Mechanical Engineer, Staff

Construction, Engineering & Trades · Civil & Industrial Engineering · Mechanical Engineering

In short

Qualcomm is expanding into rack-scale AI infrastructure and seeks a Staff Mechanical Engineer to design robust rack systems. This hands-on role involves shaping mechanical architecture from component interfaces to rack structures, utilizing advanced CAD, tolerance analysis, and prototype builds to guide critical product decisions.

Responsibilities

Own mechanical design workstreams for data center rack systems, spanning package, board, server tray, rack, pod, and data-center interfaces.
Create and maintain system-level 3D CAD layouts for silicon packages, carrier boards, server trays, rack structures, connectors, cables, manifolds, and assembly interfaces.
Integrate direct-to-chip cooling hardware including cold plates, heat sinks, heat pipes, rack manifolds, fans, and vapor chambers.
Perform mechanical design and integration of server trays and rack assemblies, including 3D CAD, interface control, tolerance analysis, mounting and assembly strategy, serviceability, structural integrity, and manufacturing drawings.
Translate electrical, thermal, RF, EMI, package, board, and service requirements into functional, cost-competitive, and robust mechanical platforms.
Plan and execute mechanical validation, including thermal testing, tolerance verification, assembly trials, shock and vibration, serviceability, connector mating, and liquid-loop integration testing.
Lead technical trade studies balancing performance, reliability, manufacturability, schedule, cost, serviceability, facility requirements, and total cost of ownership.
Partner with silicon packaging, PCB layout, power delivery, signal integrity, hardware, reliability, regulatory, supply chain, and manufacturing teams to resolve platform constraints early.
Lead design reviews and partner engagements with ODMs, OEMs, cooling suppliers, connector suppliers, and manufacturing partners.
Develop reusable methods, templates, automation, and design guidance for end-to-end mechanical design and validation.
Mentor engineers and provide clear technical recommendations to program leaders and executive stakeholders while remaining a strong individual contributor.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
8+ years of industry experience designing complex electro-mechanical hardware, with hands-on responsibility for detailed design, release, prototype build, validation, and production support.
8+ years of advanced 3D CAD experience using Creo, NX, SolidWorks, or equivalent, including top-down assemblies, skeleton models, multiple configurations, and 2D drawings.
Demonstrated experience designing server, rack, chassis, or other high-density electronic hardware using sheet metal, CNC-machined components, plastics, heatsinks, fasteners, and structural supports.
Strong command of mechanical engineering fundamentals, materials, fastener design, structural load paths, design for assembly, tolerance stack analysis, GD&T, and design for manufacturability.
Experience defining PCB mechanical constraints and exchanging ECAD/MCAD data using IDX, IDF/EMN, or equivalent workflows.
Experience designing or integrating high-density electro-mechanical systems using sheet metal, machined components, fans, manifolds, fasteners, and structural supports.
Experience creating 2D part and assembly drawings, BOMs, interface-control documents, tolerance analyses, and design-review packages for complex assemblies.
Experience working directly with ODM/OEM partners and suppliers through concept, DFM, prototype, design verification, and issue resolution.
Ability to lead complex, ambiguous, cross-functional mechanical problems with minimal supervision and communicate clearly in design reviews, written requirements, reports, and executive presentations.
Ability to work onsite in San Diego and to travel periodically to supplier or manufacturing locations.

Desired Qualifications

Master’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related field.
10+ years of relevant mechanical product-development experience, including project leadership at the server, rack, or data-center system level.
Experience integrating AI accelerators, GPUs, CPUs, memory, advanced packages, and large substrates into boards and thermally efficient rack tray solutions.
Experience designing OCP rack and server architectures, including Open Rack v3 / Open Rack Wide, rack-level coolant distribution, forced convection solutions, busbars, and cables.
Experience with liquid cooling including cold plates, plumbing, manifolds, blind-mate or serviceable quick disconnects, leak detection, hose routing, minimum bend radius, and serviceability
Experience with high-speed electromechanical interconnects including OSFP-class pluggables, board-to-board or compression connectors, cable design, mating requirements, and advanced tolerance challenges.
Experience with structural FEA using Ansys Mechanical, Abaqus, Nastran, Creo Simulate, or equivalent, including static load, shock, vibration, preload, warpage, fatigue, or shipping risk.
Experience with package and cold-plate loading frames, bond-line control, spring and fastener preload, large-board flatness, connector co-planarity, warpage, and tolerance-driven interface design.
Proficiency with Creo 3D, Python, MATLAB, VBA, or similar methods for CAD/data automation and engineering workflow improvement.
Familiarity with PLM/PDM, requirements, and configuration-management systems used to control CAD, drawings, BOMs, specifications, and engineering changes.
Industrial design experience
Advanced heat sink design experience including vapor chambers, heat pipes, and advanced fin geometry.
Experience designing antennas, shields, and mechanical RF solutions.
Demonstrated record of invention, patents, technical publications, or development of advanced thermal/mechanical architectures.

Benefits

Competitive annual discretionary bonus program
Opportunity for annual RSU grants
Highly competitive benefits package designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play.
Information about US benefits available at this link.
If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers.

Skills

CreoNXSolidWorksPythonMATLABVBAFEAAnsys MechanicalAbaqusNastran

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