Senior Thermal Engineer - Satellite & RF Hardware

SpaceX; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Sr. Thermal Engineer for Starlink to lead thermal design, analysis, and testing of satellite hardware, including phased arrays and consumer wireless products. You will size systems, run simulations, and validate designs in extreme environments.

The role requires a strong background in thermal modeling, MATLAB/Python, and industry-standard tools, with collaboration across mechanical, electrical, software, and RF teams to ensure performance under demanding conditions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering required; 5+ years in thermal analysis or modeling (internships or projects count).
• Master’s degree preferred for advanced roles; strong fundamentals in thermal-fluid sciences beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Thermal system design of next‑generation phased arrays, gateways, and consumer wireless products; own components, interfaces, and performance.
• Thermal design of semiconductor packages; run full thermal simulations and lab tests.
• Develop tests to validate hardware performance in extreme conditions.
• Automate workflows to reduce design-cycle effort.
• Perform first-principles sizing analyses and assess design decisions.
• Provide analysis-based recommendations for performance and robustness.
• Document design requirements and specifications clearly.
• Collaborate across mechanical, electrical, software, and RF teams.

Skills

Thermal analysis

Communication skills

Schedule management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Master’s degree in relevant engineering (preferred)

Tools

MATLAB

Python

Thermal Desktop

ANSYS Workbench

3D modeling

Flotherm

Icepak

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a Sr. Thermal Engineer for Starlink to lead thermal design, analysis, and testing of satellite hardware, including phased arrays and consumer wireless products. You will size systems, run simulations, and validate designs in extreme environments.

The role requires a strong background in thermal modeling, MATLAB/Python, and industry-standard tools, with collaboration across mechanical, electrical, software, and RF teams to ensure performance under demanding conditions.