Senior FEA & Thermal Engineer

SuperSharp; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company at the forefront of space technology, where your expertise as a Senior FEA & Thermal Engineer will drive the development of innovative Earth-imaging solutions. In this pivotal role, you'll lead advanced structural and thermal analysis efforts, ensuring the success of mission-critical hardware. With a strong emphasis on collaboration, you'll work cross-functionally to validate designs and contribute to internal standards. This is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in the aerospace sector while enjoying a supportive environment that fosters technical leadership and career growth.

Benefits

Private Medical Healthcare

Company Pension Plan

Hybrid & Flexible Working

Holiday Allowance 25 days

Cycle to Work Scheme

Tech Purchase Schemes

Team Socials

Community Events

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in structural and thermal analysis.
• Proficiency with FEA and thermal analysis tools.
• Strong understanding of thermal control system design.

Responsibilities

• Lead structural and thermal analysis activities for spacecraft.
• Develop high-fidelity finite element models and simulations.
• Generate technical documentation for design reviews and certification.

Skills

Structural Analysis

Thermal Analysis

Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

Technical Documentation

Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Ansys Mechanical

FEMAP

NASTRAN

SpaceClaim

SolidWorks

Python

Job description

Super-Sharp Space Systems is an Earth-imaging company developing unfolding space telescopes to capture high-resolution thermal infrared (TIR) images of the earth. Our technology allows us to fit a large telescope in a small box, making low-cost, high-resolution, and frequent Earth-imaging possible. This makes powerful TIR space telescopes much more affordable while achieving 10x greater resolution than the current state-of-the-art solutions. The images captured by our space telescopes can be used for applications such as tackling climate change, crop monitoring, and maintaining global security. We are determined to offer high-quality affordable Earth-imaging solutions to empower our world in responding to global change. We are seeking a Senior FEA & Thermal Engineer to lead advanced structural and thermal analysis efforts across mission-critical hardware.

Role Overview

This position is responsible for developing, executing, and validating structural and thermal models to support the design, test, and operation of space systems. The ideal candidate will have a proven background in spacecraft analysis, strong technical judgment, and the ability to interface across design, systems, and test engineering functions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead structural and thermal analysis activities for spacecraft assemblies and subsystems.
• Develop high-fidelity finite element models and perform static, dynamic, and thermal simulations.
• Define and validate thermal control strategies using both passive and active components.
• Correlate analytical models with test data from vibration, thermal vacuum, and shock environments.
• Generate technical documentation to support design reviews, qualification, and flight certification.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure analysis is aligned with hardware implementation and system requirements.
• Contribute to the development of internal standards and methodologies for structural and thermal analysis.

Required Qualifications

-Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace, or a related engineering discipline.

-Minimum 5 years of experience in structural and thermal analysis.

-Minimum 2 years of experience in structural and thermal analysis for multibody assemblies (10+ components, not including fasteners)

-Proficiency with FEA and thermal analysis tools.

-Strong understanding of structural dynamics, thermal transport, and materials behaviour in space environments.

-Knowledge of thermal control system design, including radiators, insulation, and heaters.

-Demonstrated ability to deliver accurate, validated analysis that supports hardware design and qualification.

-Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience producing clear and concise technical documentation.

Preferred Qualifications

-Master’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace, or a related engineering discipline.

-Experience in structural and thermal analysis within the aerospace or space sector.

-Ansys Mechanical proficient user (bonus software packages: FEMAP/NASTRAN, ESATAN)

-2 years of usage of SpaceClaim for CAD manipulation within Ansys.

-Experience supporting spaceflight hardware through development, test, and launch.

-Familiarity with aerospace standards (ECSS, NASA-STD, MIL-STD).

-Experience with CAD tools and scripting languages (e.g. SolidWorks, Python). With an emphasis on scripting for Ansys data and results manipulation.

-Familiarity with FEA results export for ZEMAX usage.

What SuperSharp Offers

• High-impact role on mission-critical hardware
• Opportunities for technical leadership and career growth
• Private Medical Healthcare
• Company Pension Plan and contribution
• Hybrid & Flexible Working (dependent on role)
• Holiday Allowance 25 days (plus UK bank holidays)
• Cycle to Work & Tech Purchase Schemes
• Team Socials & Community Events

To apply, please submit your CV and a brief cover letter outlining your relevant experience to [e-mail]

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Engineering and Information Technology

• Industries

  Defense and Space Manufacturing

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