Senior Principal Engineer-Thermal Controls Strategy and Architecture

Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) builds the products that power infrastructure, solutions, and data management our customers need most. Our teams design and develop the hardware and software that connect infrastructure, accelerate computational workloads, integrate across the stack, protect data continuity, and deliver the platforms, applications, and diagnostics our customers rely on every day at enterprise scale. 

Some product builders follow the rules. Ours rewrite them.

Within ISG, innovation isn't just about creating new technology- it's about challenging assumptions and reimagining how work gets done. Engineers define intent, author precise specifications, and orchestrate AI agents that execute at speed and scale. AI is embedded throughout our development process, helping us move faster, learn quicker, and deliver greater impact. Yet the most important contribution remains uniquely human: deciding what to build, designing how it should work, and applying the judgment needed to earn our customers' trust. When your products power critical infrastructure around the world, that responsibility matters.

We move quickly toward the work that matters most. We reward experimentation, encourage bold thinking, and remove unnecessary barriers so great ideas can become reality faster. Our teams embrace a customer-first, first-to-market mindset, transforming rapid feedback into better products and better outcomes. We aren't looking for people who are content with the status quo- we look for builders who question it, improve it, and occasionally rewrite it.

If you're energized by solving complex systems challenges, excited to work alongside AI to amplify your impact, and motivated by the opportunity to shape what's next instead of simply maintaining what's been done before, you'll find your place here.

Join us and help build the future of enterprise technology. 

Senior Principal Engineer-Thermal Controls Strategy and Architecture

Thermal Engineering leads and delivers the development of innovative and compliant thermal design solutions, as well as cross-functional interfaces for computer systems and peripherals. Our team conducts the analysis, feasibility studies and testing of thermal products, instruments, subassemblies and packaging for new and existing products – and then oversees the introduction of design changes to the manufacturing organizations.

What you’ll achieve: 

As a Senior Principal Engineer, you will lead the architecture of thermal control systems across the PowerEdge portfolio, defining scalable and intelligent solutions for air-cooled, liquid-cooled, and rack-scale platforms. This role combines thermal engineering, embedded controls, and system architecture to deliver reliable, high-performance thermal management across multiple product generations.

Join us to do the best work of your career and make a profound social impact as a Senior Principal Engineer on our Thermal Engineering team in Austin, Texas.  (Relocation assistance is available)

Take the first step towards your dream career
Every Dell Technologies team member brings something unique to the table. Here’s what we are looking for with this role:

Essential Requirements

• 15+ years of related experience or equivalent expertise in thermal controls, systems engineering, thermal management, or server platform development
• Deep expertise in thermal control architectures, closed-loop controls, and algorithm development for complex computing or infrastructure systems
• Proven ability to architect scalable thermal management solutions that balance cooling performance, power efficiency, reliability, and cost
• Experience driving thermal control strategies across air-cooled, liquid-cooled, hybrid, or rack-scale infrastructure platforms
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to influence technical direction and partner effectively across firmware, systems, mechanical, electrical, and platform engineering teams

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with model-based engineering, simulation, automated validation, or AI-assisted engineering workflows for controls development
• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field

Compensation

Dell is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The base salary range for this position is $176,000-$242,000

You will:

• Define the vision and architecture for next-generation thermal control systems across Dell server and infrastructure platforms
• Lead the design of advanced thermal control algorithms that optimize cooling, power, performance, reliability, and energy efficiency
• Drive thermal control strategies for air-cooled, liquid-cooled, hybrid, and rack-scale architectures, shaping future technology roadmaps
• Partner across firmware, platform, mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering teams to deliver scalable and robust thermal management solutions
• Serve as a technical authority for thermal controls, leading complex system-level problem solving, influencing engineering decisions, and establishing architectural best practices across the organization