Senior Thermal Engineer (Aerospace/Defence)

TL;DR

Senior Thermal Engineer (Mechanical/Thermal): Designing and optimizing thermal performance for complex high-power electronic systems in defence, telecoms, and aerospace with an accent on CFD modelling and mechanical design. Focus on developing cooling solutions, correlating simulation results with test data, and leading thermal architecture decisions from concept to production.

Location: Hybrid (Colchester, UK)

Company

hirify.global is a specialist in high-performance embedded computing solutions for the defence, telecoms, and aerospace industries.

What you will do

• Own thermal architecture and design for complex electronic systems, defining thermal budgets and worst-case analyses.
• Perform detailed thermal modelling using CFD and analytical approaches to optimize cooling solutions (forced air, conduction, hybrid).
• Design and develop thermal hardware such as heatsinks, frames, cold plates, and enclosures using CAD.
• Correlate simulation results with physical test data and refine models to ensure performance across all environmental conditions.
• Collaborate with electrical, systems, and manufacturing teams to identify thermal risks and drive mitigation strategies.
• Act as a subject matter expert for thermal engineering and mentor junior engineers.

Requirements

• Significant experience in thermal design of electronics or high-power systems.
• Strong proficiency in CFD tools (e.g., SolidWorks Flow Simulation) and CAD (SolidWorks).
• Proven hands-on mechanical design experience for production, including understanding of tolerancing and interfaces.
• Deep understanding of heat transfer fundamentals and their practical application in constrained environments.
• Must be able to meet BPSS level pre-employment screening criteria.
• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, or a related discipline.

Nice to have

• Experience in ruggedised or high-reliability systems (defence, aerospace, industrial).
• Familiarity with heat pipes, vapour chambers, liquid cooling, or high heat flux systems.
• Exposure to coupled thermal-structural analysis (FEA).
• Chartered status or working towards it.

Culture & Benefits

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays and a holiday purchase scheme.
• Annual profit share bonus and generous company pension (up to 10% employer contribution).
• Private Health Insurance through Bupa and YuLife wellbeing app.
• Salary sacrifice schemes for cycles, home, tech, and cars.
• Enhanced parental leave and one paid volunteering day per year.