Sr Thermal Engineer (Hardware)

Company Description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.
Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are

We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

Job Description

Your Career

We are seeking an experienced Thermal Engineer to support the development and optimization of thermal solutions for PAN (Product Area Network) products. In this role, you will collaborate directly with mechanical engineers to design, evaluate, and improve thermal systems. You will ensure optimal performance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in all thermal aspects of our NPI (New Product Introduction) and sustaining programs.

Your Impact

• Support all PAN product development thermal effort in both NPI & Sustaining
• Support ASIC team in the determining thermal package performance prior to release for manufacture
• Collaborate with mechanical engineers to co-develop NPI product thermal solutions
• Conduct early-stage thermal feasibility studies and case studies to evaluate design viability & product environmental requirements
• Create, present and maintain thermal simulation models throughout the product development from conceptual to FCS
• Optimize both internal and external thermal design solutions to ensure high-quality, low-cost solutions
• Attend regularly scheduled engineering meetings to review progress and updates
• Co-present thermal solutions, risk during system design reviews at each release
• Support thermal profiling testing. Review and approve the final thermal reports prior to each  mechanical release 
• Assist with sustaining thermal efforts when requested, ensuring long-term product performance
• Support PAN NPI sustaining programs during early development phases, including tasks like air temperature plots, junction/case temperatures, enclosure touch temperatures, and heat spreader/heat sink design guidelines
• Provide practical recommendations on thermal interface materials, assembly mounting, and overall thermal solution performance

Qualifications

Your Experience 

Technical Expertise

• Deep knowledge of both active and passive thermal design solutions
• Strong understanding of telecom 19" rack and desktop design solutions
• Ability to work across functional teams, including hardware engineering, operations, manufacturing, and quality teams
• Excellent understanding of ASIC package design

Communication

• Excellent cross-functional communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate thermal concepts and collaborate with various stakeholders

Experience

• 3-7 years of experience in PAN product design, specializing in both passive and active cooling solutions
• Flowtherm & Icepak modeling capabilities

Education

• PhD, MS, or BS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent military experience required

Additional Information

• You will be an integral part of our product development lifecycle, providing essential thermal solutions for both new product introductions and sustaining programs
• This role requires flexibility and a proactive mindset, as you will be supporting multiple efforts simultaneously across various stages of development

Additional Information

The Team

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