Thermal Protection Systems Lead

AlgoForge Aerospace; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

AlgoForge Aerospace seeks a TPS Lead to own the vehicle's thermal survival boundary for hypersonic reuse. You will design advanced, flight-weight TPS architectures (C-C, C-SiC, TUFI tiles) and lead material campaigns to enable rapid turnaround.

Responsibilities include aero-thermal analyses with CFD/solvers, arc-jet testing, integrating TPS with carbon-composite airframes, and establishing 24-hour recertification processes while mentoring a team of extreme-environment specialists.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, or Mechanical Engineering with high-temperature R&D experience.
• Hands-on expertise with extreme-environment composites (Carbon-Carbon, Ceramic Matrix Composites) and advanced insulation blankets.
• Deep knowledge of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and hypersonic aerothermodynamics.
• Direct experience performing material test campaigns in arc-jet facilities or high-temperature wind tunnels.
• Familiarity with thermal analysis suites (Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT) or Python-based solvers.

Responsibilities

• Own the vehicle's thermal survival boundary and reusable TPS architecture (C-C, C-SiC, TUFI).
• Perform aero-thermal analyses using high-fidelity CFD and heat transfer tools.
• Lead arc-jet testing to characterize ablation and thermal soak-back.
• Collaborate with Structures to integrate TPS without mass penalty and establish rapid recertification.

Skills

Aerospace Engineering

Materials Science

Hypersonics

Heat Transfer

Python scripting

Education

Aerospace Eng (BS/MS/PhD)

Materials Science

Mechanical Eng

Tools

Thermal Desktop

SINDA/FLUINT

CFD tools

Job description

Mission Overview

At AlgoForge Aerospace, reusability is an absolute mandate, not a secondary goal. As the Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) Lead, you are responsible for ensuring the AF-Series launch vehicles survive the searing heat of hypersonic reentry.

You are the ultimate barrier between our primary composite airframe and the destructive plasma of the atmosphere. Your mandate is to engineer advanced, flight-weight TPS architectures that require zero refurbishment between flights, enabling high-cadence orbital operations.

Operational Objectives

Take extreme ownership of the vehicle's thermal shield, architecting advanced reusable TPS (C-C, C-SiC, TUFI tiles) and targeted ablators for peak heating zones.

Execute rigorous aero-thermal load analyses to define thermal margins, utilizing high-fidelity CFD and Thermal solvers (ANSYS, Fluent, Star-CCM+).

Drive aggressive material qualification campaigns, leading high-enthalpy arc-jet testing to characterize ablation rates and thermal soak-back.

Collaborate intimately with the Structures team to integrate TPS directly onto the primary carbon-composite airframe without compromising dry mass.

Pioneer automated inspection and rapid recertification protocols, ensuring the heat shield is flight-ready within a 24-hour turnaround window.

Mission Prerequisites

BS/MS/PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, or Mechanical Engineering with a proven track record in high-temperature R&D.

Deep, hands-on expertise with extreme-environment composites (Carbon-Carbon, Ceramic Matrix Composites) and advanced insulation blankets.

Uncompromising mastery of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation), hypersonic aerothermodynamics, and plasma physics.

Direct experience executing material test campaigns in arc-jet facilities or high-temperature wind tunnels.

Expertise in industry-standard thermal analysis suites (Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, or advanced custom Python solvers).

— Deployment Benefits —

Technical Authority

Total ownership of the vehicle's survival boundary.

Reusability Mandate

Engineer the materials that make rapid turnaround a reality.

Arc-Jet Access

Burn things up in high-enthalpy plasma test facilities.

Elite Leadership

Build and command a dedicated team of extreme-environment metallurgists.