Mechanical & Thermal Engineer

About Astrape Networks

Astrape Networks is rebuilding the nervous system of the AI data center. Today's AI clusters run three or four parallel networks because no single fabric is fast or flexible enough. We collapse them into one adaptive fabric that fuses optical and electronic switching and decides, flow by flow and at microsecond speed, how data should travel. The result is up to 60% less energy, 50% more traffic, and a network that scales to millions of GPUs.

Role Overview

As Mechanical & Thermal Engineer, you'll give our technology its physical form. Our SmartNICs and hybrid optical switches live in standard 19-inch server racks, which means a fixed envelope and no room to waste. Inside, it all has to come together: high-power PCBs with oversized heatsinks, power supplies, fans, optical components and the connections between them. You'll own that puzzle, from the enclosure architecture down to the last bracket.

Then there's the heat. FPGAs and processors push hundreds of watts into a box sandwiched between other servers, with air flowing in only one direction: front to back. Liquid cooling is off the table, so every watt has to leave with the airflow you design. You'll model it, simulate it, measure it and make sure no component is left in a dead zone. Today, much of our mechanical design is 3D-printed prototype work. Your job is to turn it into robust, production-ready hardware that data centers can rely on for decades.

This is your chance to shape the physical design of a product that's still being defined, with a direct impact on how it performs, lasts and gets built.

What you'll do in general:

• Product design A-Z: involved starting from the concept stage all the way to production.
• Initial phase: you will draft mechanical and thermal constraints in close cooperation with the electrical and software engineers.
• Design phase: you will design, prototype and test solutions you create
• Production phase: You will be in direct contact with manufacturers

More specific:

• Design the mechanical architecture of our rack-mounted enclosures in line with 19-inch rack standards
• Design enclosures, brackets, supports and mounting solutions for PCBs, power supplies, fans and optical components in said enclosures
• Translate 3D-printed prototypes into production-ready designs in sheet metal, machined or molded parts
• Develop the thermal concept of our systems, including heatsink selection, fan selection and placement, and front-to-back airflow management
• Run thermal and airflow simulations (CFD) to identify hotspots and optimize cooling
• Validate thermal performance with measurements in the lab, using thermocouples, airflow and temperature testing
• Create technical drawings, tolerance specifications and bills of materials for manufacturing
• Work with suppliers and manufacturers on prototypes and small-series production
• Work closely with our hardware engineers from early PCB layout onward to prevent mechanical and thermal issues
• Improve designs in new iterations based on test results and feedback from the field

Requirements

• Bachelor's or master's degree in mechanical, electromechanical or industrial engineering, or a comparable technical background
• Experience with mechanical design and 3D CAD tools (e.g. SolidWorks, Onshape, Fusion 360, Creo or similar)
• Understanding of thermal management, heat transfer and forced-air cooling in electronic systems
• Experience with design for manufacturing.
• Ability to create technical drawings with tolerances (GD&T)
• Experience with CFD or thermal simulation tools (e.g. Ansys Icepak, Simcenter FloTHERM, SolidWorks Flow Simulation) is a plus
• Experience with electronics enclosures, server hardware or rack-mounted equipment is a plus
• Knowledge of fan curves, system impedance and pressure-drop analysis is a plus
• Familiarity with EMC shielding and safety standards for electronic equipment (e.g. IEC 62368-1) is a plus
• Experience with thermal validation and lab measurements is a plus

Where you'll work

Based in Schelle, Belgium, in a hybrid setup with two days a week on-site. You must have the legal right to work in Belgium at the time of application. We can't offer visa sponsorship or work permit support.

Talent and drive are the only prerequisites. The rest compiles over time.