Principal Thermal Engineer (CFD)

Location: San Diego, California; onsite five days a week

Salary: $120,600–$180,900 per year

Company

hirify.global, part of Caterpillar, develops gas compressor products and related engineering solutions.

What you will do

• Build and refine flow and heat-transfer co-simulation models using seal-supplier data and closed-loop test results.
• Map thermal profiles across balance pistons, dry gas seals, separation seals, and surrounding cavities.
• Perform analytical calculations and CFD simulations to validate flow and heat-loss data across seal designs and operating conditions.
• Run conjugate heat-transfer simulations for rapid decompression events and recommend materials based on thermal response.
• Define temperature limits, flow requirements, and pressure-setting guidelines for new seal technologies and suppliers.
• Develop high-discharge-temperature test plans and execute testing with rotordynamics, aerodynamics, and closed-loop testing teams.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
• At least six years of direct experience in thermal modeling and analysis.
• Hands-on experience with flow and heat-transfer co-simulation and conjugate heat-transfer simulation.
• Strong knowledge of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and computational fluid dynamics.
• Experience with compressor thermal test instrumentation, including RTDs, thermocouples, flow transmitters, flow regulators, and control valves.
• Proficiency with Ansys Mechanical, Flownex, Ansys Fluent, Ansys CFX, and MATLAB; knowledge of steels, stainless steels, and nickel alloys at extreme temperatures.

Nice to have

• PhD in mechanical or aerospace engineering and four additional years of relevant experience.
• Knowledge of dry gas seal, separation seal, and polymer seal technologies.
• Experience interpreting pipeline compression station P&IDs.
• Experience with Siemens STAR-CCM+, Python, and stress analysis using Ansys.

Culture & Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Paid vacation, holidays, volunteer time, and parental or adoption leave.
• 401(k), HSA, FSA, disability, life insurance, and employee assistance benefits.
• Career development and tuition reimbursement programs.
• Incentive bonus, voluntary benefits, and employee discounts.

Hiring process

• Employment offers are conditional on successfully completing a drug screen.
• Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.