Senior Thermal Engineer, Hypersonic Air Vehicles
Slope, Costa Mesa, CA, United States
About the Team
The Thermal Engineering team's work is essential to support our rapid innovation cycle and maintain the performance and reliability of advanced defense technologies. Thermal Engineers own the full development life cycle from conceptual design through ground testing and flight test analysis, ensuring high-performance, resilient systems that meet the demands of complex, contested environments.
What You'll Do
Thermal design and analysis of unmanned air vehicles at conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design maturities
Define thermal system architectures and material selection strategies for vehicles operating in demanding flight environments
Thermal analysis of flight vehicles using CFD, FEA, and engineering methods
Material response modeling under combined thermal and mechanical loads
Transient thermal analysis for time-varying mission profiles
Ground test planning, execution, and analysis in specialized thermal test facilities
Flight test planning, execution, and post-flight thermal data analysis
Use first principles and MATLAB/Python models to inform design decisions
Collaborate with aerodynamics, structures, electrical, and systems engineers on integrated solutions
Present thermal status at formal reviews internally and with customers
Prepare formal documentation (specifications, test procedures, technical reports)
Required Qualifications
MS or higher degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Applied Physics with focus on heat transfer and fluid dynamics
In-depth understanding of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and high-temperature environments
10+ years of experience in aerospace thermal engineering on rocket, aircraft, or missile programs
Experience with thermal analysis in high-speed flight regimes
Thermal analysis experience using CFD (STAR-CCM+, ANSYS Fluent) and/or FEA thermal solvers
Experience with thermal-structural coupling
Ground testing experience with thermal instrumentation and data acquisition
Strong programming skills in MATLAB, Python, or similar for tool development
Experience preparing formal documentation
CAD experience with SolidWorks or Siemens NX
Passion for defending the United States and her allies
Ability to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with material response modeling in extreme thermal environments
Knowledge of material degradation and surface phenomena under demanding conditions
Experience with specialized thermal ground test facilities
Experience with chemical kinetics and finite-rate chemistry modeling
Flight test experience including instrumentation design and post-flight analysis
Experience with thermal-structural analysis codes (NASTRAN, Abaqus, ANSYS Mechanical)
Material characterization experience at elevated temperatures
Experience with manufacturing and assembly of thermal systems
Active U.S. security clearance
Salary Range
$146,000 — $194,000 USD
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The Thermal Engineering team's work is essential to support our rapid innovation cycle and maintain the performance and reliability of advanced defense technologies. Thermal Engineers own the full development life cycle from conceptual design through ground testing and flight test analysis, ensuring high-performance, resilient systems that meet the demands of complex, contested environments.
What You'll Do
Thermal design and analysis of unmanned air vehicles at conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design maturities
Define thermal system architectures and material selection strategies for vehicles operating in demanding flight environments
Thermal analysis of flight vehicles using CFD, FEA, and engineering methods
Material response modeling under combined thermal and mechanical loads
Transient thermal analysis for time-varying mission profiles
Ground test planning, execution, and analysis in specialized thermal test facilities
Flight test planning, execution, and post-flight thermal data analysis
Use first principles and MATLAB/Python models to inform design decisions
Collaborate with aerodynamics, structures, electrical, and systems engineers on integrated solutions
Present thermal status at formal reviews internally and with customers
Prepare formal documentation (specifications, test procedures, technical reports)
Required Qualifications
MS or higher degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Applied Physics with focus on heat transfer and fluid dynamics
In-depth understanding of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and high-temperature environments
10+ years of experience in aerospace thermal engineering on rocket, aircraft, or missile programs
Experience with thermal analysis in high-speed flight regimes
Thermal analysis experience using CFD (STAR-CCM+, ANSYS Fluent) and/or FEA thermal solvers
Experience with thermal-structural coupling
Ground testing experience with thermal instrumentation and data acquisition
Strong programming skills in MATLAB, Python, or similar for tool development
Experience preparing formal documentation
CAD experience with SolidWorks or Siemens NX
Passion for defending the United States and her allies
Ability to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with material response modeling in extreme thermal environments
Knowledge of material degradation and surface phenomena under demanding conditions
Experience with specialized thermal ground test facilities
Experience with chemical kinetics and finite-rate chemistry modeling
Flight test experience including instrumentation design and post-flight analysis
Experience with thermal-structural analysis codes (NASTRAN, Abaqus, ANSYS Mechanical)
Material characterization experience at elevated temperatures
Experience with manufacturing and assembly of thermal systems
Active U.S. security clearance
Salary Range
$146,000 — $194,000 USD
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