Senior Thermal Engineer — Defense Electronics Innovator

Anduril Industries, Inc.; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 146,000 - 194,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer in Costa Mesa, CA to own the thermal architecture of electronic assemblies across air, maritime, ground, and wearable systems. You will apply heat transfer and fluid dynamics expertise to ensure components survive real operational environments.

You will perform first‑principles analysis, develop FEA/CFD models, and lead prototype builds and tests. A TS clearance eligibility is required.

Qualifications

• MS or higher degree in mechanical/aerospace engineering or related field.
• In-depth heat transfer and fluid dynamics knowledge.
• 5+ years designing thermal solutions for electronics or hardware.
• Experience with electronics cooling, TIMs, heat sinks, heat pipes, enclosures.
• Thermal testing, sensor selection, data acquisition, and data processing.
• Thermal FEA/CFD: STAR-CCM+, ANSYS, Icepak, FloEFD.
• CAD in NX or SolidWorks.
• U.S. Top Secret clearance eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Own thermal design and analysis from boards to enclosures for products across platforms.
• Perform hand calcs, spreadsheets, and first-order models in MATLAB/Python to guide design.
• Define thermal architecture and heat-rejection paths to meet limits.
• Establish operating conditions for various environments and flight envelopes.
• Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and systems engineers to document power dissipation.
• Present trade studies balancing thermal margin with size, weight, and power.
• Own thermal FEA/CFD models and set design limits for testing.
• Plan and execute prototype builds and thermal tests; post-process data and summarize results.
• Present thermal status in reviews and to customers; communicate timelines.
• Develop internal tools to improve analysis efficiency.
• Support failure reviews with data and thermal analysis.

Skills

Heat transfer

Fluid dynamics

Thermal analysis

Thermal testing

Conduction/Convection

First principles

Python/MATLAB

CFD/FEA tools

Power dissipation

Cross-functional teamwork

Education

MS or higher in mechanical/aerospace engineering or related

Tools

STAR-CCM+

ANSYS

Icepak

FloEFD

Siemens NX

SolidWorks

Job description

Anduril Industries is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer in Costa Mesa, CA to own the thermal architecture of electronic assemblies across air, maritime, ground, and wearable systems. You will apply heat transfer and fluid dynamics expertise to ensure components survive real operational environments.

You will perform first‑principles analysis, develop FEA/CFD models, and lead prototype builds and tests. A TS clearance eligibility is required.