Senior Thermal Architect: EV HVAC & Battery Cooling

Aptera Motors Corp; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market-competitive pay

Benefits for employee and dependents

Job summary

Aptera Motors Corp seeks a Senior Staff Engineer, HVAC & Thermal Systems in California to lead thermal architecture and system development for its solar EV platform. You will define and execute a thermal strategy to keep occupants comfortable while protecting battery, powertrain and electronics for ultra-low energy consumption.

You will own system requirements, lead CFD/1D/3D modeling, conduct climate chamber tests, and drive cross-functional integration with battery, body and electrical teams

Qualifications

• 15+ years of automotive HVAC/thermal engineering experience.
• Deep expertise in vehicle HVAC and thermal architecture, including battery thermal management.
• Proven track record leading thermal system design from concept through production launch.
• Hands-on CFD and thermal simulation experience; climate chamber testing.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and validation of HVAC and thermal systems for the solar vehicle platform.
• Define thermal architecture strategy balancing energy efficiency, range and comfort.
• Own system requirements, specs, and performance targets from concept to production.
• Lead CFD and 1D/3D modeling to predict and optimize performance.
• Plan HVAC validation, climate tests, and real-world verification.
• Collaborate with battery, powertrain, body, and electrical teams to integrate thermal systems.
• Manage suppliers for compressors, heat exchangers, refrigerant systems, and heat pumps.
• Provide mentorship to junior engineers and drive root-cause analysis of issues.
• Ensure compliance with automotive thermal and refrigerant safety standards.
• Maintain BOM documentation for HVAC/thermal systems.

Skills

HVAC & Thermal Systems

Thermal architecture

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical leadership

Communication skills

Climate chamber testing

CFD/thermal simulation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

CATIA V6

CFD software

3D modeling

Job description

Aptera Motors Corp seeks a Senior Staff Engineer, HVAC & Thermal Systems in California to lead thermal architecture and system development for its solar EV platform. You will define and execute a thermal strategy to keep occupants comfortable while protecting battery, powertrain and electronics for ultra-low energy consumption.

You will own system requirements, lead CFD/1D/3D modeling, conduct climate chamber tests, and drive cross-functional integration with battery, body and electrical teams