Thermal Associate Engineer (Winter 2027)

Location: San Francisco, United States; onsite satellite hardware development

Salary: $1,925 per week

Company

hirify.global designs, builds, and operates advanced communications satellites for high orbits from its headquarters in Northern California.

What you will do

• Design, analyze, build, and test satellite hardware and software with the engineering team.
• Perform thermal analysis on propulsion components, batteries, high-powered electronics, RF components, mechanisms, and printed circuit boards.
• Design, evaluate, procure, and test heaters, heat pipes, thermal interface materials, and surface coatings.
• Develop integration and assembly processes that preserve thermal design intent and support installation of thermal hardware.
• Plan and conduct thermal vacuum testing and verification at component and spacecraft levels.
• Support design trades balancing performance margins, resource use, risk, cost, and schedule.

Requirements

• Four-year degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, physics, applied mathematics, or an equivalent technical field.
• Hands-on enthusiasm for hardware development in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to design, build, and test hardware from scratch.
• U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, or qualifying refugee/asylee status is required.
• The associate engineering position is a salaried, twelve-week role for students who have completed or will complete a bachelor's degree before starting.

Nice to have

• Experience with CAD.
• Experience with thermal analysis software such as ANSYS and Thermal Desktop.
• Experience with electronics systems design and packaging.
• Project or internship experience related to aerospace.

Culture & Benefits

• Opportunity to work on complex satellite projects with responsibilities comparable to full-time engineering work.
• Hands-on design, development, integration, and testing of hardware and software intended for spaceflight.
• Inclusive workplace welcoming diverse perspectives.

Hiring process

• Applications are encouraged even when candidates do not meet every listed criterion.
• Students who have not yet completed a bachelor's degree should apply for an internship instead.