for the unique demands of advanced AI workloads. We work at the intersection of mechanical, thermal, electrical, and systems engineering to bring high-performance, mission-critical hardware from concept through mass production.

Our team partners closely with design engineering, operations, TPM, and external manufacturing partners to ensure our AI infrastructure is reliable, efficient, and built to scale.

About the Role

We’re looking for an experienced Manufacturing Engineer to lead thermal-mechanical manufacturing initiatives across the lifecycle of next-generation AI hardware systems. In this role, you will drive manufacturing process design, validation, and quality strategy from early concept through launch and mass production.

You will work cross-functionally with mechanical, thermal, electrical, and systems engineers to ensure our data center hardware platforms meet performance, reliability, and scalability requirements at both component and rack levels. This role requires strong analytical rigor, hands-on manufacturing experience, and the ability to execute in a fast-paced, cross-disciplinary environment.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

In this role, you will:

• Lead thermal-mechanical manufacturing and quality initiatives to ensure product success from concept through launch and high-volume production

• Own manufacturing process design for next-generation AI hardware systems, partnering with engineering, operations, TPMs, suppliers, and external vendors

• Collaborate cross-functionally to design and optimize mechanical and thermal solutions for large-scale data center deployment

• Design and validate manufacturing processes for chassis, enclosures, cooling systems, and high-power connections, ensuring alignment with performance and reliability standards

• Provide hands-on DFM/DFx analysis across design, development, prototyping, testing, and production phases

• Research and implement automation techniques to improve manufacturing efficiency and scalability

• Define and manage manufacturing requirements, scope, schedules, and deliverables in coordination with internal and external stakeholders

• Partner with suppliers to develop validation plans that ensure reliability and quality goals are met

• Drive problem-solving efforts, including risk assessment, mitigation planning, and change management

• Lead new product introduction (NPI) efforts and production ramp, ensuring compliance with relevant quality standards and regulations

• Develop specifications and test procedures to validate reliability and performance of electronic systems

• Mentor engineers and collaborate with suppliers to design and deliver high-quality mechanical and thermal systems

• Manage multiple programs simultaneously and ensure execution against timelines and standards

You might thrive in this role if you have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field (Master’s preferred)

• 7+ years of industry experience in manufacturing engineering, mechanical design, simulation, and validation for IT hardware

• Strong proficiency in CAD tools and FEA

• Deep understanding of mechanical design, materials, manufacturing methods, and validation test procedures

• Experience analyzing experimental data, identifying root causes, and implementing corrective actions

• Strong first-principles problem-solving skills to support design and manufacturing decisions

• Ability to operate independently while collaborating effectively in cross-functional environments

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering for IT hardware or high-performance computing systems

• Experience with data center hardware deployed at scale

• Practical experience co-developing advanced cooling technologies

• Deep expertise in reliability testing, failure analysis, and thermal stress modeling for electronic components

• Experience working closely with suppliers and manufacturing partners to support new technology development and production ramp

To comply with U.S. export control laws and regulations, candidates for this role may need to meet certain legal status requirements as provided in those laws and regulations.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. 

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.

Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

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