Optical Space Payload Thermal Design Engineer

General Atomics; Acton (MA); On-site; USD 81,000 - 142,000; Full time

Job summary

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) in Acton, MA seeks a Mechanical Engineer focused on thermal design for optical space payloads. Ideal candidates have heat transfer expertise and hands-on experience in space hardware assembly, integration, and test, with 2–5 years of experience.

You will work with a multidisciplinary team to develop, analyze and test thermal control for payloads and satellite systems, applying best practices and maturing designs for flight hardware, while

Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelor's, master's or PhD in engineering, with progressive experience; 4+ years with bachelor's, 2+ years with master's.
• Experience with thermal analysis tools (SINDA/FLUINT, Thermal Desktop) is highly desirable; other tools are a plus.
• Experience with thermal design/analysis of space payloads or complex electro-mechanical systems; EO/IR payloads a plus.
• Hands-on AI&T experience with thermal hardware (radiators, thermal straps, heaters, MLI, interfaces).
• Familiarity with CAD tools and basic scripting (Python, MATLAB, FORTRAN).
• Exposure to TVAC, thermal cycling, environmental tests; ability to correlate models to test data.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to design and development of thermal management for optical payloads and satellite systems.
• Perform thermal analysis, modeling and simulation to support design trades and verification.
• Lead elements of AI&T for thermal hardware, including test setup, execution support and data analysis.
• Develop and review thermal subsystem requirements, allocations, design docs, integration plans and test procedures.
• Support environmental test campaigns, including planning, readiness and execution; correlate models to test results.
• Prepare technical docs, design reviews and test reports for program milestones.
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.

Skills

Heat transfer

Thermal design

SINDA/FLUINT

Thermal Desktop

CAD tools

Python/MATLAB/FORTRAN

TVAC / environmental test planning

Engineering calculations

Communication skills

DoD clearance eligibility

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's degree in engineering

PhD in engineering

Tools

SINDA/FLUINT

Thermal Desktop

SOLIDWORKS/CREO/NX

Python/MATLAB/FORTRAN

Job description

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) in Acton, MA seeks a Mechanical Engineer focused on thermal design for optical space payloads. Ideal candidates have heat transfer expertise and hands-on experience in space hardware assembly, integration, and test, with 2–5 years of experience.

You will work with a multidisciplinary team to develop, analyze and test thermal control for payloads and satellite systems, applying best practices and maturing designs for flight hardware, while