Senior Thermal Engineer — Aerospace Flight Systems

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 191,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Competitive benefits

Top-tier health benefits

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA is seeking a Thermal Engineer to lead design and analysis of thermal systems for unmanned aircraft and defense platforms, from concept to ground and flight testing.

You will use CFD/FEA tools (STAR-CCM+, ANSYS Fluent, NASTRAN/Abaqus) and develop MATLAB/Python models, collaborating with aerodynamics, structures, and electronics. Requires MS or higher in relevant field and 15+ years in aerospace thermal eng; Top Secret clearance preferred.

Qualifications

• MS or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Applied Physics with focus on heat transfer and fluid dynamics.
• Deep understanding of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and high-temperature environments.
• 15+ years of aerospace thermal engineering experience on rocket, aircraft, or missile programs.
• Experience with CFD/FEA thermal solvers.
• Thermal‑structural coupling experience and ground testing with data acquisition.
• Strong programming in MATLAB, Python or similar for tool development.
• Experience preparing formal documentation.
• CAD experience with SolidWorks or Siemens NX.

Responsibilities

• Thermal design and analysis of unmanned air vehicles at conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design maturities.
• Define thermal system architectures and material selection strategies for vehicles operating in demanding flight environments.
• Thermal analysis of flight vehicles using CFD, FEA, and engineering methods.
• Material response modeling under combined thermal and mechanical loads.
• Transient thermal analysis for time‑varying mission profiles.
• Ground test planning, execution, and analysis in specialized thermal test facilities.
• Flight test planning, execution, and post‑flight thermal data analysis.
• Use first principles and MATLAB/Python models to inform design decisions.
• Collaborate with aerodynamics, structures, electrical, and systems engineers on integrated solutions.
• Present thermal status at formal reviews internally and with customers.
• Prepare formal documentation (specifications, test procedures, technical reports).

Skills

Heat transfer & fluid dynamics

MATLAB/Python programming

Ground testing instrumentation

Formal documentation

Education

MS or higher in Aerospace/Mechanical/Applied Physics

Tools

STAR-CCM+

ANSYS Fluent

NASTRAN

Abaqus

SolidWorks

Siemens NX

Job description

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA is seeking a Thermal Engineer to lead design and analysis of thermal systems for unmanned aircraft and defense platforms, from concept to ground and flight testing.

You will use CFD/FEA tools (STAR-CCM+, ANSYS Fluent, NASTRAN/Abaqus) and develop MATLAB/Python models, collaborating with aerodynamics, structures, and electronics. Requires MS or higher in relevant field and 15+ years in aerospace thermal eng; Top Secret clearance preferred.