Senior Thermal Engineer: Fluid Analysis for Space Cooling

SpaceX; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Sr. Thermal Engineer (Fluids Analysis) for the Starmind program in Bastrop, TX. You will own conjugate heat transfer analysis of cold plates, heat exchangers, and radiator channels, and manage the 0-D/1-D thermal-fluid network to balance cooling loops and pump points.

The role requires 5+ years in fluids/CFD or thermal analysis, with hands-on CAD and simulation tools, and collaboration across hardware teams to deliver high-performance, manufacturable thermal solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of professional experience in fluids, CFD, or thermal analysis.

Responsibilities

• Own conjugate heat-transfer (CHT) and thermal-fluid analysis of high-performance cold plates, heat exchangers, and radiator channels for STARMIND satellites.
• Own the system 0-D/1-D thermal-fluid network that sizes and balances the cooling loop: flow split, ΔP budget, loop ΔT, pump operating point.
• Drive cooling-loop architecture trades with hardware and vehicle-level thermal teammates.
• Co-evolve geometry, materials and processes with hardware owners to find mass producible, efficient thermal solutions.
• Predict component and system performance under wide range of flow and thermal conditions.
• Own pre-test prediction, test design, and model-test correlation for fluid component and integrated thermal tests.
• Automate analysis workflows for re-running trades as designs and boundary conditions change.

Skills

CFD

Thermal analysis

Heat transfer

Python

Siemens NX

STAR-CCM+

ANSYS Fluent/CFX

Icepak/Flotherm

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering

Master's degree in mechanical/aerospace engineering

Tools

STAR-CCM+

ANSYS Fluent/CFX

Siemens NX

Icepak

Flotherm

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a Sr. Thermal Engineer (Fluids Analysis) for the Starmind program in Bastrop, TX. You will own conjugate heat transfer analysis of cold plates, heat exchangers, and radiator channels, and manage the 0-D/1-D thermal-fluid network to balance cooling loops and pump points.

The role requires 5+ years in fluids/CFD or thermal analysis, with hands-on CAD and simulation tools, and collaboration across hardware teams to deliver high-performance, manufacturable thermal solutions.