{"id":1247874,"url":"https://alion.io/job/nexthop-systems-thermal-process-engineer","title":"Thermal Process Engineer","company":{"id":1954274,"name":"Nexthop Systems","domain":"nexthop.ai","url":"https://alion.io/company/nexthop-ai","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"BambooHR","truth_index":{"grade":"C","score":61,"open_postings":37,"ghost_share":0.649,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-01T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Bac Ninh, Vietnam"],"countries":["VN"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":17500,"max_usd":39000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_cell_scaled_by_country","sample_n":3947},"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"HPC","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-04-01T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-04-01","last_verified_at":"2026-10-01T11:23:52Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":183,"trust":{"level":"ghost","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale","company_stale"],"days_open":183},"description":"Company Overview\nWe are a high-growth startup building next-generation high-performance switching systems for hyperscale and AI data centers. Our platforms power large-scale cloud infrastructure, GPU clusters, and high-density compute environments where performance, reliability, and thermal efficiency are critical to customer operations.\nPosition Summary\nThe Liquid Cooling Process Engineer owns the manufacturing process definition, validation, and scaling of liquid-cooled network products in conjunction with NH engineering. This role bridges thermal design, mechanical design, manufacturing engineering, reliability, and supply chain to ensure liquid-cooling solutions-cold plates, manifolds, hoses, quick-disconnects, and TIMs-are repeatable, leak-free, thermally efficient, and production-scalable.\nThe role is critical to enabling >50-100 kW per rack architectures, supporting next-generation AI fabrics and ultra-high-bandwidth network switches without compromising reliability or serviceability.\nKey Responsibilities\nProcess Definition & Development\nDefine end-to-end manufacturing processes in close collaboration with engineering for:Direct-to-chip cold plates\nManifolds and distribution plates\nTubing, hoses, and quick-disconnects (QDs)\nTIM application (grease, PCM, gap fillers)\n\nDevelop process flow diagrams, control plans, and work instructions\nEnsure processes are DFM/DFA/DFS compliant and serviceable in field environments\nNPI Execution (EVT → DVT → PVT → MP)\nEnable fast prototyping and rapid iterative development cycles\nDrive development of DFMEA (Design Failure Mode Effects and Analysis) with engineering\nSupport thermal hardware from early EVT through HVM ramp\nIdentify and mitigate process risks:Leak paths\nTorque variation\nFlatness and coplanarity\nParticulate contamination\n\nLead process validation builds and golden line definition\nPartner with ODMs to ensure manufacturability at scale\nAssembly, Tooling & Automation\nSpecify and qualify:Torque tools and sequencing strategies\nDispensing systems for TIMs and sealants\nPressure and leak-test equipment (air, helium, liquid)\n\nDrive semi-automated and automated solutions for:Cold-plate installation\nHose routing and retention\nQD (Quick Disconnect) engagement verification\n\nDefine poka-yoke mechanisms to prevent mis-builds\nQuality, Reliability & Validation\nOwn PFMEA (Process Failure Mode Effects and Analysis) and control plans for liquid-cooling processes\nDefine acceptance criteria for:Leak rate\nPressure decay\nFlow resistance\nThermal performance\n\nSupport HALT/HASS, thermal cycling, vibration, and shock testing\nLead root-cause analysis for field and factory issues (leaks, clogging, corrosion)\nData, Monitoring & Continuous Improvement\nEstablish process KPIs:Leak ppm\nTorque Cp/Cpk\nTIM thickness uniformity\nYield and rework rates\n\nIntegrate test data into MES and quality dashboards\nDrive yield improvement and cost reduction through data-driven analysis\nSupplier & Partner Management\nWork closely with:Cold-plate suppliers\nHose and QD vendors\nTIM and sealant suppliers\nODM/OEM manufacturing teams\n\nQualify suppliers and define incoming quality requirements\nSupport dual-sourcing and cost-down initiatives\nRequired Qualifications\nMaster’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field\n7+ years experience in manufacturing and process engineering with 2+ years of liquid cooling experience\nHands-on experience with thermal or fluid-handling hardware\nStrong understanding of:Mechanical tolerances and torque control\nAssembly processes and tooling\nManufacturing quality systems\nThermodynamics\nHeat transfer \n\nExperience with liquid-cooled servers, network switches, or HPC systems\nExperience working in or with startups\nPreferred Qualifications\nFamiliarity with:Cold-plate design and materials (Cu, Al, Ni plating)\nTIM characterization and dispensing\nLeak detection methods (helium mass spec, pressure decay)\n\nExperience working with hyperscalers or large ODMs\nKnowledge of data-center cooling architectures (DLC, CDU, facility interfaces)\nKey Competencies\nStrong hands-on manufacturing mindset\nAbility to translate thermal design into robust production processes\nStructured problem-solving and root-cause analysis\nCross-functional communication and influence\nComfortable operating in fast-paced NPI and ramp environments\nSuccess Metrics\nLeak rate at factory and in field\nThermal performance consistency\nFirst-pass yield through PVT and MP\nNPI schedule adherence\nCost and cycle-time targets achieved\nUse of automation to reduce variability and increase throughput + yield\nWhy This Role Matters\nLiquid cooling is no longer optional for hyperscale networking. This role ensures liquid-cooled platforms can be manufactured safely, reliably, and at massive scale, enabling next-generation bandwidth and AI infrastructure without compromising uptime or quality.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4868,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":7,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"master","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Servers & Data Center Hardware","Network Equipment"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-25T18:02:57Z"}],"liveness":{"score":4,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.14,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":183,"expected_fill_days":24,"reasons":["conf:7","stale_co","velocity","ghost","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-01T05:45:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/nexthop-systems-thermal-process-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/nexthop-systems-thermal-process-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-01T11:58:32Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","usage":{"tier":"crawler","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":3562,"day_limit":5000,"remaining_today":1438,"minute_limit":60,"resets_at":"2026-10-02T00:00:00Z"}}}