Senior Thermal Engineer Verified today
About the role
You will own instrument-level thermal engineering across multiple missions (SBEM, Quickbeam, Hydrosat), covering models, hardware, and verification end-to-end. You will also contribute to spacecraft-level thermal balance and be a recognized technical voice working across disciplines to deliver elegant, well-balanced designs.
Responsibilities
- Own instrument thermal models and drive instrument NRE and per-mission-block design improvements.
- Own the thermal verification and validation test plan, including model correlation, for instruments.
- Own thermal hardware ICDs (heat straps, radiators) and performance requirements.
- Contribute to full-spacecraft thermal balance and system thermal model integration.
- Support system-level testing and define thermal limits and margins to other subsystems.
- Mentor junior thermal engineers and serve as the technical go-to for instrument thermal.
Required Qualifications
- 8+ years in spacecraft or aerospace thermal engineering (BS+8 or MS+6).
- Expert in thermal simulation and full-spacecraft thermal balance.
- Experience designing, executing, and correlating TVAC and unit-level thermal tests.
- Fluency across thermal-mechanical interfaces, ICDs, margins, and requirements flow-down.
- B.S. or higher in Mechanical, Aerospace, Physics, or a related field.
Nice-to-have
- Scripting in Python or Matlab.
- Systems-engineering experience.
- Experience with IR-imaging systems or spacecraft payloads.
Compensation
Salary range: $173,000 - $193,000, plus equity grant and comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, 401k, disability, life insurance, three weeks paid vacation, 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time, and paid parental leave.
Work arrangement
Hybrid. Three days per week on-site in San Jose, CA office.