Overview

Microsoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is the team behind Microsoft’s expanding Cloud Infrastructure and responsible for powering Microsoft’s “Intelligent Cloud” mission. SCHIE delivers the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Teams, One Drive, and the Microsoft Azure platform globally with our server and data center infrastructure, security and compliance, operations, globalization, and manageability solutions. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering a trusted experience to customers and partners worldwide and we are looking for passionate engineers to help achieve that mission.

As Microsoft's cloud business continues to grow the ability to deploy new offerings and hardware infrastructure on time, in high volume with high quality and lowest cost is of paramount importance. To achieve this goal, the CHSE (Cloud Hardware Systems Engineering) team is instrumental in defining and delivering operational measures of success for hardware manufacturing, improving the planning process, quality, delivery, scale and sustainability related to Microsoft cloud hardware. We are looking for seasoned engineers with a dedicated passion for customer focused solutions, insight and industry knowledge to envision and implement future technical solutions that will manage and optimize the Cloud infrastructure.

We are looking for a Principal Mechanical/Thermal Architect to join the team.

#SCHIE #CHSE #azurehwjobs

• Responsibilities- Lead Mechanical and thermal Development: Deliver innovative mechanical and thermal architecture and designs for compute & AI server and cooling systems, integrating thermal, structural, and electrical constraints with a deep understanding of server architecture and adjacencies.
• End-to-End System Design Ownership: Lead system-level design from concept through production, including architectural trade-offs, technical decision-making, and alignment across chip, tray, rack, and datacenter interfaces.
• Liquid Cooling Architecture Leadership: Architect and drive the design and development of complex liquid cooling solutions at the server, rack, and datacenter levels, including liquid-to-air heat exchangers, CDUs, manifolds, and piping.
• Fluid Distribution & Thermal Implementation: Own the mechanical and thermal implementation of fluid distribution systems within server racks, including:
• Fluid flow and pressure management
• Cold plate design and reliability
• Pump selection, design, and reliability
• Material compatibility and corrosion resistance
• Fluid and air volume management
• Design for Manufacturing & Reliability: Ensure manufacturability, cost-efficiency, and long-term reliability through material selection, tolerance control, supplier engagement, and understanding of tooling and manufacturing processes.
• Drive for Results: Set goals with measurable outcomes, manage risk, and ensure timely delivery of high-quality hardware solutions across product lines.
• Strategic Thinking: Translate business and customer needs into scalable mechanical strategies that align with long-term platform and product roadmaps, while proactively exploring future technologies and industry trends.
• Technology Pathfinding: Develop and explore innovative design strategies that anticipate future trends, opportunities, and industry shifts.
• Engineering Rigor & Agility: Balance innovation with disciplined execution, ensuring quality as a key participant in structured design reviews, test planning, and root cause analysis.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with system, electrical, thermal, mechanical, power, reliability, datacenter and other domains to align interfaces, constraints, customer-focused solutions and execution plans across the platform.
• Invent & Protect: Identify and develop intellectual property, encouraging patent filings and contributing to Microsoft’s innovation portfolio.
• Tool & Process Advancement: Evaluate and implement new tools, technologies, and methodologies to improve design quality and team productivity.
• Utilize expertise in fluid systems design to deliver high-performance liquid cooling with production-level reliability

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications :

• 9+ years related technical engineering experienceOR Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related technical engineering experience

• OR Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 4+ years related technical engineering experience

• OR Doctorate degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related technical engineering experience

• OR equivalent experience.

• Proficiency in CAD software understanding of mechanical design principles, GD&T analysis, mechanical vibration and shock, material compatibility, tooling, manufacturing processes, validation, and packaging.

• Experience with prototyping, tooling, and high-volume manufacturing of electronic enclosures.

• Experience leading complex design programs, crossfunctional design reviews and architectural decisions.

• Experience with cabling and networking interconnect technology.

• Experience with development of specifications, interface control documents, and managing design requirements.

• Hands-on experience with the end-to-end design of liquid cooling subsystems, such as QD, Cold Plate, Manifold, RPU and CDU.

• Hands-on experience with FloTHERM, FLOEFD, Ansys, Icepak, Macroflow or equivalent CFD analysis software.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5 + years of thermal and mechanical design principles, fluid dynamics, pumps and compressors, mechanical vibration and shock, valve and manifold design, material compatibility, manufacturing processes, and validation.

• 10 years of experience in the electronics industry specifically related to high-density, liquid cooled compute systems.

• 15+ years of industry experience in the electronics industry with server development background.

• Proficient analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify and resolve mechanical design issues and optimize system performance.

• Advanced knowledge of analytical tools/processes for heat transfer, fluid flow, material science, and structural analysis.

• Ability to generate and analyze architectural solutions, including directional cost analysis, feasibility and engineering degree of difficulty.

• Experience in tolerance analysis and the production part approval (PPAP) process.

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.