Lead Thermal Engineer

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Full ownership for the development and validation of the thermal model for RS1 launch vehicle and future programs 
• Design and implement thermal protection systems such as insulation, coatings, and MLI 
• Perform detailed steady-state and transient thermal analysis for avionics, components, and other mechanical systems 
• Develop a standard set of thermal solution technologies and methodologies for their design, analysis, and integration 
• Understand and identify impactful thermal risks and recommend thoughtful solutions and mitigations 
• Recommend instrumentation design for vehicle-level testing to use for analysis validation 
• Develop plans and perform component-level testing to gain critical insights into system performance 
• Analyze operations and flight data to continually improve accuracy of thermal predictions 
• Mentor other engineers on the team

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical/aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, or other relevant field (or equivalent 10+ years of thermal analysis or design experience)
• 6+ years of experience working in aerospace, defense, automotive, or equivalent professional environments with direct hands-on experience developing and testing thermal systems  

PREFERRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

• 7+ years experience working with launch vehicles or spacecraft 
• Experience working across engineering groups to define requirements and implement solutions 
• Technical writing and communication including test plans and data reviews 
• Experience with Siemens NX or equivalent CAD software 
• Experience with finite element analysis software (ANSYS, Thermal Desktop, Abaqus, or similar) 
• Experience developing vehicle-level thermal environments using Thermal Desktop 
• Competency creating thermal codes in Matlab and/or Python 
• Experience using CFD (ANSYS Fluent or similar) to solve thermofluid problems 
• Working knowledge of aerospace launch vehicle environments and typical heat sources and sinks 
• Ability to determine sufficient fidelity needed for analysis to quickly obtain results 
• Experience with Teamcenter or other PLM systems 

WHAT WE LOOK FOR:

• Critical thinking:  ABL engineers understand the “why” behind all design decisions, operational events and test outcomes.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity: ABL engineers must be comfortable defining their own pathway to an objective.
• End-to end ownership:  projects are delivered fully complete and ready for flight.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENTS:

• Ability to travel on short notice (Expect 10% travel).  
• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time.   
• Ability to use a computer to complete assignments.  
• Ability to communicate with individuals and groups in person, by phone and telepresence.   
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee will typically work in an office environment.