Thermal Engineer
$95,000–$140,000 year
On-siteGolden, Colorado, United States
Job Summary
Own the thermal architecture and thermal-control subsystem end to end, from requirements and concept through design, qualification, flight, and on-orbit operation. Design, select, and size thermal-control hardware including radiators, MLI, coatings, heaters, and heat pipes. Build, refine, and correlate detailed thermal models while performing steady-state and transient analyses across mission phases. Evaluate orbital thermal environments and drive system-level trade studies to keep the vehicle within temperature limits. Plan and execute thermal-vacuum and thermal-balance tests, then document analysis outputs and mentor junior engineers in thermal best practices. This full-time, on-site role in Golden, Colorado requires a Mid to Senior Level Engineer with 5+ years of spacecraft thermal design experience.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or a related engineering discipline.
- 5+ years of spacecraft or aerospace thermal design and analysis experience.
- Demonstrated ownership of thermal-control hardware design: sizing and selecting radiators, MLI, heaters, coatings, and conductive interfaces, not analysis alone.
- Proficiency with thermal analysis tools such as Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, ESATAN, or a comparable node-based or Python thermal solver.
- Hands-on knowledge of thermal-control hardware: MLI, OSR/radiator films, Kapton heaters, thermostats, surface coatings (α/ε), heat pipes, and conductive interfaces.
- Solid understanding of space thermal environments and their effects on materials and hardware.
- Experience defining thermal requirements and allocating thermal margins.
- U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Desired Qualifications
- Thermal-vacuum and thermal-balance test planning, execution, and model correlation.
- Proficiency with Python for analysis automation and comfort owning analysis code.
- Understanding of battery and electronics thermal limits (e.g., Li-ion charge/discharge windows).
- Experience defining heater-control, thermostat, or survival-heater approaches with electrical and avionics teams.
- Experience with modular spacecraft, in-space assembly, robotics, or autonomous space systems.
- Proficiency with CAD tools for integrating thermal hardware into mechanical assemblies.
- Familiarity with NASA thermal standards.
- Experience in a startup or fast-iteration hardware environment.
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