Thermal Engineer (Avionics & PCBs)

Location: Huntington Beach, California, United States; on-site

Salary: $120,000–$155,000 for Thermal Engineer or $160,000–$210,000 for Senior Thermal Engineer, plus equity

Company

hirify.global is a defense technology startup developing autonomous, scalable, decentralized defense platforms.

What you will do

• Own thermal design and analysis for avionics components, PCBAs, commercial off-the-shelf electronics, and custom enclosures.
• Predict and manage junction temperatures, heat spreading, hotspots, and coldspots under mission-relevant conditions.
• Optimize component placement, PCB stackups, copper distribution, via strategies, and thermal interfaces.
• Design conduction paths between PCBs and chassis, including thermal interface materials and contact-resistance considerations.
• Plan and execute board-level thermal testing using thermocouples and infrared measurement.
• Correlate thermal models with test results and collaborate with software, electrical, and mechanical teams.

Requirements

• Experience with electronics or PCB thermal analysis in avionics, power electronics, or a similar field.
• Strong knowledge of conduction- and radiation-dominated heat transfer and transient thermal behavior.
• Proficiency with Icepak, Fluent, Thermal Desktop, or equivalent thermal analysis tools.
• Experience testing and validating electronics hardware thermally.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States; the role may involve U.S. export-controlled information under EAR and ITAR.

Nice to have

• PCB layout optimization experience, including placement, planes, and vias.
• Avionics or embedded electronics thermal design background.
• Experience with high power-density or transient thermal loads and heat sink design.
• Experience with high-altitude or space systems and low-convection chassis integration.
• Experience building analysis tools or rapid trade studies with Python or MATLAB.

Culture & Benefits

• Equity participation through stock options or equity grants.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Retirement savings plans and paid time off.
• Funding for continuing education, training, and professional development.
• Performance-based incentives and transparent compensation tiers.