Thermal Engineer Verified today

About the role

This position is part of Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE), supporting Blue Origin's mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. The team fosters innovation, drives engineering workflows, and develops shared solutions for lower costs and manufacturable design.

As a Thermal Engineer, you will be at the forefront of developing thermal management systems for advanced space vehicles. You will be responsible for the analysis, design, and testing of thermal protection and control systems that operate in the extreme environments of space and atmospheric reentry. Your expertise will be critical to ensuring the survival and performance of spacecraft and their components.

Responsibilities

• Perform detailed thermal analysis of vehicle systems and components for all mission phases, including ascent, on-orbit operations, and reentry.
• Develop and build complex thermal models using Thermal Desktop, Sinda/Fluint, and other industry-standard software.
• Design, select, and qualify thermal insulation and other passive and active thermal control hardware for in-space and reentry applications.
• Plan, execute, and analyze thermal tests, including thermal vacuum (TVAC), thermal balance, and component-level testing.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, including structures, avionics, and aerodynamics, to develop integrated vehicle solutions.
• Develop and document thermal requirements, analysis reports, and test procedures.
• Support vehicle-level integration and testing campaigns.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related field.
• 5+ years of experience in thermal analysis and design for aerospace or high-performance applications.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Thermal Desktop.
• Direct experience with the design, analysis, and application of thermal insulation for in-space and/or reentry systems.
• Strong understanding of all three modes of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and their application in a space environment.
• Familiarity with thermal testing and instrumentation.
• 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 of Science or Ph.D. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with a focus on heat transfer.
• Experience with other thermal and CFD software packages (e.g., Ansys, Star-CCM+, Sinda/Fluint).
• Hands-on experience with thermal hardware and test execution.
• Experience with thermal analysis of hypersonic and/or reentry vehicles.
• Knowledge of material properties and their behavior in extreme thermal environments.
• Experience scripting in Python or MATLAB for data analysis and process automation.

Compensation and logistics

Base pay range for CA and WA applicants: $130,706.00 to $182,987.70. Other site ranges may differ.

Relocation is provided. Travel is expected up to 25% of the time. Interviews will include a technical assessment.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance.
• Paid parental leave, short and long-term disability.
• 401(k) with company match of up to 5%.
• Education Support Program.
• Stock options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week).
• Up to four weeks of paid time off per year based on scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.

Bonuses and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Check with your recruiter for more details.