Senior Thermal Engineer, Space

Anduril Anduril · Defense · Costa Mesa, CA · AFS : Space Engineering

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company developing AI-powered systems for military applications. This role focuses on the thermal design, analysis, and testing of space hardware, requiring expertise in heat transfer and simulation tools. The company emphasizes bringing cutting-edge technology to defense in months, not years.

What you'd actually do

  1. Own the thermal design, analysis, test, and associated component vendor management of a space hardware development program.
  2. Use first principles as a basis for every decision and discern the right level of analysis to apply. Execute hand calculations, spreadsheet, and MATLAB/Python first-order models to inform path forward before jumping into detailed design.
  3. Define good thermal architecture to withstand the space environments. Define and quantify hot, cold, and any other edge cases that drive the system.
  4. Communicate pros/cons of system architecture with respect to thermal considerations.
  5. Present thermal status at formal reviews internally and with customers. Provide clear understanding of timelines and technical status.

Skills

Required

  • BS, MS, or higher degree in engineering, applied physics, or hard science
  • Demonstrated knowledge of heat transfer in academic and/or professional setting
  • Proficiency in Thermal Desktop or equivalent thermal simulation tool
  • Hands on experience prototyping hardware and conducting thermal tests.
  • Experience with CAD, selecting instrumentation, post-processing data, correlating models
  • CAD experience (Siemens NX preferred)
  • Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. security clearance.

Nice to have

  • 7+ years professional experience as a thermal analyst using Thermal Desktop
  • Design or test experience on a space platform
  • Experience developing code in higher-level languages like Python or MATLAB for applications like lumped thermal capacitance steady state and transient analysis
  • Be able to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance.

What the JD emphasized

  • U.S. security clearance
  • active U.S. security clearance
  • active U.S. security clearance