Senior Space Thermal Systems Engineer & Lead

Footbridge Federal; Pinehurst Mobile Home Village (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and Financial Foundation

Time Away and Flexibility WhereMission

Professional Development

Job summary

Footbridge Federal seeks a senior thermal engineering professional to perform detailed thermal modeling for space hardware and electronics packaging. You will implement heat pipes, coatings, heaters, and sensors to maintain target temperatures and minimize distortion while leading testing programs and documenting results.

The role requires hands-on experience with Thermal Desktop, SINDA, ANSYS Fluent, or Icepak, plus a background in thermal vacuum testing and strong FEA knowledge.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 6+ years of relevant experience, a Master’s degree with 4+ years, or 10+ years of equivalent experience in lieu of a degree.
• Hands-on thermal modeling with industry tools such as Thermal Desktop, SINDA, ANSYS Fluent, or Icepak.
• Direct background conducting thermal vacuum testing on spaceflight or aerospace hardware.
• Strong working knowledge of finite element analysis (FEA) software and mechanical design principles.
• Ability to obtain a TS/SCI security clearance (U.S. Citizenship required).

Responsibilities

• Perform thermal performance calculations involving conduction, convection, and radiation for space hardware, electronics packaging, and precision mechanisms.
• Apply thermal control elements—including heat pipes, surface coatings, heaters, and thermistors—to maintain target temperatures and limit structural optical distortion.
• Formulate thermal vacuum test procedures and oversee environmental testing activities for space payload sensors.
• Generate technical documentation, finite element analysis reports, and customer presentation packages.
• Lead root‑cause failure investigations and perform design optimization studies.

Skills

Thermal modeling

Thermal analysis

FEA software

TS/SCI eligibility

Degree+experience combo

Education

Bachelor’s degree 6+ years

Master’s degree 4+ years

Equivalent experience 10+ years

Tools

Thermal Desktop

SINDA

ANSYS Fluent

Icepak

Job description

Footbridge Federal seeks a senior thermal engineering professional to perform detailed thermal modeling for space hardware and electronics packaging. You will implement heat pipes, coatings, heaters, and sensors to maintain target temperatures and minimize distortion while leading testing programs and documenting results.

The role requires hands-on experience with Thermal Desktop, SINDA, ANSYS Fluent, or Icepak, plus a background in thermal vacuum testing and strong FEA knowledge.