Job Description:

Celestial AI is looking for a Principal Hardware/Systems Engineer to lead board and system design in collaboration with vendors and partners. The ideal candidate must comprehend technical and business requirements, translating them into practical solutions. With a strong sense of ownership and ability to navigate ambiguity, the candidate will work across engineering and product teams to deliver solutions efficiently. Responsibilities include defining board architecture, managing layout execution, and facilitating board manufacturing. This hands-on role emphasizes design for manufacturing, reliability, and cost for systems targeting Celestial AI's end customers. The candidate will drive technology deployment in data centers and ensure successful high-volume manufacturing. Strong project management, communication skills, and a proactive attitude are essential for this role.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Build the board, associated system and solutions to convert application, solution, and business requirements from the customer into a feasible total solution
• Responsible for engineering Celestial AI compute systems for IP validation, Data Center, Rack Integration, and Deployment
• Work with internal cross-functional product and technical teams along with external vendors to engineer scaled accelerator systems that can be deployed in volume
• Develop strong technical relationships within the company, and externally with the vendors alike as a single point of contact for all system level design and manufacturing problems
• Frequently collaborate with industry peers and suppliers to stay abreast of industry advances and future roadmaps
• Actively manage qualification of data center hardware solutions, while operating within established cost and time constraints

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an engineering related field is preferred
• 10+ years of experience in server-based solutions, rack and appliance based system solutions for the datacenter, with 2-3 years’ experience in complex systems project management.
• Hands on experience with board level, server hardware and architecture, prior experience troubleshooting server/storage/network products is a plus
• Expertise with Cloud Infrastructure, Virtualization, Cloud Computing, AI/ML and Systems Hardware (Blade and Rack Servers)
• Experience in Photonics is a plus.
• Proven record in successfully delivering data center solutions to meet customer demands is highly preferable
• Ability to lead and drive internal/external resources to accomplish key milestones and execute deliverables.

Location: Santa Clara, CA

Compensation:

As an early startup, we offer an attractive total compensation package, inclusive of competitive base salary and a generous grant of our valuable early-stage equity. The target base salary for this role is approximately $215,000 - $240,000. The base salary offered may be slightly higher or lower than the target base salary, based on the final scope as determined by the depth of the experience and skills demonstrated by the candidate in the interviews.