Staff Engineer, Thermal - Air Vehicle (R4856)
Develops thermal systems for VTOL strike aircraft, performing analysis, CFD modeling, trade studies, and testing validation. Requires 7+ years experience in thermal engineering, expertise in heat transfer/fluid mechanics, and proficiency in tools like FloEFD and STAR-CCM+.
About the job
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.
Skills
Cfd, Floefd, Star-Ccm+, Thermal Desktop, Nx, Solidworks, Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics, CAD, Thermal Analysis
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