Mechanical NPI Engineer - Liquid Cooling Solutions Expert

Title: Mechanical NPI Engineer Liquid Cooling Solutions Expert

Location: Santa Clara, CA (Fully Onsite) up to around 6 weeks of travel to various Domestic/International sites
Type: 6-Month Contract-to-Hire or Direct Hire
Interviews: 3 Rounds (MS Teams Onsite with NPI/Manufacturing Teams)
Start Date: December 2025 or January 2026
Requirements: Background Check Valid U.S. Passport
Travel: Typically, up to 4 6 weeks over a 6-month period (domestic, near-shore, offshore sites)

Scope:

We are developing and scaling the next generation of liquid-cooled network switches, bringing multiple new products into manufacturing over the next year. This role is ideal for a Mechanical Engineer or Mechanical NPI Engineer who has hands-on experience implementing liquid-cooling solutions and taking those solutions from prototype through high-volume manufacturing.

This position is implementation focused. The ideal candidate has deep exposure to cold plates, manifolds, fittings, tubing, fluid routing, and mechanical commodity integration, with a strong understanding of how to translate these systems into reliable, manufacturable products.

You'll work closely with mechanical, thermal, and manufacturing teams to support product builds across multiple global test sites, including L10 (box-level) and L11 (rack-level) integrations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead mechanical NPI integration for liquid-cooled switch products at the component, subsystem, and system levels
• Implement and validate liquid-cooling loops, including cold plates, manifolds, tubing, fittings, and fluid delivery systems
• Scale cooling designs from NPI low volume high-volume manufacturing
• Translate thermal and mechanical concepts into DFM/DFX-ready designs suitable for high-reliability environments
• Work with mechanical commodities, including:
• Sheet metal, plastics, die-cast housings
• Copper heat sinks, vapor chambers, heat pipes
• Cold plates and associated hardware
• Troubleshoot cooling loops, leak paths, fittings, and routing challenges
• Support L10 (box-level) and L11 (rack-level) test activities in collaboration with global test sites
• Work with PLM tools to create and manage MCOs, deviations, ECOs, and high-level assembly releases
• Collaborate across thermal, electrical, reliability, and manufacturing teams to support NPI builds
• Participate in travel to domestic and offshore test facilities to verify cooling performance and integration
• Support mechanical design reviews, test readiness reviews, and ramp-to-production milestones

Required Qualifications:

• Mechanical Engineering or Mechanical NPI (Manufacturing/Industrial) background with hands-on product development experience
• Direct experience implementing thermal and liquid-cooling solutions, including cold plates, manifolds, tubing, fittings, and fluid-delivery components
• Demonstrated ability to take liquid-cooling hardware from design prototype manufacturing scale
• Strong understanding of mechanical commodities such as:
• Sheet metal, die casting, plastics
• Copper heat sinks, vapor chambers, heat pipes
• Fluid routing components for high-power systems
• Experience with fluid-delivery systems at a facility and system level
• Proven track record introducing hardware products into manufacturing, ideally 10 years, with a strong understanding of high-level assembly release processes (similar in complexity to Arista s platforms)
• Familiarity with NPI phases (EVT/DVT/PVT), DFM/DFX, and working with manufacturing partners
• Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams in a fast-paced hardware environment
• U.S. Passport required for domestic/near-shore/offshore travel

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with cooling distribution units (CDUs), PG25 coolant, and liquid-to-air or liquid-to-liquid cooling loops
• Exposure to rack-level thermal integration and L11 test environments
• Experience supporting multiple test sites and infrastructure deployments
• Knowledge of leak detection, plumbing integration, and reliability considerations for cooling systems
• PLM experience (deviations, MCOs, ECOs)