Senior Thermal Engineer

Who We Are:

What You’ll Do:
Space Kinetic is looking for a Senior Thermal Engineer to assist with thermal analysis, hardware design, hardware acquisition, and test within the simulation group of the Mechanical Engineering department. The candidate will ensure that components will operate within safe temperature ranges despite the extreme thermal environment of space. The candidate will work on passive and active thermal control systems.

• Design, analyze, and test thermal hardware, including MLI blankets, heaters, heat pipes, sensors, vents, radiators, and surface coatings.
• Partner with mechanical teams to develop passive and active thermal-control systems.
• Plan, execute, and document TVAC, thermal-cycling, interface, and material-characterization tests.
• Validate and verify thermal designs through analysis and testing.
• Map thermal loads and temperatures onto structural finite-element models.
• Create drawings, analysis reports, test plans, procedures, reports, presentations, and other technical documentation.
• Build and maintain thermal-material databases and comprehensive parts lists using BOMs, drawings, supplier data, and technical databases.
• Collaborate with Structures, Electrical, GNC, Propulsion, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing, Production, and Integration and Test teams.
• Monitor component fabrication, integration, and testing through completion.
• Work independently, learn quickly, communicate clearly, and deliver accurate results in a fast-paced environment.

What It Takes:

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field,
• 5+ years of relevant space-industry experience designing spacecraft thermal systems from initial analysis through ground testing and on-orbit validation.
• Ability to develop and execute tests that validate hardware performance under extreme conditions.
• Hands-on experience with laboratory tools, spacecraft integration, and environmental testing.
• Proficiency with Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, RadCAD, Siemens Space Systems Thermal, or similar tools.
• Understanding of orbital thermal environments and spacecraft heat-transfer principles.
• Experience designing or procuring MLI blankets and related thermal-control hardware.
• Ability to correlate thermal models with test data.
• Experience with CAD tools such as SolidWorks, Creo, or AutoCAD.
• Basic MATLAB or Python proficiency.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
• Must meet applicable U.S. Government export-control requirements.

What We’d Love:

• Prior experience with spacecraft design
• Experience working on a launch vehicle or satellite development effort
• Experience in a startup or agile development environment
• Passion for the commercial and government space industry.

Where You’ll Be:

• The position will be on site at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA.

What We Offer:

• Equity-Based Compensation
• 401(k) retirement plan with a 3.5% company match
• Highly Competitive PTO
• Paid company holidays + winter break
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Unique Performance-based bonus opportunities

ITAR Requirements:
This position is subject to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here

The annual base salary for this role is below. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education/experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.

Pay Range

$140,000—$180,000 USD