Mechanical Engineer (Thermal Systems)

Stadler Rail AG; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Stadler Rail AG seeks a Thermal Systems Engineer to lead design, integration, testing, and validation of thermal management systems for rail vehicles across North America. You will drive concepts from simulation to real-world deployment, ensuring passenger comfort, reliability, and regulatory compliance.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in thermal engineering within rail or related industries, with expertise in HVAC, BTMS, power electronics cooling, and validated testing methods.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in thermal engineering, thermal management, HVAC systems, cooling systems, heat transfer, thermodynamics, or related fields.

Responsibilities

• Develop concepts, specifications, and technical documentation for rail vehicle thermal management systems.
• Own and manage thermal system requirements throughout the project lifecycle.
• Perform and review thermal load calculations, energy balance assessments, passenger comfort analyses, and equipment cooling evaluations.
• Define thermal management strategies for HVAC systems, BTMS, power electronics, and other onboard systems.
• Responsible for the design, integration, and validation of thermal systems within rail vehicles.
• Act as the primary technical liaison between Stadler and thermal/HVAC suppliers.
• Review and approve supplier designs, calculations, technical documentation, and test reports.
• Interpret and incorporate customer, regulatory, operational, and environmental requirements into system designs.
• Define procurement documentation, technical specifications, verification plans, type testing requirements, and commissioning documentation.
• Coordinate thermal system interfaces with mechanical, electrical, software, carbody, and vehicle engineering teams.
• Support climatic chamber testing, static testing, dynamic testing, and vehicle commissioning activities.
• Investigate and resolve thermal performance issues through engineering analysis and root-cause investigations.
• Support First Article Inspections (FAI) and production implementation activities.
• Ensure project deliverables are completed in accordance with project schedules, budgets, and quality requirements.
• Support development of thermal engineering standards, tools, processes, and best practices within Stadler.

Skills

Thermal engineering

HVAC systems

Thermodynamics

Heat transfer

Fluid mechanics

Engineering calculations

Technical writing

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering

Tools

ANSYS

Icepak

Star-CCM+

FloTHERM

Simcenter

Job description

HOW YOU CAN MAKE AN IMPACT

Design the Thermal Systems That Power the Future of Rail

Every train relies on high-performance thermal systems operating seamlessly under extreme conditions. As a Thermal Systems Engineer at Stadler, you will lead the development, integration, validation, and continuous improvement of thermal management systems for railway vehicles. Serving as both the thermal engineering subject matter expert and thermal system owner, you'll ensure optimal thermal performance, passenger comfort, equipment cooling, regulatory compliance, reliability, maintainability, and customer requirements are achieved throughout the project lifecycle.

This isn't a role where your work disappears into a drawing package or gets buried in endless meetings. You'll design, analyze, integrate, test, and validate the critical thermal architectures that bring modern passenger trains to life-from HVAC systems and cab climate controls to traction cooling loops, battery thermal management systems, heat exchangers, and fluid dynamics models.

You'll collaborate with experienced engineers and global teams, seeing your thermal designs move from simulation and concept to physical validation and real-world deployment on vehicles that will serve communities across North America for decades.

Whether your background is in rail, aerospace, defense, automotive, heavy machinery, power generation, or another complex thermal/fluids industry, this is an opportunity to apply your mechanical engineering expertise to something tangible, visible, and deeply impactful.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop concepts, specifications, and technical documentation for rail vehicle thermal management systems.
• Own and manage thermal system requirements throughout the project lifecycle.
• Perform and review thermal load calculations, energy balance assessments, passenger comfort analyses, and equipment cooling evaluations.
• Define thermal management strategies for HVAC systems, batteries (BTMS), power electronics (Traction Converter/ Battery Converter), and other onboard systems.
• Responsible for the design, integration, and validation of thermal systems within rail vehicles.
• Act as the primary technical liaison between Stadler and thermal/HVAC suppliers.
• Review and approve supplier designs, calculations, technical documentation, and test reports.
• Interpret and incorporate customer, regulatory, operational, and environmental requirements into system designs.
• Define procurement documentation, technical specifications, verification plans, type testing requirements, and commissioning documentation.
• Coordinate thermal system interfaces with mechanical, electrical, software, carbody, and vehicle engineering teams.
• Support climatic chamber testing, static testing, dynamic testing, and vehicle commissioning activities.
• Investigate and resolve thermal performance issues through engineering analysis and root-cause investigations.
• Responsible for supporting First Article Inspections (FAI) and production implementation activities.
• Ensure project deliverables are completed in accordance with project schedules, budgets, and quality requirements.
• Support development of thermal engineering standards, tools, processes, and best practices within Stadler.
• Ensure clear and effective cross-departmental collaboration.

HOW YOU WILL CONTRIBUTE

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in thermal engineering, thermal management, HVAC systems, cooling systems, heat transfer, thermodynamics, or related fields.
• Experience in rail, aerospace, automotive, defense, heavy equipment, industrial equipment, or transportation industries.
• Strong understanding of:
  • Thermodynamics
  • Heat Transfer
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • HVAC and Refrigeration Systems
  • Thermal Management and Equipment Cooling
  • Environmental Testing and Validation
• Experience performing engineering calculations, thermal load analyses, system evaluations, and technical investigations.
• Independent and well-structured working methods for integrating multiple projects, conducting testing, and preparing deliverables associated with thermal systems.
• Excellent communication, technical writing, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Self-motivated attitude and ability to use initiative to meet project timelines.
• Must be fluent in English (both verbal and written). German is a plus!

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with passenger rail, locomotives, light rail vehicles, or metro vehicles.
• Experience with thermal modeling and simulation tools such as ANSYS, Icepak, Star-CCM+, FloTHERM, Simcenter, or similar.
• Familiarity with systems engineering principles, requirements management, and technical interface management.