Principal Powertrain Thermal Engineer

Volantes Technical Recruitment Ltd; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 1,100,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Volantes Technical Recruitment Ltd is seeking an experienced Principal Powertrain Thermal Engineer for aerospace applications in the UAE. You will own the thermal management of electric powertrains, including battery and charging systems, and lead the development of an integrated thermal architecture.

Responsibilities include optimizing cooling, assessing high-power operation in hot climates, and driving testing, validation and safety analyses to ensure reliability and performance.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in thermal management or fluid systems engineering including 4+ years in airborne or safety-critical applications
• Ownership of a liquid or air-cooling architecture for high-heat-flux systems from design to testing
• Strong thermal analysis experience including network modelling and CFD/TA methods
• Experience with battery or power electronics cooling and its impact on life
• Defining coolant interfaces and thermal installation requirements across disciplines
• Proven thermal test experience with data-driven design improvements

Responsibilities

• Lead the thermal architecture for the powertrain including coolant loops, pumps, heat exchangers, ducting and capacity allocation
• Define thermal design points for sustained high-power operation in hot ambient conditions
• Assess battery thermal conditions after fast charging and rapid turnaround
• Consolidate thermal loads from battery and electric drive systems
• Lead thermal analysis and model validation using network, CFD and fluid models
• Correlate thermal models with component tests, rigs and ground tests
• Define coolant interface specs for battery and drive systems
• Define thermal installation requirements for propulsion integration and aircraft structures
• Collaborate with cabin and environmental control teams on shared heat rejection
• Contribute to aircraft-level thermal management and heat-rejection budgets
• Support safety assessments covering cooling-system failures and derating
• Define and support thermal testing including hot-climate tests and drive design improvements

Skills

Thermal management

Cooling systems

Thermal analysis

Battery cooling

Safety-critical applications

Test and validation

Education

Advanced degree in thermal engineering

Job description

Principal Powertrain Thermal Engineer

Location: UAE

About the Role

As the Principal Powertrain Thermal Engineer, you will take technical ownership of the thermal management of the complete electric powertrain, including battery, electric drives and charging systems.

You will develop an integrated thermal architecture that balances cooling requirements, heat rejection capacity, aircraft weight and available airflow. A key focus will be ensuring reliable operation during sustained high-power flight, hot-climate conditions, rapid turnaround and fast charging.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the powertrain thermal architecture, including coolant loops, pumps, heat exchangers, ducting, inlets and thermal capacity allocation.
• Define the thermal design point for sustained high-power operation, including hot ambient conditions, one-drive-inoperative scenarios and transient thermal soak.
• Assess battery thermal conditions following fast charging and rapid turnaround.
• Define and consolidate thermal loads from battery and electric drive systems, challenging inputs where required.
• Lead thermal analysis and model validation using network, computational thermal and fluid models.
• Correlate thermal models against component, rig and ground-test data.
• Define coolant interface specifications for battery and electric drive systems.
• Define thermal installation requirements for propulsion integration and aircraft structures.
• Work with cabin and environmental control teams on shared heat-rejection and airflow requirements.
• Contribute to the aircraft-level thermal management and heat-rejection budget.
• Support safety assessments covering cooling-system failures, thermal derating and available flight time following cooling loss.
• Define and support thermal testing, including hot-climate testing, and use results to drive design improvements.

Required Experience

• 10+ years’ experience in thermal management or fluid systems engineering, including at least 4 years in airborne or equivalent safety-critical applications.
• Proven ownership of a liquid or air-cooling architecture for a high-heat-flux system through to hardware and testing.
• Strong thermal analysis experience, including network modelling and computational thermal or fluid analysis.
• Experience with battery or power electronics cooling, including the relationship between thermal management and component life.
• Experience defining coolant interfaces and thermal installation requirements across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Proven thermal test experience, with test results used to drive design improvements.

Desirable Experience

• eVTOL or electric aircraft thermal management, particularly sustained high-power operation.
• Experience designing for hot-climate environments, including thermal sizing, derating and dispatch availability.
• Fast-charge thermal management and rapid-turnaround thermal conditions.
• Experience integrating powertrain cooling with environmental control and shared heat-rejection systems.
• Advanced degree in thermal engineering, fluid systems or a related discipline.