Mechanical Principal Engineer
Dell Technologies · Austin, TX · Mechanical Engineering
About this role
Dell Technologies is hiring a principal-level Hardware Engineer in the software engineering function based in Austin, TX. The posting calls out experience with System Design, Observability, Data Analytics, A/B Testing. Compensation is listed at $145,000–$187,000 per year.
- Role
- Hardware Engineer
- Function
- software engineering
- Level
- principal
- Track
- Tech leadership
- Employment
- Full-time
- Location
- Austin, TX
- Department
- Mechanical Engineering
- Posted
- Jul 13, 2026
Job description
from Dell Technologies careersInfrastructure 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 in Austin, Texas.
Mechanical Principal Engineer
Why Work with Us
Dell Technologies is leading the transformation of AI infrastructure, delivering high-performance, liquid-cooled platforms that power next-generation workloads. Our teams solve some of the most complex engineering challenges in the industry. Join us to do the best work of your career and make a measurable impact by enabling deployment and success of advanced AI systems at global scale.
What You’ll Achieve
As a Mechanical Principal Engineer specializing in AI platforms with Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC), you will be a senior technical leader responsible for resolving complex factory and customer escalations while ensuring seamless deployment and lifecycle support of high-density AI systems. You will operate at the intersection of product engineering, manufacturing, and customer operations to drive reliability, performance, and customer success.
You Will:
- Lead Customer Escalations & Technical Resolution: Serve as the primary customer-facing mechanical/thermal expert for AI platform escalations, driving end-to-end resolution of critical factory, deployment, and post-deployment issues involving Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) systems.
- Troubleshoot & Optimize Liquid Cooling Infrastructure: Diagnose and resolve complex issues across cold plates, manifolds, tubing, quick disconnects, CDUs, pumps, flow control, leak detection, and monitoring systems while validating thermal performance, flow balance, and cooling efficiency in real-world environments.
- Drive Reliability, Root Cause Analysis & Continuous Improvement: Conduct deep root cause investigations (RCA), implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), analyze fleet-wide telemetry and failure trends, and lead design, quality, and cost improvements based on factory and field feedback.
- Support Product Development & Manufacturing Scale-Up: Partner with cross-functional teams to support new product introductions (NPI), pilot builds, high-volume manufacturing ramps, deployment readiness, and successful integration within customer data center environments.
- Provide Technical Leadership & Stakeholder Communication: Communicate technical findings, mitigation strategies, and recommendations to customers, executives, and field teams while influencing next-generation AI platform and DLC architectures and maintaining engineering documentation, escalation reports, and ECR/ECO records.
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:
- Advanced Mechanical & Thermal Engineering Expertise: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field (Master’s preferred) with 10+ years of experience in mechanical and thermal engineering, including deep expertise in Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC), thermal system design, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and thermal optimization.
- High-Performance Computing & Data Center Knowledge: Strong understanding of AI/HPC platforms, GPU servers, high-density compute environments, and data center cooling infrastructure, including facility-level cooling integration.
- Reliability, Failure Analysis & Issue Resolution: Proven track record in failure analysis, reliability engineering, root cause methodologies, and leading customer-facing escalations and complex field issue resolution.
- Manufacturing & Operational Support: Experience supporting factory operations, manufacturing processes, supplier quality management, and product deployment activities in fast-paced global environments.
- Technical Leadership & Communication: Proficiency with CAD tools (Creo, SolidWorks, NX) and engineering documentation, combined with excellent executive-level communication, multitasking capabilities, and willingness to travel for customer and factory support.
Desirable Requirements:
- Advanced Cooling Systems & Thermal Analysis: Experience with coolant chemistry, corrosion control, filtration, fluid quality management, ASHRAE and OCP liquid cooling standards, CDUs, hybrid/immersion cooling solutions, and CFD/FEA modeling with laboratory validation of thermal-fluid systems.
- Operational Excellence & Data Center Scale Deployment: Background in Six Sigma/Lean methodologies (Black Belt preferred), large-scale reliability and field-return data analysis, and deployment/support of cooling infrastructure in hyperscale or enterprise data center environments.
Compensation
Dell is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The salary range for this position is $145k - $187k.
Benefits and Perks of working at Dell Technologies
Your life. Your health. Supported by your benefits. You can explore the overall benefits experience that awaits you as a Dell Technologies team member — right now at MyWellatDell.com