Senior Manager, Thermal Design Engineering

General Overview

Job Title: Senior Manager, Hardware Design Engineering
Functional Area:  Engineering (ENG)
Career Stream:  Design Engineering Hardware (DHW)
Role:  Manager (SMG)

About Celestica

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re connecting through at least one piece of hardware that we designed, developed, manufactured, or service. Celestica is the brand behind the brands you rely on every day. Through our Hardware Platform Solutions (HPS), we engineer and deliver leading-edge networking, storage, and server platforms—powering everything from custom hyperscale cloud deployments to the world’s most demanding AI, machine learning, and 5G infrastructure. Across global data centers and enterprise environments, we partner with industry leaders: 9 of the top 10 internet service providers, 4 of the top 5 storage providers, 3 of the top 5 networking OEMs, and the top 3 non-X86 server providers.

At Celestica, our people drive this scale. We are a team of changemakers who combine deep engineering expertise with an unrelenting drive to solve complex architectural challenges for our customers. As AI workloads push silicon and power boundaries past historical limits, traditional cooling is no longer enough. Thermal engineering and advanced liquid cooling are now the critical enablers of the next generation of computing.

Job Summary

Reporting directly to the Engineering Director, the Senior Manager, Thermal Engineering, leads a high-performing engineering team responsible for defining thermal architecture and cooling strategies for next-generation, high-power AI compute platforms. In this high-impact, collaborative leadership role, you will work closely with cross-functional partners, global customers, manufacturing teams, and senior executives to drive the end-to-end development and deployment of state-of-the-art liquid cooling solutions for hyperscale data centers.

As a supportive functional leader, you will empower your team to innovate across advanced 1D fluidic modeling, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, and complex thermal validation. Beyond concept design and thermal/hydraulic qualification, you will provide strategic executive and technical guidance throughout the entire manufacturing life cycle, fostering an inclusive environment while ensuring high-reliability cooling systems meet rigorous performance, efficiency, and operational standards.

If you are driven to lead an elite engineering team at the absolute frontier of data center liquid cooling and hardware innovation, let’s engineer the future together.

Detailed Description

Performs tasks such as, but not limited to, the following:

• Lead the thermal design, development, and implementation of technical solutions for complex projects, specifically focusing on high-density data center racks and IT infrastructure involving multiple domains (thermal, mechanical, electrical). Participate in project planning and scheduling.

• Review and interpret customer requirements/specifications for data center thermal performance and may act as the primary customer contact.

• Analyze thermal trade-offs in complex systems (e.g., air vs. liquid cooling, single-phase vs. two-phase) and recommend solutions. Develop deployment strategies and plans for data center environments.

• Lead the deployment of strategic complex programs and coordinate site-wide deployment efforts.

• Manage relationships with key vendors/partners in the data center supply chain (e.g., Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) manufacturers, cold plate suppliers, pump and manifold vendors, thermal interface material vendors).

• Research thermal system ideas for next-generation data center cooling and draw up plans for these systems.

• Design, modify, and implement liquid cooling and thermal systems that meet customer and Celestica needs.

• Create designs in line with Celestica’s procedures, regulations, data center industry standards (e.g., ASHRAE), and customer standards.

• Keep up to date with relevant industry knowledge, emerging liquid cooling technologies, and data center regulations.

• Solve complex thermal and hydraulic problems.

• Liaison with suppliers, customers, contractors, data center facility operators, and other internal teams.

• Recommend system modifications to improve thermal efficiency, reduce pressure drops, or reduce cost.

• Establish annual goals and strategic direction for the team while fostering a supportive, team-oriented culture. Provide clear guidance, constructive feedback, professional development support, and regular performance evaluations to help team members succeed. Maintain accountability for overall team objectives and key performance indicators.

Thermal & Liquid Cooling Specific Duties:

• Design, architect, and evaluate Liquid Cooling systems for data centers, including cold plates, manifolds, Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs), quick disconnects (QDs), and flow networks.

• Perform complex Thermal Analysis/Modeling, CFD, and FEA (Finite Element Analysis) for high-power density electronic systems, servers, and data center enclosures.

• Perform fluidics and hydraulic systems optimization for various coolants, analyzing flow rates, pressure drops, pump sizing, and material compatibility.

• Prepare thermal and hydraulic calculations on the proposed solution before completing technical drawings. 

• Calculate factors like tolerance, dimensions, fluid constraints, and thermal limits.

• Submit thermal reports and analyses to management, engineering teams, and customers for review.

• Provide support during the manufacturing and integration process to ensure liquid cooling solutions are assembled correctly, leak-tested, and commissioned.

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies

Enabling Competencies:

• Project Management: Ability to manage/lead complex, multiple-line engineering projects that may also involve other functions. Demonstrate solid understanding of the technical and people aspects of the project. Able to create a project/change management plan and ensure that the project is delivered within the assigned time and budget. Ability to recognize project barriers and develop mitigation plans.

• Leadership: Demonstrate collaborative leadership and team development behaviors aligned with Celestica Leadership Imperatives, fostering psychological safety and cross-functional synergy.

• The following competencies may also be required: Coaching/Mentoring; Communication/Negotiation/Presentation; Creative Problem Solving; Customer Interaction/Stakeholder Management; Quality & Lean; Working Effectively with Others; D/PFMEA; 8D/Corrective Action; Equipment Safety; Design of Experiments (DOE).

Technical Competencies:

• Liquid Cooling Systems (Direct-to-Chip, Immersion, Rear Door Heat Exchangers)

• Data Center Cooling Architectures & ASHRAE Standards

• Coolant Distribution Units (CDU) & Facility Water Integration

• Fluidics, Hydraulics, and Piping Network Design

• Thermal Analysis/Modeling & CFD (e.g., Celsius, Flotherm, Icepak)

• FEA (Finite Element Analysis)

Typical Experience

• Minimum Experience: 11+ years of relevant experience, with a proven track record in high-performance server thermal management, advanced liquid cooling design, and hyperscale data center infrastructure.

Typical Education

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, required
• Preferred M.S. or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in Thermal-Fluid Sciences

Notes

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees are held accountable for all duties of the job. Job duties and the % of time identified for any function are subject to change at any time.