Thermal Fluids Section Manager
On-siteHouston, Texas, United States
Job Summary
Lead personnel assignments and priorities across Thermal Analysis and Computational Fluid Dynamics programs. Develop staffing strategies, manage labor forecasts, and balance resource conflicts to ensure adequate thermal fluid analysis support. Partner with program managers and chief engineers to resolve technical risks and serve as the escalation point for quality and coordination challenges. Enforce workflows, review gates, and standards to maintain technical rigor while tracking performance against budget, schedule, and customer commitments. Conduct audits, support design reviews, and drive continuous improvement initiatives. Mentor engineers, manage performance evaluations, and approve resource requests. Work evenings and weekends as needed to meet critical milestones.
Required Qualifications
- BS in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, or related engineering discipline
- 8+ years of engineering experience, including significant experience in thermal analysis, fluid systems, heat transfer, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and thermal verification and testing
- 3+ years of experience leading engineering teams, technical organizations, or functional groups, including personnel development, resource planning, and multi-disciplinary coordination
- Experience with industry-standard thermal and fluid analysis tools and workflows, including software such as Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, Star-CCM+, OpenFOAM, MATLAB, Python, or equivalent tools
- Demonstrated ability to manage staffing plans, labor forecasts, budgets, schedules, priorities, and multi-program resource demands
- Demonstrated ability to communicate technical issues and recommendations effectively to engineering leadership, program management, customers, and cross-functional stakeholders
- Experience developing or enforcing engineering workflows, quality procedures, technical standards, review gates, and deliverable expectations
- Strong communication, organization, mentoring, customer interface, and leadership skills
- Must be willing to work evenings and weekends as needed to meet critical project milestones
- Must be able to lift and carry up to 25 lbs
- Must be able to sit or stand for extended periods (90% of the time)
- Must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily
- Must be able to access export controlled technical data or technology subject to NASA regulations, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), or Export Administration Regulations (EAR)
- Final candidates may be required to undergo additional export control screening to determine eligibility for access
Desired Qualifications
- MS degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Chemical Engineering or related discipline
- PMP certification
- Experience supporting human spaceflight programs and familiarity with NASA standards and requirements
- Experience leading multidisciplinary thermal analysis and fluid systems organizations
- Experience with thermal vacuum testing, fluid systems testing, model correlation, and verification activities
- Experience with configuration management and engineering quality systems
- Familiarity with spacecraft thermal control systems, environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS), propulsion fluid systems, cryogenic systems, or other aerospace thermal-fluid applications
- Passion for space and the mission
- Entrepreneurial, growth mindset
- High EQ and ability to collaborate within teams and cross-functionally
- Tech-solutioning in using systems and tools to move smarter and faster
- Embody our core values of leadership, innovation, and teamwork
- Ownership and Accountability
- Pride of Delivery
- Quality and Technical Rigor
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