Senior Thermal Design Engineer Verified today

K2 Space · Los Angeles, CA · Mechanical · first seen 2026-07-23

The Role

You will own the success of developing, implementing and testing both R&D and production thermal control systems on the spacecraft. You will be responsible for spearheading the design and verification efforts of active and passive thermal control systems including pump fluid loops, heat pipes and all required ground supporting equipment (test fixtures, diagnostic equipment, instrumentation, software tools).

Your work requires familiarity with pressurized systems (valves, pumps, accumulators, heat exchangers), thermo-mechanical instrumentation (temperature sensors, pressure sensors, flow meters), integrated electronics systems, and secondary satellite structures.

You will partner with design engineers early in the process to ensure manufacturability while building the first prototype, design the build flow, and finalize the process for transition to production.

Responsibilities

Work with lead engineers to design active and passive thermal control systems using heat transfer and mechanical equations to size lines, pumps, accumulators, cold plates and related components
Plan and develop thermal cycle and thermal-vacuum testing campaigns
Design and develop heater and cooling systems including control architecture
Setup, commission, and maintain state-of-the-art test stands and instrumentation
Develop data acquisition systems for active and passive thermal control systems
Perform tests on novel pump fluid loops including feed systems, power electronics, and hardware-in-the-loop
Develop testing and control scripts to conduct safe and reliable test campaigns of pump fluid loops and individual components
Create formal documentation for development and production: test procedures, test reports, and standard operating procedures
Troubleshoot electrical and mechanical test setups and hardware
Document, compile, analyze, and present test data

Required Qualifications

5+ years of thermal test experience in a high-rate manufacturing environment
2+ years of experience sizing and testing fluid systems including pumps, valves, accumulators, heat exchangers, cold plates
Demonstrated experience with data acquisition for thermal and power related applications
Experience with test plan development and execution
Strong experience with thermal and TVAC testing including setup, instrumentation, and troubleshooting

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge of NX or AutoCAD to design test fixtures
Experience with basic and statistical data analysis
Experience with Thermal Desktop for thermal analysis
Experience with signal conditioning to define optimal acquisition rate and signal-to-noise ratio assessment
Experience with pumps testing
Experience with avionics testing
Experience with refrigeration systems testing

Compensation

Base salary range: $140,000 - $250,000 + equity
Comprehensive benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, and paid parental leave

Export Compliance

This role requires access to items controlled by U.S. export control regulations (ITAR). You must be a U.S. person as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual such as refugee or asylee) or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.