Engineer II, Thermal Designer/Analyst (R4934)

What you'll do

• Own thermal solutions for the autonomous aircraft launch and recovery system
• Develop and validate analytical, numerical, and computational models for heat transfer and fluid flow using hand calculations and CFD tools such as FloEFD
• Prototype, test, and iterate mechanism designs for functionality and reliability
• Provide technical leadership in trade studies, system architecture decisions, and risk assessments
• Drive test planning, instrumentation, and data analysis to correlate models with experimental results
• Proactively identify risks, propose solutions, and influence mechanical, electrical and/or PCBA design direction
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, avionics, flight controls, manufacturing, and test teams
• Support pre-production builds, prototype integration, and ground/flight testing on the pathway to production and field deployment
• Participate in design reviews, architecture discussions, and technical decision-making forums related to structural systems
• Identify opportunities to improve design processes, configuration management, and team workflows for increased engineering velocity and design quality

Required qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline
• 2+ years of professional experience in thermal engineering
• Strong expertise in heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and fluid mechanics
• Strong understanding of active and passive cooling solutions and their integration at component and system level
• Understanding of thermal management design elements including TIMs, spreaders, heat sinks, vapor chambers, heat pipes, and fans
• Proficiency with thermal analysis and CFD tools (e.g., ANSYS Icepak, FloEFD, STAR-CCM+)
• Experience with CAD design tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or similar
• Demonstrated experience applying first-principles reasoning to complex engineering problems
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Proven ability to learn and adapt quickly to new tools, processes, and technical challenges in a fast paced, startup environment
• A demonstrated record of working hard, being trustworthy, holding yourself to high standards, and being kind to others

Preferred qualifications

• M.S. in a relevant engineering discipline
• Hands-on experience with thermal and fluid system testing, instrumentation, and validation
• Knowledge of materials and manufacturing methods relevant to thermal management
• MIL-STD-810, structural, or actuated mechanism testing experience
• Ability to thrive in startup, R&D, or defense innovation environments