Staff Engineer, Thermal - Air Vehicle (R4856)

Responsibilities

• Execute thermal analysis and characterization efforts for unmanned aerial vehicle aircraft-level thermal systems.
• Architect and validate analytical, numerical, and computational models for heat transfer and fluid flow using hand calculations, finite difference methods, and CFD tools such as FloEFD.
• Execute trade studies, make system architecture decisions, own requirements generation, and make technical risk assessments.
• Define and oversee test planning, instrumentation, and data analysis to correlate models with experimental results.
• Mentor and guide cross-disciplinary teams in applying thermal/fluid fundamentals.
• Communicate technical findings through design reviews and technical reports.
• Proactively identify thermal risks, propose solutions, and influence aircraft thermal design.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in thermal engineering.
• Deep expertise in heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and fluid mechanics.
• Advanced understanding of active and passive cooling solutions.
• Knowledge of thermal management techniques for aircraft bays, engine bays, and hot surfaces.
• Proficiency with thermal analysis and CFD tools (e.g., FloEFD, STAR-CCM+, Thermal Desktop).
• Proficiency with CAD design tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or similar.
• Demonstrated ability to apply first-principles reasoning to complex engineering problems.
• Strong communication and leadership skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Extensive experience with high-altitude aircraft thermal management, analysis, and design.
• Familiarity with aircraft integration constraints (power, weight, volume, maintainability, safety).
• Hands-on experience with thermal and fluid system testing, instrumentation, and validation.
• Knowledge of materials and manufacturing methods relevant to aerospace thermal management.
• Experience guiding trade studies.
• Background in multi-disciplinary system integration, spanning avionics, fluid systems, and systems engineering.