Principal Thermal Solutions Engineer - Munich, Germany

Job description

**About Vinci** We are building **Physics AI for hardware design**. Our software platform helps hardware designers and physics simulation engineers explore, analyze, and optimize hardware systems, leveraging cutting-edge AI to deliver ultrafast, accurate physics intelligence within the realities of engineering design workflows. Our first product bridges the gap between the accuracy & determinism of traditional simulation and the speed & scaling of AI, and is redefining how the world’s most advanced semiconductors are designed, verified, built, brought to market and integrated in complex systems. **Role Overview** As a pivotal leader within our E**uropean Forward Deployment team**, you will drive the **adoption of Vinci’s platform** among the region's top engineering organizations. In this strategic role, you will **build, mentor, and guide** a high-performing team of thermal engineers dedicated to engaging prospective customers and demonstrating the transformative value of our software. By acting as **trusted technical advisors**, you and your team will utilize deep simulation expertise to help enterprise customers **validate and optimize complex, real-world designs**. Through these collaborative engagements, you will champion Vinci's value proposition—showcasing how our platform delivers systemic improvements in thermal performance, product reliability, and accelerated time-to-market. Leveraging strong fundamentals in **thermal physics and cooling strategies,** you will guide analyses of complex thermal management systems, fluid flow dynamics, and heat dissipation challenges. This includes both steady-state and transient thermal behavior. Your team will help customers **evaluate critical factors such as thermal risk, component reliability, power density, and cooling efficiency to architect cutting-edge thermal management systems for next-generation hardware.** You will work closely with **customer engineering teams** to understand their technical challenges, provide expert guidance, and clearly articulate Vinci’s capabilities in solving real-world problems. Additionally, you will serve as a **key feedback channel t**o product and engineering teams, translating customer insights into actionable inputs that shape product direction and drive continuous improvement. This is a **remote role,** with close collaboration with Sales, Product, and Engineering in Palo Alto, CA, USA. The role includes **moderate travel**, primarily within continental Europe. Some **infrequent intercontinental travel** may be required for discussions and collaboration with the US team**.**. **Responsibilities** - **Build, lead, and scale a high-performing team of thermal engineers**, setting the technical direction, hiring, mentoring team members, and driving field execution across Europe. - **Collaborate closely with the sales team** to lead technical discussions, scope proof-of-concept (PoC) evaluations, and deliver compelling product demonstrations to prospective enterprise customers. - **Guide customer engineering teams through the evaluation phase** by overseeing simulation setup, running complex test cases, and interpreting results to explicitly prove Vinci’s technical and business value. - **Own customer enablement through onboarding, deployment pipeline and account expansion**, providing senior technical guidance, structured training sessions, and advanced troubleshooting. - **Provide product guidance and feedback, identify customer pain points and workflow bottlenecks**, partnering directly with internal product and engineering teams to transform field feedback into critical new product features. - **Represent Vinci at major industry conferences and semiconductor events**, engaging technically with key prospects and partners through technical presentations and live platform demonstrations. - Maintain a strong understanding of **competitive technologies, industry trends, and market positioning** to communicate Vinci’s differentiators effectively. **Qualifications (Minimum Qualifications)** - **Education:** Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related technical field. - **Technical depth:** Expert-level mastery of commercial simulation software (Flotherm, Ansys Icepak/Fluent, Simcenter STAR-CCM+, or equivalent), with 15+ years of hands-on experience in thermal management and cooling solutions — either as a practitioner running simulations, or as a technical account manager for commercial physics simulation software. - **Industry Domain:** Deep familiarity with semiconductor electronics packaging, advanced packaging technologies (e.g., 2.5D/3D IC), or foundry ecosystems. - **Customer Engagement:** Prior experience in dedicated customer-facing roles, with a strong ability to build trust and manage engineering client relationships. - **Automation & Scripting:** Practical programming experience using Python or C++ to automate workflows or parse simulation data. - **Leadership Impact:** Proven track record of prior managerial or technical leadership experience, with the ability to scale, mentor, and drive execution across engineering teams. - **Communication:** Elite interpersonal and communication skills, with a proven ability to distill complex physics and simulation results into clear, high-impact narratives for both deep technical panels and business-oriented executives. **Preferred (Desirable Differentiators)** - **Multiphysics Breadth:** Familiarity with structural mechanical simulations (FEA/stress) and/or Electrical Signal Integrity and Power Integrity (SI/PI) workflows. - **Commercial Track Record:** Direct experience commercializing technical software—ideally electronic design automation (EDA) or CAE simulation tools—into major semiconductor and electronics enterprises. - **Go-To-Market Experience:** Prior experience explicitly within technical pre-sales, application engineering (FAE), or strategic technical sales environments. - **Emerging Tech Adjacency:** Ability to rapidly adopt and champion next-generation, physics-based workflows and AI-assisted design or simulation tools. **Why Join Us** - Not just use AI, Be part of a team that is actively redefining how the next-generation silicon and hardware are architected. - Work at the absolute convergence of state of the art AI models, fundamental physics, and high-stakes enterprise - Collaborate with world-class engineers and researchers in a fast-moving startup environment.