Senior Space Thermal Engineer

Blue Origin; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 157,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Origin seeks a Senior Thermal Engineer to lead the thermal design and analysis for satellite payloads and in-space constellation solutions. You will drive cross-disciplinary design integration across payload, mechanical, avionics, and power subsystems, ensuring reliable performance in LEO and other regimes.

The role requires 7+ years in aerospace thermal engineering, space-qualified hardware experience, and proficiency with Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, or ANSYS Icepak.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in thermal engineering for aerospace systems.
• Experience with spaceborne thermal design, including vacuum environments and radiation heat transfer.
• Proficiency with Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, ANSYS Icepak.
• Familiarity with NASA/ESA/MIL-STD standards and qualification testing.
• Excellent communication and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Ability to obtain and maintain TS//SCI clearance; U.S. citizenship or permanent residency.

Responsibilities

• Lead thermal design and analysis for satellite-based, high-power payloads.
• Develop detailed thermal models using tools such as Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, or equivalent.
• Define and manage thermal interfaces across payload subsystems (radiators, heat pipes, loop heat pipes, cold plates).
• Perform transient and steady-state thermal analyses for mission profiles, eclipse transitions, and worst-case conditions.
• Develop thermal architecture for common bus/payload configurations for multiple programs.
• Define correlation strategy under limited test data and extend models across production blocks.
• Address high cycle fatigue in joints, TIMs, and coatings over design life.
• Drive manufacturability considerations and parametric modeling workflows.
• Evaluate COTS components and manage heater power budgets as fleet driver.
• Support thermal design across multiple constellation and payload programs.
• Collaborate with payload, mechanical, power, and systems teams to ensure thermal constraints are integrated.
• Establish thermal requirements, margins, and verification plans.
• Drive trades balancing performance, mass, power, manufacturability, and cost.
• Contribute to technical design reviews and mentor juniors.

Skills

Thermal design

System engineering

Thermal modeling

Communication

Security clearance

Education

Bachelors in ME/Aerospace/Physics

Tools

Thermal Desktop

SINDA/FLUINT

ANSYS Icepak

Job description

Blue Origin seeks a Senior Thermal Engineer to lead the thermal design and analysis for satellite payloads and in-space constellation solutions. You will drive cross-disciplinary design integration across payload, mechanical, avionics, and power subsystems, ensuring reliable performance in LEO and other regimes.

The role requires 7+ years in aerospace thermal engineering, space-qualified hardware experience, and proficiency with Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, or ANSYS Icepak.