Lead Thermal Simulation Engineer

Responsibilities

• Perform thermal simulations to assess heat generation, cooling strategies, and system-level thermal performance
• Partner with mechanical, electrical, and controls engineers to influence design decisions early in development
• Build simulation models to evaluate robotic actuators, transmissions, mechanisms, and integrated assemblies
• Correlate simulation results with physical testing to improve model accuracy
• Support architecture trade studies and identify technical risks to improve reliability and manufacturability
• Develop simulation workflows, standards, and best practices that scale across the robotics organization
• Contribute to long-term capabilities including multiphysics modeling and digital twins

Requirements

• Experience performing thermal simulation and design of complex electromechanical systems
• Proficiency with commercial CAE tools such as Simcenter 3D, Abaqus, Ansys, Nastran, LS-DYNA, or COMSOL
• Experience correlating simulation models with physical test data and validation campaigns
• Knowledge of robotic systems, actuators, mechanisms, power electronics, or batteries

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing simulation methodologies, automation tools, or organization-wide thermal workflows
• Strong intuition for mechanical systems and the ability to connect simulation to real-world hardware behavior

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with employer HSA contributions
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
• Paid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents) and caregiver leave
• Flexible PTO and 13+ paid company holidays
• Mental health and wellness support
• Annual learning and development stipend
• Daily meals in the office and relocation support for eligible employees

About the Company

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. Our Robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and pushing towards AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world settings.