Senior Thermal Engineer — Spacecraft Systems

Apex Technology, Inc.; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Apex

Best‑in‑class healthcare

Comprehensive PTO 15–20 days + 10 paid

401(k) match

8 weeks parental leave

Daily catered lunch

Vibrant Playa Vista office

Real impact opportunity

Job summary

Apex Technology, Inc. is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer to own the thermal design and performance of our spacecraft from concept through flight in Playa Vista, LA.

You will develop and validate spacecraft level thermal models, work hands‑on with flight hardware, and influence hardware design and mission performance. You’ll collaborate across engineering teams to deliver thermal solutions, plan milestone reviews, and support testing from assembly to on‑orbit operations.

Qualifications

• U.S. Person status required due to export-controlled data.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in thermal engineering or analysis.
• Experience with thermal modeling and analysis tools.
• Strong understanding of heat transfer and thermal fundamentals.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain spacecraft‑level thermal models using Ansys Thermal Desktop.
• Perform thermal analyses to evaluate spacecraft performance across mission environments.
• Develop thermal control solutions and drive design decisions across spacecraft systems.
• Plan and execute thermal subsystem milestone reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR).
• Support thermal flight hardware integration, build, and test.
• Design, plan, and execute thermal vacuum testing at component and spacecraft levels.
• Correlate test and flight data to thermal models to improve accuracy.
• Collaborate with mechanical, systems, avionics, and other teams to meet thermal requirements.

Skills

Thermal modeling

Thermal analysis

Heat transfer

Ansys Thermal Desktop

Spacecraft thermal systems

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Teamcenter

Ansys Thermal Desktop

Job description

Apex Technology, Inc. is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer to own the thermal design and performance of our spacecraft from concept through flight in Playa Vista, LA.

You will develop and validate spacecraft level thermal models, work hands‑on with flight hardware, and influence hardware design and mission performance. You’ll collaborate across engineering teams to deliver thermal solutions, plan milestone reviews, and support testing from assembly to on‑orbit operations.