Thermal Engineer Intern (Fall 2026)

TL;DR

Thermal Engineer Intern (Fall 2026): Perform thermal analysis and design thermal solutions for satellite hardware including propulsion, batteries, electronics, and RF components with an accent on balancing performance, risk, and schedule. Focus on developing integration processes, conducting thermal vacuum testing, and collaborating on hardware verification for space missions.

San Francisco. U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

Base Hourly Pay $29 USD

Company

hirify.global builds advanced satellites for high orbits, providing secure networks to enterprises, governments, and the US military from its headquarters in Northern California.

What you will do

• Design, evaluate, build, and test satellite hardware and software in collaboration with the engineering team.
• Support design trades balancing performance margins, resource use, risk, cost, and schedule.
• Perform thermal analysis on hardware like propulsion components, batteries, electronics, RF, mechanisms, and PCBs.
• Design, procure, and test thermal solutions including heaters, heat pipes, interface materials, and coatings.
• Develop processes for integration and assembly to meet thermal design intent; collaborate on thermal hardware installation.
• Plan and run thermal vacuum testing at component and spacecraft levels.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a B.S. or M.S. in mechanical, aerospace, or equivalent technical degree (e.g. physics or applied math)
• Passion for hardware development in a fast-paced environment with hands-on design and testing.
• Demonstrated ability to personally design, build, and test hardware from scratch.
• US Citizenship or Green Card

Nice to have

• Experience with CAD
• Experience with thermal analysis software such as ANSYS and Thermal Desktop
• Experience with electronics systems design and packaging
• Aerospace-related projects or previous internships