Senior Thermal Engineer (Fully Remote)

HIKINEX (Fastwater Staffing); United States; Remote; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

HIKINEX (Fastwater Staffing) seeks a senior thermal engineer to own the thermal design and analysis for integrated hardware products including drones, aircraft, missiles, and related defense systems.

You will define thermal architectures resilient to rugged environments and flight envelopes, and build/maintain FEA/CFD models to predict performance and set design limits. On-site in Costa Mesa, CA; 6-month contract with possible extension or conversion. US citizenship and TS clearance required.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Applied Physics with a heat transfer focus.
• 5+ years in thermal design/analysis/validation for integrated hardware.
• Proficiency with STAR-CCM+, ANSYS, Icepak or Flotherm and MATLAB/Python.
• On-site in Costa Mesa, CA; US remote possible for exceptional candidates.
• U.S. citizen eligible for Top Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own thermal design and analysis for integrated hardware products (drones, aircraft, missiles, etc.).
• Define thermal architectures that withstand rugged environments and demanding flight envelopes.
• Build and maintain thermal FEA/CFD models to predict performance and establish design limits.

Skills

Thermal design

Thermal analysis

Heat transfer

Education

MS/PhD in Thermal

Tools

STAR-CCM+

ANSYS

Icepak

Flotherm

MATLAB

Python

Job description

• Own thermal design and analysis for integrated hardware products, including drones, aircraft, missiles, and related defense systems.
• Define thermal architectures that can withstand rugged environments, demanding flight envelopes, and operational edge cases.
• Build and maintain thermal FEA/CFD models to predict system performance and establish design limits.

Required Background:

• MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Applied Physics with a focus on heat transfer or thermal sciences.
• 5+ years of experience designing, analyzing, or validating thermal systems for integrated hardware.
• Experience with tools like STAR-CCM+, ANSYS, Icepak, or Flotherm, and using MATLAB/Python for thermal modeling.
• On-site in Costa Mesa, CA preferred; remote opportunities considered for exceptionally strong candidates in the U.S.
• Contract role for 6 months with potential for extension or conversion to permanent.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen and eligible to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.