Thermal Consultant, - Passively Cooled, Sealed Electronic Enclosures (San Diego)

Company Description ZMicro, Inc. designs and manufactures rugged computing solutions primarily for military and aerospace applications. Since 1986, the company has been a leading provider in the deployable computing market, offering off-the-shelf, customizable, and built-to-spec military-grade computers, displays, storage, and video enhancement systems. As an American-owned and operated small business based in San Diego, CA, ZMicro develops and assembles all products at its California headquarters. Its rugged solutions also support customers in medical, broadcasting, and transportation fields, delivering reliable, high-quality computing technologies for demanding environments.

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Thermal Consultant specializing in passive thermal management for sealed electronic enclosures. The consultant will provide expert guidance on thermal architecture, enclosure design, thermal simulation, and experimental validation to ensure reliable operation of high-performance computing systems without reliance on forced-air cooling.

The primary objective is to develop and optimize passive cooling solutions that transfer heat from internal electronic components to the external environment while maintaining enclosure sealing, environmental protection, and system reliability.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in electronics cooling, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and the design of conduction-cooled, fanless, and sealed electronic systems.

Key Responsibilities

· Passive Cooling Feasibility Assessment

· Thermal Architecture and System Design

· Thermal Modeling and Simulation

· Thermal Testing and Experimental Validation

· Thermal Reliability and Environmental Performance

· Technical Consulting and Cross-Functional Collaboration

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Significant experience in thermal engineering for electronic equipment, servers, or sealed electronic enclosures.
• Demonstrated experience designing passive or fanless cooling solutions for high-power electronic systems.
• Experience with thermal simulation tools such as ANSYS Icepak, ANSYS Fluent, FloTHERM, Siemens Simcenter, or equivalent.
• Experience with thermal instrumentation, experimental testing, and simulation-to-test correlation.
• Familiarity with semiconductor packages, PCBs, thermal interface materials, heat spreaders, and enclosure materials.
• Ability to translate thermal analysis into practical, manufacturable engineering solutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with IP-rated enclosures, environmental sealing, and ruggedized electronics.
• Experience with thermal design for outdoor equipment, industrial computers, telecommunications hardware, or edge computing platforms.
• Ability to assess passive cooling feasibility early in the design process and establish realistic system power limits.

Expected Deliverables

• Passive cooling feasibility assessment and recommendations.
• System-level heat load and thermal budget analysis.
• Thermal simulation models and temperature distribution reports.
• Enclosure thermal design recommendations.
• Component-level hotspot assessment and maximum power capability analysis.
• Prototype thermal test plans and simulation-to-test correlation reports.
• Design optimization recommendations and thermal risk assessments.
• Final assessment of passive cooling feasibility against specified power, ambient temperature, and enclosure constraints.

Engagement Structure

The consultant may be engaged for a focused feasibility study, passive cooling architecture review, thermal simulation project, prototype validation effort, or ongoing engineering advisory support. Deliverables, schedule, and scope will be agreed upon based on system power, enclosure geometry, environmental requirements, and project maturity.