Thermal Engineer (Spacecraft)

Location: Redmond, WA, United States

Annual salary: $125,000–$160,000 for L1; $160,000–$215,000 for L2.

Company

hirify.global is building a network of space-based data centers, scaling from kilowatts toward gigawatt capacity and using abundant energy and radiative cooling in orbit.

What you will do

• Conduct preliminary and detailed thermal analyses of spacecraft and orbital subsystems.
• Design and optimize cold plates, coolant loops, pumps, and large lightweight deployable radiators.
• Support architectural trades and provide thermal recommendations to system architects and subsystem leads.
• Build and test engineering models through rapid prototyping and iterative design.
• Take responsibility for building flight-model thermal hardware.
• Define, lead, and execute thermal cycling and thermal vacuum tests for subsystem and spacecraft development and qualification.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• At least 5 years of experience with active thermal control, ideally in the space domain.
• Good competency with Thermal Desktop and Ansys.
• Experience delivering thermal solutions optimized for mass, cost, reliability, performance, and manufacturability.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or eligible for authorization under U.S. export regulations.
• Willingness to work extended hours and weekends when necessary to support critical project milestones.

Nice to have

• Proven track record in spacecraft thermal design.
• Experience developing hardware and spacecraft that have successfully operated in space.
• Experience interpreting and correlating on-orbit telemetry data.

Culture & Benefits

• Stock options, discretionary bonuses, and other long-term incentives.
• Medical, vision, and dental coverage.
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match.
• Short- and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and paid parental leave.
• Paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave.