Principal Powertrain Thermal Engineer

Aviation JobSearch Europa; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 200,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Volantes Technical Recruitment Ltd is seeking an experienced Principal Powertrain Thermal Engineer in the UAE to own the thermal management of the complete electric powertrain, including battery and charging systems. Lead architecture, design points, and testing to ensure reliable operation under hot climates and rapid turnaround.

You will drive integration across engineering disciplines, correlate models with test data, and define interface specifications for propulsion and environmental

Qualifications

• 10+ years in thermal management or fluid systems engineering, with 4+ years in airborne/safety-critical apps.
• Ownership of liquid or air cooling architecture for high-heat-flux systems including hardware & testing.
• Strong thermal analysis experience (network modelling, computational fluid/thermal analysis).
• Experience with battery or power electronics cooling and its impact on component life.
• Experience defining coolant interfaces and installation requirements across engineering disciplines.
• Proven thermal test experience and using results to drive design improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the powertrain thermal architecture (coolant loops, pumps, heat exchangers, ducting, inlets).
• Define the thermal design point for sustained high-power operation and hot ambient conditions.
• Assess battery thermal conditions after fast charging and rapid turnaround.
• Consolidate thermal loads from battery and electric drive systems and challenge inputs.
• Lead thermal analysis and model validation using network and CFD/CFM tools.
• Correlate thermal models with component tests and ground-test data.
• Define coolant interface specifications for battery and drive systems.
• Define thermal installation requirements for propulsion integration and aircraft structures.
• Collaborate with cabin/environmental control teams on heat rejection and airflow.
• Contribute to aircraft-level thermal management and safe operating margins.

Skills

Thermal management

System integration

Thermal analysis

Battery cooling

Power electronics cooling

Coolant interfaces

Thermal testing

Education

Advanced degree in thermal engineering

Job description

Volantes Technical Recruitment Ltd Verified

United Arab Emirates

General Engineers

Electric Propulsion Engineer

Onsite

Full time

5 days ago

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.