Thermal Systems Analysis Lead - Lunar Permanence Verified today

About the role

This position is part of the Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops Blue Origin's Blue Moon landers and related products. You will lead the thermal analysis effort for spacecraft systems destined for lunar surface operations, building sustainable infrastructure for crew and cargo transport.

Key responsibilities

• Drive the approach and quality of system-level thermal analysis for the Thermal Subsystem
• Own the delivery of thermal analysis of the spacecraft system including when interfacing with other vehicles
• Develop and maintain approaches and processes for consistent modeling standards and system model integration
• Support the thermal design and architecture of the vehicle in coordination with Thermal Systems Engineers, Thermal design scope owners, and vehicle subsystem counterparts
• Build thermal models in Thermal Desktop/Sinda based on inputs from external teams
• Integrate submodels from multiple contributing thermal analysts into a detailed system model
• Understand driving thermal requirements and environments and their relationship across the vehicle and thermal subsystem
• Manage complete analysis case set matrix and identify driving or bounding cases for minimum viable analysis case sets
• Develop logic blocks to model components of the thermal control architecture
• Predict and review spacecraft component temperatures and heater power across all mission phases and drive design recommendations
• Identify non-compliances to thermal requirements and drive them to resolution
• Perform trade studies and optimizations of thermal design solutions and collaborate with external teams on the trade-offs
• Document thermal analysis results and present at internal review boards and program gated reviews
• Enforce model version control process to ensure proper review and consistent model use for generating thermal predictions
• Develop and evaluate the quality of simplified system models to perform analysis trade studies requiring quick turnaround times, ensuring consistency between detailed and simplified models
• Understand subsystem scope responsibility and advocate against scope creep
• Lead and mentor early-career analysis engineers

Minimum qualifications

• B.S. degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering
• 10 years of relevant Thermal Analysis experience using Thermal Desktop/Sinda
• Advanced knowledge of first-principle heat transfer and its application to spaceflight systems
• In-depth knowledge of spacecraft thermal hardware, including their performance characteristics and limitations
• Expert-level proficiency in thermal analysis using Thermal Desktop and Sinda/Fluint
• Experience in thermal system requirement verification via analysis products
• Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion
• 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

• M.S. or Ph.D. degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering
• 12 years of relevant Thermal Analysis experience
• Strong understanding of pumped fluid loop hardware such as pumps, cold plates, radiators, valves, heat exchangers, etc. and semi-passive devices like sensors and heaters
• Familiar with extreme hot/cold temperature systems
• Familiar with thermal environments of lunar missions
• Experience solving a variety of thermal problems demonstrating breadth in application
• Proven experience in aerospace Thermal system design and analysis from concept through delivery phases

Compensation

Base pay ranges by location:

• California: $156,802 to $219,522
• Colorado: $144,179 to $201,850
• Washington: $156,802 to $219,522
• Other site ranges may differ

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 (20+ hours/week)
• Up to four weeks paid time off per year and up to 14 company-paid holidays
• Performance bonuses eligible by role type and job level

Employment requirements

Applicants 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.

Blue's Standard Background Check is required for all positions. Additional background checks may be required for certain job profiles (DBIDS, Merchant Mariner Credential, Commercial Motor Vehicle operations, etc.).