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Thermal Engineer (Senior) Verified today

Apex Spacecraft · Los Angeles, CA · Mechanical · first seen 2026-09-11
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About the Role

Apex is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer to own the thermal design and performance of our spacecraft from concept through flight. In this role, you'll solve complex thermal challenges across the vehicle, develop and validate spacecraft level thermal models, and directly influence hardware design and mission performance. You'll work hands-on with flight hardware and partner across engineering teams to take thermal systems from early design through integration, test, launch, and on orbit operations.

Responsibilities

  • Lead payload thermal design, analysis, and integration from early concept and requirements definition through qualification, launch, and on-orbit operations.
  • Own the thermal technical interface with external customers, including requirements definition, interface development, design trades, technical reviews, and resolution of thermal-related issues.
  • Develop and maintain spacecraft- and payload-level thermal models using Ansys Thermal Desktop and perform analyses across applicable mission environments.
  • Develop and implement advanced passive thermal control solutions, including high-performance heat transport and heat rejection technologies.
  • Design and analyze active thermal-fluid systems, including component sizing, system-level performance analysis, and integration with spacecraft thermal architectures.
  • Drive thermal design decisions and collaborate with mechanical, systems, avionics, GNC, and other engineering disciplines to ensure vehicle and payload thermal requirements are met.
  • Plan and execute thermal subsystem milestones and technical reviews, including SRR, PDR, and CDR.
  • Support thermal hardware development, integration, build, and test, including component- and spacecraft-level thermal vacuum testing.
  • Correlate test and flight data to thermal models to improve model accuracy and validate thermal performance.

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
  • 5+ years of experience in thermal engineering or analysis.
  • Experience with thermal modeling and analysis tools.
  • Strong understanding of heat transfer and thermal engineering fundamentals.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
  • U.S. Person status is required as this position requires access to export-controlled data.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with spacecraft or aerospace thermal systems.
  • Proficiency with Ansys Thermal Desktop.
  • Experience designing spacecraft thermal control systems.
  • Experience with thermal vacuum testing, instrumentation, and data acquisition.
  • Experience correlating thermal models with test or flight data.
  • Familiarity with spacecraft thermal margin standards and requirements.
  • Working knowledge of two-phase thermal control systems.
  • Experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter.

What We Offer

  • Equity in Apex.
  • 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision for you and your dependents, plus $100k life insurance at no cost.
  • Starting at 15 days vacation, growing to 20+ days annually, plus 10 paid holidays.
  • 401(k) plan with 100% match on first 3%, 50% on next 2%.
  • 8 weeks paid parental leave plus childcare reimbursement up to $350/day for work-related travel.
  • Daily catered lunch and unlimited snacks.
  • All tools and equipment for productivity.

Compensation is determined by role, level, location, and market data, with variation based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities, and internal equity. Full-time hires are eligible for stock options.