Senior Thermal Architect – Aircraft Avionics

Speedrun Talent Network; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Principal Thermal Engineer to own the thermal direction for unmanned aircraft avionics and aircraft‑level thermal management. You will lead cross‑functional teams, shaping architectures, modeling approaches, and verification plans to deliver robust thermal solutions for mission‑critical aerospace applications.

The role requires first‑principles problem solving, strong communication, and the ability to mentor engineers while aligning technical direction with executive

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum 12 years of professional experience in avionics or electronics thermal engineering with technical leadership.
• Strong heat transfer and fluid mechanics knowledge for system architecture decisions.
• Deep understanding of active and passive cooling and integration at component to aircraft level.
• Knowledge of TIMs, spreaders, heat sinks, vapor chambers, heat pipes, and fans.

Responsibilities

• Own thermal architecture, analysis, and design strategy for UAV avionics and aircraft-level systems across programs.
• Lead cross-functional trade studies balancing thermal performance with power, weight, and integration constraints.
• Develop and validate analytical, numerical, and CFD models; establish standards and best practices.

Skills

Thermal leadership

First-principles reasoning

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive briefing

Education

B.S./Bachelors in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

M.S./Ph.D. preferred

Tools

ANSYS Icepak

FloEFD

STAR-CCM+

NX

SolidWorks

Job description

Shield AI seeks a Principal Thermal Engineer to own the thermal direction for unmanned aircraft avionics and aircraft‑level thermal management. You will lead cross‑functional teams, shaping architectures, modeling approaches, and verification plans to deliver robust thermal solutions for mission‑critical aerospace applications.

The role requires first‑principles problem solving, strong communication, and the ability to mentor engineers while aligning technical direction with executive