Senior Thermal Engineering Technical Leader

Cisco

Hybrid

Quick summary

Work type: Hybrid
Location: San Jose, CA
Salary: $191,400–$281,400 / yr
Posted: 5 days ago
Closes: Aug 31, 2026
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $171k

This role $236k

$130k most similar roles pay here $298k

This role pays more than 89% of similar roles. Most pay $146,500–$195,000 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $236k versus about $171k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About Cisco

Cisco Systems is the world''s leading networking technology company, designing and manufacturing networking hardware, telecommunications equipment, and cybersecurity solutions for businesses and governments. Industry: Networking Technology & Cybersecurity

Cisco currently has 174 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $165,000–$241,400 across 174 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Senior Thermal Engineering Technical Leader

Role Posting Log in to save

As a Senior Thermal Engineer at Cisco, you will join the Hardware Engineering team to design and develop thermal solutions for high-power ASICs and dense optical transceivers in complex systems. Your daily tasks include creating detailed simulations using tools like Flotherm or Icepak, conducting thermal testing, and collaborating with Distinguished Engineers and cross-functional teams to ensure system architectures are thermally optimized. You will also mentor junior engineers and present findings to project teams and management. Ideal candidates have a Bachelors in Mechanical or Thermal Engineering plus 12 years of experience, including expertise in Computational Fluid Dynamics, air-cooling technologies, liquid cooling systems, and 3D MCAD modeling tools like PTC's Creo or NX. This role focuses on the thermal design challenges specific to telecom, compute, and networking equipment at a large scale within Cisco’s innovative hardware solutions.

Skills

Flotherm Icepak PTC Creo NX Finite Element Analysis Computational Fluid Dynamics Thermal Interface Materials Liquid Cooling Immersion Cooling Air Cooling Vapor Chamber Remote Heat Sinks Fans Fan Trays 3D MCAD Modeling Data Center Cooling Simulations

What you'll do

Design and develop thermal solutions for systems with high-power ASICs and optical transceivers.
Conduct detailed simulations using Computational Fluid Dynamics tools to analyze thermal performance.
Perform thermal testing including airflow, acoustic, and thermocouple validations.
Lead and mentor other thermal engineers within the team.
Collaborate with mechanical engineers to deliver data-driven thermal solutions.

What we're looking for

Bachelor's in Mechanical or Thermal Engineering with 12 years of experience, or Master's with 8 years, or PhD with 5 years.
Extensive experience (5+ years) in thermal design, simulation, and testing for electronic devices/systems.
Expertise in Computational Fluid Dynamic tools like Flotherm or Icepak for detailed simulations.
Proven track record in designing advanced air-cooling technologies and liquid cooling systems.
Experience with 3D MCAD modeling tools such as PTC's Creo or NX.
Knowledge of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Data Center cooling simulations.

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