Principal Thermal Engineer - Aircraft Avionics & Thermal Systems (R3930) Software

Frontdoor Defense; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Principal Thermal Engineer to own the thermal architecture for UAV avionics and aircraft-level thermal/fluid systems across programs. You will lead cross-functional teams, drive first-principles problem solving, and mentor engineers to deliver robust thermal solutions aligned with aerospace requirements.

The role requires deep expertise in heat transfer, active/passive cooling, and CFD tools, with strong communication skills to influence executives and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering required.
• 12+ years in avionics or electronics thermal engineering with technical leadership.
• Proficiency in heat transfer and fluid mechanics for system architecture decisions.
• Experience with active and passive cooling and thermal management at aircraft level.
• Proficiency with CFD and CAD tools listed.
• Ability to mentor engineers and lead cross-functional efforts.

Responsibilities

• Own thermal architecture, analysis, and design strategy for UAV avionics and aircraft-level thermal/fluid systems across programs.
• Lead cross-functional trade studies balancing thermal performance with power, weight, and integration constraints.
• Develop and validate analytical, numerical models for heat transfer and fluid flow; use CFD tools.
• Define verification and validation strategies; guide test planning and data analysis.
• Present complex findings in executive briefings and customer discussions.
• Mentor engineers and drive engineering best practices across teams across programs.

Skills

Thermal engineering leadership

Heat transfer

CFD tools

First-principles reasoning

Executive briefings

Education

B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

M.S. or Ph.D. in relevant field

Tools

ANSYS Icepak

FloEFD

STAR-CCM+

NX

SolidWorks

Job description

Principal Thermal Engineer - Aircraft Avionics & Thermal Systems (R3930)

Lead the thermal architecture development for UAV avionics across programs

Location: Seattle, Washington San Diego, California

Compensation: $250,000 - 350,000 USD / year

About The Role

Principal Thermal Engineer

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI's technology actively supports operations worldwide.

Are you a passionate and innovative thermal engineer looking to help develop state of the art AI and aircraft products? Are you eager to make a positive difference in the world? Do you want to work alongside mission driven and values focused teammates? Shield AI is just the place for you!

As a Principal Thermal Engineer at Shield AI, you will own the technical direction, architecture, and development of aircraft avionics thermal management systems, with scope spanning aircraft-level thermal and fluid systems. You will lead complex, cross-functional engineering efforts and establish thermal design strategies that support performance, reliability, and scalability across aircraft platforms and programs.

This role is best suited for an engineer who thrives on first-principles problem solving, is comfortable with ambiguous, open-ended challenges, and can bridge technical disciplines with strong communication and collaboration skills and the ability to simplify and communicate complex problems. The engineer will serve as a technical authority, shaping system architectures, resolving critical technical challenges, mentoring engineers, and driving robust thermal solutions that meet mission-critical aerospace requirements.

What you'll do:

• Own thermal architecture, analysis, and design strategy for unmanned aerial vehicle avionics and aircraft-level thermal/fluid systems across programs.
• Lead cross-functional trade studies and technical decisions, balancing thermal performance with power, weight, volume, reliability, manufacturability, and aircraft integration constraints.
• Develop and validate analytical, numerical, and computational models for heat transfer and fluid flow using hand calculations and CFD tools such as FloEFD, and establish modeling standards and best practices.
• Define verification and validation strategies, guiding test planning, instrumentation, and data analysis to correlate models with experimental results and resolve critical performance risks.
• Serve as a technical authority in executive-level briefings, design reviews, and customer discussions, communicating complex findings and driving alignment on technical direction.
• Proactively identify and retire system-level risks, influence electrical and/or PCBA design direction, and drive resolution of complex interfaces across avionics, mechanical, and aircraft systems.
• Establish reusable thermal design methods and solutions, mentor engineers, and strengthen thermal engineering capabilities across the organization.

Required qualifications:

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum 12 years of professional experience in avionics or electronics thermal engineering, including technical leadership of complex, multidisciplinary systems.
• Strong expertise in heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and fluid mechanics, with demonstrated ability to apply this expertise to system architecture and critical design decisions.
• Deep understanding of active and passive cooling solutions and their integration at component, subsystem, and aircraft level.
• Deep understanding of thermal management design elements including TIMs, spreaders, heat sinks, vapor chambers, heat pipes, and fans.
• Proficiency with thermal analysis and CFD tools (e.g., ANSYS Icepak, FloEFD, STAR-CCM+), including experience establishing modeling approaches and evaluating analysis quality.
• Proficiency with CAD design tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or similar.
• Demonstrated experience applying first-principles reasoning to complex engineering problems and resolving ambiguous technical challenges with significant system-level impact.
• Proven track record of owning thermal architecture and delivering thermal management solutions from concept through integration, verification, and validation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of influencing cross-functional technical decisions and presenting to executive stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, establish engineering best practices, and lead technical efforts across teams or programs.
• Proven ability to learn and adapt quickly to new tools, processes, and technical challenges in a fast paced, startup environment.
• Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.

Preferred qualifications:

• M.S. or Ph.D. in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Experience leading high altitude aircraft avionics cooling and thermal design.
• Experience defining thermal architectures within aircraft integration constraints (power, weight, volume, maintainability, safety).
• Hands-on experience developing thermal and fluid system test strategies and guiding instrumentation, validation, and root-cause investigations.
• Knowledge of materials and manufacturing methods relevant to thermal management (pumps, heat exchangers, composites, etc.).
• Experience leading trade studies, shaping proposals, and serving as a technical representative in customer interactions on aerospace or defense programs.

$250,000 - $350,000 a year

Full-time regular employee offer package: Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package: Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.