Senior Thermal Engineer (Teradyne, North Reading, MA)

About the role

We are seeking a Senior / Principal Mechanical Engineer to provide technical leadership within the System Level Test (SLT) Thermal Engineering group. This role focuses on the design and delivery of advanced thermal solutions that enable testing of high-power semiconductor devices under challenging operating conditions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the definition, design, and validation of thermal systems that directly enable system-level semiconductor test. The work spans device interfaces through full system integration and requires close collaboration with mechanical, electrical, controls, software, and systems engineering teams.

• Architect and develop device-level thermal solutions, including liquid-cooled cold plates, advanced thermal interface materials, and mechanically compliant interfaces designed for repeated test contact and high reliability.

• Design and analyze liquid cooling systems that support very high-power density devices, including multi-branch and manifolded coolant distribution architectures.

• Lead thermal simulation efforts using CFD and analytical methods to assess steady-state and transient thermal behavior under non-uniform heat flux and fast power changes.

• Develop thermal solutions that support elevated-temperature operation and rapid thermal transients, where tight junction-temperature control is critical for test accuracy and device safety.

• Define and execute experimental validation plans, including lab instrumentation, data acquisition, and detailed correlation of experimental results to simulation models.

• Collaborate with controls and software engineers to support active thermal control concepts.

• Support the transition of thermal designs from prototype through qualification and high-volume manufacturing, including supplier engagement and technical issue resolution.

• Mentor junior engineers, review technical work, and contribute to thermal design best practices and standards within the organization.

• Work directly with semiconductor manufacturers and system companies to understand device-level thermal requirements, test conditions, power profiles, packaging constraints, and roadmap needs.

• Translate customer requirements into clear, actionable product and architecture definitions, balancing performance, risk, cost, and schedule.

• Engage with customers through onsite visits, technical reviews, and joint debug sessions.

• Act as a technical point of contact and subject-matter expert for thermal topics during customer engagements, design reviews, and escalation scenarios.

• Manage customer expectations, timelines, and feature requests, including clear communication of tradeoffs, risks, and development maturity.

• Support definition and execution of customer-driven development programs, from early feasibility through deployment into production environments.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.

• Typically, 8+ years of experience in thermal, heat-transfer, or mechanical systems engineering.

• Ability to demonstrate academic knowledge of heat transfer principles.

• Strong foundation in heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and thermal system design.

• Experience with liquid cooling systems and high-power electronics.

• Proficiency with thermal simulation tools (CFD / FEA).

• Experience working with lab data, test instrumentation, and model correlation.

• CAD experience (SolidWorks or equivalent).

• Thermal simulation tools such as ANSYS Fluent, Icepak, COMSOL, OpenFOAM or similar.

• Data analysis using tools such as MATLAB SIMULINK, Python, or LabVIEW.