Simulation Engineer - Mechanical & Thermal Systems

Simulation Engineer - Mechanical & Thermal Systems

United States, Washington, Redmond

Job description

Company and benefits

Job number

200062193

Date posted

Oct 20, 2026

Work site

3 days / week in-office

Travel

Less than 25%

Profession

Quantum Computing

Discipline

Quantum Engineering

Role type

Individual Contributor

Employment type

Full-Time

Overview

At Microsoft Quantum, we aim to empower science and scientists to solve the world’s biggest problems by realizing advanced computing platforms at the intersection of high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum information technology. Microsoft Quantum will change the world of computing and help solve some of humankind’s currently unsolvable problems. The Cryomechanical team enables Microsoft Quantum’s hardware roadmap by designing, integrating, and sustaining cryogenic mechanical systems, packaging solutions, and laboratory infrastructure that support reliable experimentation, scalable system integration, and disciplined transition from research concepts to producible hardware.

As a Simulation Engineer – Mechanical & Thermal Systems, you will lead mechanical, structural, thermal, and coupled multiphysics analysis for cryogenic hardware and laboratory systems using COMSOL Multiphysics and ANSYS. You will translate system requirements and design concepts into verified computational models, quantify margins and sensitivities, correlate predictions with test data, and deliver clear engineering recommendations that guide architecture, detailed design, manufacturing, integration, and root-cause investigations throughout the product lifecycle.

Microsoft’s culture is grounded in a growth mindset, customer obsession, diversity and inclusion, one Microsoft collaboration, and making a difference through technology. In this role, you will be expected to model these values by learning continuously, partnering across disciplines, communicating clearly, and creating an inclusive environment where rigorous engineering and shared accountability help the team deliver meaningful impact.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end mechanical and thermal analysis for cryogenic subassemblies and top-level integrations, including millikelvin (mK), 4 kelvin (4 K), and ambient-temperature structures, radiation shields, vacuum interfaces, thermal straps, supports, and cable or harness routing hardware.
• Develop and maintain high-fidelity finite element and multiphysics models in COMSOL Multiphysics and ANSYS Mechanical, including defensible geometry idealization, material models, contacts, interfaces, meshing strategies, loads, boundary conditions, solver controls, and post-processing methods.
• Perform structural, thermal, and coupled thermo-mechanical analyses, including linear and nonlinear stress, stiffness, deflection, buckling, modal and vibration response, steady-state and transient heat transfer, thermal contact resistance, radiation, and thermal stress caused by coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch.
• Translate system and subsystem requirements into analysis plans and acceptance criteria for heat-load budgets, temperature stability, thermal anchoring, structural margins, alignment, vacuum loading, vibration isolation, interface loads, and performance across temperature stages.
• Verify, validate, and correlate simulation results through mesh-convergence studies, sensitivity and uncertainty analyses, hand calculations, and there