Senior Thermal Control Systems Architect

K2 Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical/dental/vision

Paid time off

Job summary

K2 Space seeks a Senior Thermal Control System Design Engineer to own the development, implementation, and testing of thermal control systems for spacecraft. You will lead design and verification of active and passive thermal control, including pump loops, heat pipes, valves, and ground support equipment.

You will coordinate with test campaigns, instrumentation, and data analysis, ensuring robust test procedures and documentation for production and qualification.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of thermal test experience in a high-rate manufacturing environment.
• 2+ years sizing and testing fluid systems (pumps, valves, accumulators, heat exchangers, cold plates).
• Experience with data acquisition for thermal and power applications.
• Experience with test plan development and execution.
• Strong experience with thermal and TVAC testing, setup, instrumentation, and troubleshooting.
• Demonstrated knowledge of NX or AutoCAD is preferred to design test fixtures.

Responsibilities

• Work with lead engineers to design active and passive thermal control systems using basic heat transfer and mechanical equations to size lines, pumps, accumulators, cold plates, etc.
• Plan and develop thermal cycle and thermal-vacuum testing campaigns.
• Design and develop heater and cooling systems including control architecture.
• Set up, commission, and maintain state-of-the-art test stands and instrumentation.
• Develop data acquisition systems for active and passive thermal control systems.
• Perform tests on pump fluid loops including feeds, power electronics, and hardware-in-the-loop.
• Develop testing and control scripts for safe and reliable test campaigns.
• Create formal documentation for development and production: test procedures, test reports, and SOPs.
• Troubleshoot electrical and mechanical test setups and hardware.
• Document, compile, analyze, and present test data.

Skills

Thermal testing

Fluid systems sizing

Data acquisition

Test plan development

Thermal/TVAC testing

NX/AutoCAD knowledge

Tools

NX

AutoCAD

Job description

K2 Space seeks a Senior Thermal Control System Design Engineer to own the development, implementation, and testing of thermal control systems for spacecraft. You will lead design and verification of active and passive thermal control, including pump loops, heat pipes, valves, and ground support equipment.

You will coordinate with test campaigns, instrumentation, and data analysis, ensuring robust test procedures and documentation for production and qualification.