Senior Space Thermal Engineer – High-Power Payloads

Blue Origin; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 157,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer in Seattle to lead thermal design for satellite payloads and in-space constellation solutions. You will develop detailed thermal models, define interfaces, and drive cross-disciplinary integration across payload, mechanical, avionics, and power subsystems.

The role requires 7+ years of aerospace thermal engineering experience, space-qualified hardware knowledge, and strong collaboration across teams to ensure reliability in LEO and other orbital

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, physics, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in thermal engineering for aerospace systems and/or high-performance electronics.
• Experience with spaceborne thermal design, vacuum environments, radiation heat transfer, and flight hardware qualification.
• Experience with thermal modeling tools (Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, ANSYS Icepak, or equivalent).
• Knowledge of materials, coatings, and thermal interface technologies for space systems.
• Familiarity with environmental standards (NASA, ESA, MIL-STD) and qualification testing.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to influence multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead thermal design & analysis for satellite-based, high-power payloads and power electronics.
• Develop detailed thermal models using tools like Thermal Desktop or SINDA/FLUINT.
• Define and manage thermal interfaces across payload subsystems.
• Perform transient and steady-state analyses to validate performance under mission profiles.
• Develop thermal architecture for common bus/payload configurations reused across production blocks.
• Define thermal qualification and margin approaches per applicable standards.
• Drive design-for-manufacturability of thermal hardware at scale.
• Collaborate with payload, mechanical, power, and systems engineers to integrate thermal constraints.

Skills

Thermal analysis

Aerospace design

Thermal modeling tools

Space environment knowledge

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

BS in mechanical/aerospace

Tools

Thermal Desktop

SINDA/FLUINT

ANSYS Icepak

Job description

Blue Origin is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer in Seattle to lead thermal design for satellite payloads and in-space constellation solutions. You will develop detailed thermal models, define interfaces, and drive cross-disciplinary integration across payload, mechanical, avionics, and power subsystems.

The role requires 7+ years of aerospace thermal engineering experience, space-qualified hardware knowledge, and strong collaboration across teams to ensure reliability in LEO and other orbital