Senior Thermal Engineer - Spacecraft Design Lead

Blue Origin; Merritt Island (FL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Education Support Program

Stock options

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking an experienced Thermal Engineer to lead the design and analysis of high-power payload thermal systems for space missions. You will develop detailed models, specify interfaces, and drive margins aligned with mission reliability.

The role requires collaboration with cross-functional teams across multiple Blue Origin sites, delivering thermal solutions for production blocks while advancing qualification and test strategies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, physics, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in thermal engineering for aerospace systems and/or high-performance electronics.
• Demonstrated experience with spaceborne thermal design, vacuum, radiation heat transfer, and flight hardware qualification.
• Experience with thermal modeling tools: Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, ANSYS Icepak, or equivalent.
• Knowledge of materials, coatings, and thermal interface technologies for space systems.
• Familiarity with NASA/ESA/MIL-STD environmental standards and qualification testing.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills; ability to guide multidisciplinary teams.
• U.S. citizen or eligible for TS/SCI security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead thermal design and analysis for satellite-based high-power payloads.
• Develop thermal models covering conduction, radiation, and convection.
• Define thermal interfaces across payload subsystems and radiators.
• Perform transient and steady-state analyses for mission profiles.
• Develop thermal architecture for common bus/payload configurations.
• Define qualification and acceptance approaches per standards.
• Correlate models with limited test data and extend to production blocks.
• Address high-cycle LE0 thermal fatigue in joints and TIMs.
• Drive manufacturability of thermal hardware for scalable production.
• Collaborate with payload, mechanical, power, and systems teams to integrate constraints.

Skills

Thermal design

Thermal analysis

Modeling tools

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical/aerospace/physics fields

Master's or PhD preferred

Tools

Thermal Desktop

SINDA/FLUINT

ANSYS Icepak

Job description

Blue Origin is seeking an experienced Thermal Engineer to lead the design and analysis of high-power payload thermal systems for space missions. You will develop detailed models, specify interfaces, and drive margins aligned with mission reliability.

The role requires collaboration with cross-functional teams across multiple Blue Origin sites, delivering thermal solutions for production blocks while advancing qualification and test strategies.