Lead Thermal Engineer, Aerospace & Stratosphere

Strativ Group; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Strativ Group is seeking a Lead Thermal Engineer to own thermal management for high‑altitude aerospace platforms. You will shape design decisions and work with multidisciplinary teams to ensure reliability under stratospheric conditions.

You will perform steady‑state and transient analyses, develop and validate thermal models using ANSYS, Thermal Desktop or COMSOL, and guide hardware through testing and integration from concept to flight readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering and 5–10 years of hands‑on thermal engineering in aerospace.
• Experience with thermal design for high‑altitude platforms (HAPS/UAS desirable).
• Strong knowledge of conduction, convection and radiation in low‑density environments.
• Ability to own analyses independently and drive design decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, analysis and optimization of active and passive thermal control systems for high‑altitude aerospace platforms.
• Perform steady‑state and transient thermal analyses for mission conditions.
• Develop, validate and correlate thermal models using ANSYS, Thermal Desktop, COMSOL.
• Define thermal requirements, margins and operating limits for avionics, batteries, payloads, structures.
• Evaluate materials, coatings, radiators and interfaces to inform design trade‑offs.
• Support environmental qualification, thermal vacuum, altitude simulation and cycling campaigns.
• Translate test results into design improvements and increase system reliability.
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, systems and manufacturing teams.
• Provide clear technical recommendations on thermal performance and mission readiness.

Skills

Thermal analysis

Lead engineering

Thermal modeling

Aerospace experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

ANSYS

Thermal Desktop

COMSOL

Job description

Strativ Group is seeking a Lead Thermal Engineer to own thermal management for high‑altitude aerospace platforms. You will shape design decisions and work with multidisciplinary teams to ensure reliability under stratospheric conditions.

You will perform steady‑state and transient analyses, develop and validate thermal models using ANSYS, Thermal Desktop or COMSOL, and guide hardware through testing and integration from concept to flight readiness.