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Senior Thermal Engineer – Constellations Verified today

Blue Origin · 2 Locations · Mechanical · first seen 2026-10-20
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About the role

You will join Blue National Security's Advanced Systems organization, leading thermal design and analysis for satellite payloads and integrated in-space constellation solutions. This role is central to ensuring reliable performance of diverse high-power payload systems, RF/opto-electrical components, and radar systems operating in LEO and other orbital regimes.

Your responsibilities

  • Lead thermal design and analysis for satellite-based, high-power payloads and associated power electronics.
  • Develop detailed thermal models using Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, or equivalent, covering conduction, radiation, and convection regimes.
  • Define and manage thermal interfaces across payload subsystems, including radiators, heat pipes, loop heat pipes, cold plates, and structural elements.
  • Perform transient and steady-state thermal analyses to validate performance under mission profiles, including peak duty cycles, eclipse transitions, and worst-case environmental conditions.
  • Develop thermal architecture for common bus/payload configurations reused across production blocks, tailored for orbit plane, beta angle range, and payload variant.
  • Select and defend appropriate thermal qualification, margin, and acceptance approaches based on build rate, mission class, and design life; tailor requirements per SMC-S-016 and MIL-STD-1540 as applicable.
  • Define thermal model correlation strategy under limited test data and extend correlated models across production blocks.
  • Address LEO thermal cycling fatigue over high cycle counts (5,000+ eclipse cycles per year) on joints, solder, thermal interface materials, and coatings across design life.
  • Drive design-for-manufacturability of thermal hardware at rate, leveraging parametric or automated thermal modeling workflows to support rapid trades.
  • Evaluate COTS or commercial-grade thermal components where mission class permits and manage heater power budget as a fleet-level EPS driver.
  • Support design-for-demise and material selection for disposal casualty risk (ODMSP).
  • Assess manufacturability, cost, and schedule impact of thermal hardware choices for production at scale.
  • Support thermal design and analysis concurrently across multiple constellation and payload programs, prioritizing effort against shifting schedules.
  • Collaborate closely with payload subject matter experts, mechanical, power, and systems engineering teams to ensure thermal constraints are integrated into element layout and packaging.
  • Establish thermal requirements, margins, and verification plans aligned with mission reliability and lifetime goals.
  • Drive thermal design trades balancing performance, mass, power consumption, manufacturability, and cost.
  • Contribute to major technical design reviews as a key technical authority for the thermal system.
  • Mentor junior engineers and contribute to organizational best practices in thermal engineering.

Minimum qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, physics, or related field.
  • 7 or more years of experience in thermal engineering for aerospace systems and/or high-performance electronics.
  • Demonstrated experience with spaceborne thermal design, including vacuum environments, radiation heat transfer, and flight hardware qualification.
  • Experience with thermal modeling tools such as Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, ANSYS Icepak, or equivalent.
  • Knowledge of materials, coatings, and thermal interface technologies suitable for space systems.
  • Familiarity with environmental standards (NASA, ESA, MIL-STD) and qualification testing.
  • Exceptional communication skills with demonstrated ability to influence and guide multidisciplinary teams.
  • Ability and willingness to obtain and maintain a TS//SCI security clearance.
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Preferred qualifications

  • Master's or PhD degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, physics, or related field.
  • Active TS//SCI clearance.
  • Experience supporting capture and proposal efforts for new business opportunities, including contributing technical content and solutions to winning pursuits.
  • Background in space-based antenna systems or similar high-power payload systems.
  • Experience with thermal management of high-power-density electronics such as T/R modules, phased array apertures, or laser communication terminals.
  • Experience with advanced cooling techniques, including loop heat pipes, vapor chambers, and liquid cooling systems.
  • Experience on a proliferated LEO or other high-rate satellite program.
  • Experience with thermal cycling, environmental stress screening (ESS), HALT-HASS-style screening, including safety-of-screen or damage accumulation analysis.

Compensation and location

Base pay range: VA applicants $156,802.00 to $219,522.45; CO applicants $144,179.00 to $201,849.90. Other site ranges may differ.

Relocation assistance is available for candidates relocating to one of the primary Blue Origin office locations. Up to 25% travel may be required depending on work location and program needs.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance.
  • Paid parental leave, short and long-term disability.
  • 401(k) with company match up to 5%.
  • Education Support Program.
  • Stock options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours per week).
  • Paid time off: up to four weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.
  • Bonus eligibility based on role type and job level (amounts and eligibility not guaranteed and subject to change).