Senior Thermal Engineer Verified today
About the Role
Apex is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer to own the thermal design and performance of spacecraft from concept through flight. You will solve complex thermal challenges across the vehicle, develop and validate spacecraft-level thermal models, and directly influence hardware design and mission performance. You will 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
- Develop and maintain spacecraft-level thermal models using Ansys Thermal Desktop
- Perform thermal analyses to evaluate spacecraft performance across mission environments
- Develop thermal control solutions and drive thermal design decisions across spacecraft systems
- Plan and execute thermal subsystem milestone reviews, including SRR, PDR, and CDR
- Support thermal flight hardware integration, build, and test
- Design, plan, and execute thermal vacuum testing at component and spacecraft level
- Correlate test and flight data to thermal models to improve model accuracy and performance predictions
- Collaborate with mechanical, systems, avionics, and other engineering teams to meet spacecraft thermal requirements
Requirements
- U.S. Person status is required as this position requires access to export-controlled data
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
- 5 or more 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
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
- Comprehensive PTO package starting at 15 days vacation, growing to 20+ days annually, plus 10 paid holidays
- Competitive 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
- Monthly office socials, pickleball tournaments, run club, and family gatherings
- Equipment and tools for productivity
- In-person collaboration at Playa Vista office with flexibility to integrate work and life