Senior Staff Thermal Engineer – Avionics & Aircraft

Shield; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 310,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Bonus

Benefits

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Sr. Staff Thermal Engineer to lead design, analysis, and integration of aircraft avionics thermal management systems, with opportunities to expand into system-level thermal and fluid design.

You will mentor peers and shape robust thermal solutions for mission-critical aerospace applications. The role emphasizes first-principles problem solving, cross-functional collaboration, and clear executive communication in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in avionics or electronics thermal engineering.
• Strong expertise in heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and fluid mechanics.
• Deep understanding of active and passive cooling solutions and their integration at component and system 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+).
• Proficiency with CAD design tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or similar.
• Demonstrated experience applying first-principles reasoning to complex engineering problems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of leading technical discussions and presenting to stakeholders.
• 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.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to thermal analysis and design efforts for unmanned aerial vehicle avionics and thermal/fluid systems.
• Develop and validate analytical, numerical, and computational models for heat transfer and fluid flow using hand calculations and CFD tools such as FloEFD.
• Drive test planning, instrumentation, and data analysis to correlate models with experimental results.
• Communicate technical findings clearly through executive-level briefings, design reviews, and written reports.
• Proactively identify risks, propose solutions, and influence electrical and/or PCBA design direction.

Skills

Thermal engineering

Heat transfer

CFD & modeling

First-principles reasoning

Clear communication

Security clearance

Education

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering

M.S. or Ph.D. preferred

Tools

ANSYS Icepak

FloEFD

STAR-CCM+

NX

SolidWorks

Job description

Shield AI seeks a Sr. Staff Thermal Engineer to lead design, analysis, and integration of aircraft avionics thermal management systems, with opportunities to expand into system-level thermal and fluid design.

You will mentor peers and shape robust thermal solutions for mission-critical aerospace applications. The role emphasizes first-principles problem solving, cross-functional collaboration, and clear executive communication in a fast-paced startup environment.