Principal Thermal Design Engineer

TL;DR

Principal Thermal Design Engineer (Spacecraft): Develop passive and active thermal control hardware and models for high-power satellites with an accent on radiative/conductive analysis, hardware selection, and in-orbit operations. Focus on thermal testing, model correlation, vendor integration, and optimizing designs for cost, reliability, and manufacturability under harsh space environments.

Los Angeles, CA. Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or protected individual) per ITAR export control regulations.

Base salary range: $175,000 - $220,000 + equity

Company

Building the largest and highest-power satellites for LEO to deep space missions, backed by $450M from leading investors with $500M in contracts.

What you will do

• Collaborate with Mechanical teams to develop thermal control hardware like radiators, heaters, heat pipes, and coatings.
• Partner with Avionics and GNC teams on thermal models, tests, and in-orbit contingency analysis.
• Build and maintain thermal models using Thermal Desktop and Ansys for spacecraft and components.
• Interface with vendors and launchers to derive thermal requirements.
• Automate data analysis for trades and execute thermal testing from development to qualification.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience with satellite thermal design and analysis.
• Demonstrated experience with radiative and conductive thermal modeling using Thermal Desktop.
• Experience with thermal control hardware selection, sizing, and design (heat pipes, heaters, MLI, OSR, etc.).
• Experience with thermal cycling, thermal vacuum testing, predictions, setup, instrumentation, and model correlation.
• Experience with full-vehicle TVAC testing, PCBA thermal modeling, solar panels, and primary radiators.
• Familiarity with SMC-S016 standard or equivalent; Python, C/C++, or Matlab for modeling and automation.

Nice to have

• Experience with integrated thermal analysis of spacecraft and rocket.
• Hands-on experience with spacecraft thermal design optimized for cost, reliability, performance, and manufacturability.

Culture & Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits: paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave.
• Fast-paced Series C space startup environment with multiple launches planned through 2026-2027.
• Equity in the company; focus on innovation for groundbreaking satellite platforms.