Senior Thermal Engineer, Avionics & Power Electronics

Shield AI; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 173,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI, a defense-tech company, seeks a Senior Staff Thermal Engineer in Boston to lead design and analysis of aircraft avionics thermal management systems, including high-power systems and energy storage. You will develop analytical and CFD models, drive cross-functional collaboration, and mentor engineers to ensure robust cooling solutions for mission-critical aerospace applications.

The role requires strong fundamentals in heat transfer and cooling, hands-on experience with CFD tools, and

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum 7 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

• Own thermal analysis and design efforts for unmanned aerial vehicle avionics including custom power electronics.
• Develop and validate analytical, numerical, and computational models for heat transfer and fluid flow using hand calculations and CFD tools such as FloEFD
• Provide technical leadership in trade studies, system architecture decisions, and risk assessments
• Lead cross-functional teams designing power electronic circuits and environmental enclosures. Provide design requirements that impact circuit part selection, board layout, material selection, and other design aspects
• Drive test planning, instrumentation, and data analysis to correlate models with experimental results
• Mentor junior engineers and guide cross-disciplinary teams in applying thermal/fluid fundamentals
• 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

Heat transfer

Fluid mechanics

First-principles reasoning

Strong communication

Leadership and mentoring

Problem solving

Security clearance eligibility

Education

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

B.S. in Aerospace Engineering

Related discipline

Tools

ANYSYS Icepak

FloEFD

STAR-CCM+

NX

SolidWorks

Job description

Shield AI, a defense-tech company, seeks a Senior Staff Thermal Engineer in Boston to lead design and analysis of aircraft avionics thermal management systems, including high-power systems and energy storage. You will develop analytical and CFD models, drive cross-functional collaboration, and mentor engineers to ensure robust cooling solutions for mission-critical aerospace applications.

The role requires strong fundamentals in heat transfer and cooling, hands-on experience with CFD tools, and