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Physical Hardware Engineering Director

Google

Sunnyvale, CAJob$275–382K/yrSeen 2 days agoSeen in employer's feed 2 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$275–382K/yr
Location
Sunnyvale, CA
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

The Physical Hardware Engineering Director will set the technical outlook and lead execution for next-generation rack-to-chip physical solutions and related tooling. The role leads development of mechanical, cooling, and robotics solutions for Google data center hardware, from architecture through production and deployment. It also guides cross-functional teams, suppliers, and engineering leaders to scale reliable hardware for global infrastructure.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Hyperscale Hardware ArchitectureHardware Product ShippingTechnical LeadershipEngineering ManagementMechanical DesignThermal ManagementCables and InterconnectsBackplanesRobotics and AutomationAdvanced PackagingManufacturing ProcessesSupply Chain DiversificationMechanical Design PrinciplesProduct Design PrinciplesAmbiguity NavigationTechnical Trade-OffsConsensus Building

Qualifications

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering, Physics or Related Field or Equivalent15 Years Computing Hardware Industry Experience10 Years Technical Leadership and Engineering Management ExperiencePhD in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering, Physics or Related Field or Equivalent

Full job description

Physical Hardware Engineering Director

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Minimum qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering, Physics, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

  • 15 years of experience working in the computing hardware industry.

  • 10 years of experience in technical leadership and engineering management.

  • Experience architecting and shipping hyperscale compute, telecom infrastructure, or high-reliability physical hardware products directly to the data center.

Preferred qualifications:

  • PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering, Physics, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

  • Knowledge in data center hardware physical development including mechanical design, thermal management, cables/interconnects, backplanes, robotics/automation, advanced packaging, manufacturing processes, and supply chain diversification.

  • Knowledge in mechanical and product design principles.

  • Ability to navigate ambiguity, resolve complex technical trade-offs, and drive consensus across large, globally distributed engineering organizations.

About the job

As a Director of Physical Design Engineering, you will set the technical outlook and lead the execution for our next generation of rack to chip physical solutions, and associated toolings required for its physical operations. Operating at the highest levels of technical leadership, you will be the driving force behind the integration of complex robotics, mechanical and thermal management solutions to enable Google’s ASICs, TPUs, GPUs, CPUs, storage, and advanced networking hardware into our Data Center roadmap.

In this role, you will utilize experience developing highly innovative mechanical/thermal solutions for Computing hardware systems, while delivering them at high-velocity with high quality and reliability. You will lead the team on developing a compelling roadmap, mechanical/cooling solutions from chip to boards, boards to racks and racks to data center, anticipating fleet-level challenges before they happen and leading the industry in the ongoing AI hardware physical delivery and enclosure transformation including the use of Robotics automation systems. You will guide cross-functional teams, align external ecosystems and suppliers, and ensure our hardware scales reliably to meet the unrelenting demands of our global infrastructure. You will utilize direct deep technical expertise in physical design, significant management experience, experience delivery of complex projects and products, and ability to understand existing performance, quality, and advanced mechanical solutions manufacturing.

The AI and Infrastructure team is redefining what’s possible. We empower Google customers with breakthrough capabilities and insights by delivering AI and Infrastructure at unparalleled scale, efficiency, reliability and velocity. Our customers include Googlers, Google Cloud customers, and billions of Google users worldwide.

We're the driving force behind Google's groundbreaking innovations, empowering the development of our cutting-edge AI models, delivering unparalleled computing power to global services, and providing the essential platforms that enable developers to build the future. From software to hardware our teams are shaping the future of world-leading hyperscale computing, with key teams working on the development of our TPUs, Vertex AI for Google Cloud, Google Global Networking, Data Center operations, systems research, and much more.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $275000 - $382000 (USD) + 30% bonus target + equity + benefits

Learn more aboutbenefits at Google (https://www.google.com/about/careers/applications/benefits/) .

Responsibilities

  • Lead and develop a comprehensive physical hardware roadmap and solutions for Google’s data center hardware spanning ML TPU, GPU, Networking, Server compute, Storage, and any additional computing hardware and supporting solutions for data center.

  • Drive mechanical, cooling, and robotics solutions from early architecture through to volume production and data center deployment. Anticipate, troubleshoot, and mitigate complex, fleet-wide deployment challenges in a high-demand environment.

  • Steer technical engagements and partnerships with suppliers and ecosystem partners to ensure high-quality, high-yield volume manufacturing.

  • Serve as the ultimate authority on system-level performance, heavily leveraging your deep expertise in managing complex trade-offs.

  • Elevate the engineering standards across the organization. Provide technical guidance and mentorship to senior engineers across hardware, silicon, and data center operations teams.

Information collected and processed as part of your Google Careers profile, and any job applications you choose to submit is subject to Google'sApplicant and Candidate Privacy Policy (./privacy-policy) .

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to building a workforce that is representative of the users we serve, creating a culture of belonging, and providing an equal employment opportunity regardless of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), expecting or parents-to-be, criminal histories consistent with legal requirements, or any other basis protected by law. See alsoGoogle's EEO Policy (https://www.google.com/about/careers/applications/eeo/) ,Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal (https://careers.google.com/jobs/dist/legal/EEOC\_KnowYourRights\_10\_20.pdf) ,Belonging at Google (https://about.google/belonging/) , andHow we hire (https://careers.google.com/how-we-hire/) .

If you have a need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing ourAccommodations for Applicants form (https://goo.gl/forms/aBt6Pu71i1kzpLHe2) .

Google is a global company and, in order to facilitate efficient collaboration and communication globally, English proficiency is a requirement for all roles unless stated otherwise in the job posting.

To all recruitment agencies: Google does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Google employees, or any other organization location. Google is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

Equity is granted exclusively and discretionarily by Alphabet Inc. on the basis of an agreement concluded between you and Alphabet Inc. Alphabet Inc. is your sole contractual partner with respect to equity grants. GSU grants are not guaranteed, are discretionary, are subject to approval by the Alphabet Inc. board of directors or its delegate, the terms of the relevant Alphabet Inc. stock plan, and your grant agreement. They have no impact on statutory payments. Current or past grants do not confer an acquired right.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also https://careers.google.com/eeo/ and https://careers.google.com/jobs/dist/legal/OFCCP_EEO_Post.pdf If you have a need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form: https://goo.gl/forms/aBt6Pu71i1kzpLHe2.

How this job compares

Set against the 949 open Hardware Engineering jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 27, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$275–382K/yr
  • California median$172–245K/yr223 salary ranges
  • US median$146–243K/yr672 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $329K, is 54% above the California median midpoint ($213K) — in the top quarter of Hardware Engineering salary ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 338 open Hardware Engineering jobs in California and 949 across the US. Under 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for at least 15 years of experience — more than three in four Hardware Engineering postings that state a minimum ask for (median 6 years, across 646 postings).
Education
352 of the 949 open Hardware Engineering jobs (37%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 27, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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