Senior Thermal Engineer, Mission Electronics
$146,000–$194,000 year
On-siteCosta Mesa, California, United States
Job Summary
Own the thermal design and analysis of electronics, from board and component level up through enclosures and full assemblies, for products spanning air vehicles, maritime, ground systems, and wearables. Define thermal architecture and heat-rejection paths using first principles, execute hand calculations and MATLAB/Python models, and own thermal FEA/CFD simulations to predict system performance. Establish operating conditions, drive trade studies balancing thermal margin against size, weight, and power, and present thermal status at formal reviews. Execute prototype builds and tests to verify designs, develop internal analysis tools, and support failure reviews with test data.
Required Qualifications
- MS or higher degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, applied physics, or a related field with a focus on heat transfer and fluid dynamics (BS with additional experience considered)
- In-depth understanding of heat transfer and fluid dynamics
- 5+ years of experience designing thermal solutions for electronics or integrated hardware products
- Practical experience with electronics cooling and packaging—component and board-level thermal management, TIMs, heat sinks, heat pipes, cold plates, and enclosure heat rejection
- Practical experience designing both passive and active thermal management systems
- Thermal testing experience—sensor selection, data acquisition, and data post-processing
- Thermal FEA/CFD experience—STAR-CCM+, ANSYS, Icepak, or FloEFD
- CAD experience with Siemens NX or SolidWorks
- Passion for defending the United States and her allies
- Be able to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance
Desired Qualifications
- Experience developing code in higher-level languages like Python or MATLAB for applications such as lumped-capacitance steady-state and transient analysis
- Experience with thermal design across multiple product classes—air vehicles, maritime or ground systems and electronics enclosures, or wearable/body-worn devices
- Familiarity with defense/aerospace environmental standards (e.g., MIL-STD-810) and thermal derating of electronic components
- Experience with active cooling approaches such as fans, TECs, liquid cooling, or two-phase systems
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