Senior Thermal Engineer - TeraWave

Blue Origin; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer to own the thermal architecture for the TeraWave user terminal, a compact, outdoor-deployed device requiring robust passive cooling. The role focuses on CFD/FEA modeling, material selection, and hardware collaboration to maintain reliability in extreme environments.

You will drive solid design solutions with RF, electrical, PCB, and mechanical teams, ensure derating compliance, and lead thermal characterization tests across prototype to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with focus on heat transfer/thermal sciences.
• 7+ years of thermal engineering experience in electronics hardware.
• Proficiency with industry thermal simulation tools for component- and system-level modeling.
• Experience designing passive cooling for sealed/enclosed electronics.
• Experience solving thermal challenges in IP-rated, weather-exposed enclosures.
• Knowledge of TIMs, thermal interface materials, gap fillers, and potting compounds.
• Hands-on thermal characterization: imaging, thermocouples, environmental chambers.

Responsibilities

• Define thermal management strategy for a compact outdoor user terminal.
• Build and maintain detailed thermal models to predict temperatures and derating.
• Work with RF/EE teams to establish system power dissipation budgets.
• Design heat spreading/dissipation solutions in collaboration with PCB and mechanical teams.
• Address passive heat rejection in IP67+ sealed enclosures under varied environments.
• Ensure designs meet environmental specs and qualification testing (HALT/HASS).
• Lead thermal testing to validate models and close gaps in design.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate power dissipation into practical designs.
• Produce thermal analysis reports and design guidelines for hardware teams.
• Support high-volume manufacturing and CM partnerships.

Skills

Thermal engineering

Passive cooling design

Cross-team collaboration

Thermal imaging

Thermal derating

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Ansys Icepak

Siemens Simcenter FLOTHERM

6SigmaET

Job description

Application close date:

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We're working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight!

Blue Origin is pioneering the future of space-based communications with TeraWave, a revolutionary satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This multi-orbit constellation will consist of optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO), providing enterprise-grade connectivity for critical operations worldwide.

We are seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer to own thermal architecture and design for our TeraWave satellite user terminal - a compact, outdoor-deployed device that must dissipate significant heat from high-power beamforming electronics while operating reliably across extreme environmental conditions and remaining sealed against weather intrusion.

This role is critical to product reliability and performance: the terminal must sustain full RF/digital performance under direct sunlight, high ambient temperatures, and enclosed/sealed conditions (IP67+) - without active cooling in most consumer deployment scenarios. You will drive thermal simulation, material selection, and physical design solutions from concept through mass production, working closely with RF, Electrical, PCB, and Mechanical engineering teams.

Core Responsibilities include but are not limited to

• Define the overall thermal management strategy for the user terminal, balancing passive cooling requirements against cost, weight, and form‑factor constraints typical of consumer/enterprise hardware.
• Build and maintain detailed thermal models (CFD and FEA) of the full system - PCB, enclosure, beamforming ICs, power electronics - to predict junction temperatures, hot spots, and derating requirements under worst‑case operating conditions.
• Work with RF and EE teams to build system‑level power dissipation budgets, identifying high‑heat‑flux components (BFICs, power amplifiers, PMICs, processors) early in the design cycle.
• Design and specify heat spreading and dissipation solutions - heat sinks, heat pipes, vapor chambers, thermal interface materials (TIMs), and PCB thermal via/copper strategies - in collaboration with PCB and mechanical teams.
• Solve the specific challenge of passive heat rejection from a sealed (IP67+) outdoor enclosure without compromising weatherproofing, including consideration of convection, radiation, and conduction paths to the external environment.
• Ensure thermal designs meet operational requirements across full environmental spec (e.g., -40C to +65C ambient, solar loading, altitude, humidity) and support environmental qualification testing (HALT/HASS, thermal cycling, thermal shock).
• Select and validate thermal interface materials, gap fillers, thermal adhesives, and enclosure materials (metals, thermally conductive plastics) for performance, cost, and manufacturability.
• Lead thermal characterization testing on prototype hardware - thermal imaging, thermocouple instrumentation, chamber testing - to validate simulation models and identify design gaps.
• Ensure thermal solutions (heat sinks, TIMs, potting, gap pads) are compatible with high‑volume manufacturing and assembly processes; work with CM partners on thermal solution assembly.
• Partner with RF engineers to understand thermal derating impacts on BFIC/PA performance, and with mechanical/industrial design to co‑develop enclosure geometry that supports passive heat rejection.
• Produce thermal analysis reports, design guidelines, and derating curves to inform component selection and system‑level design decisions across the hardware team.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field with a focus on heat transfer/thermal sciences.
• 7+ years of thermal engineering experience in electronics hardware, with direct experience on high‑power‑density, densely packed consumer or telecom hardware (RF systems, base stations, networking equipment, or similar).
• Proficiency in industry‑standard thermal simulation tools (e.g., Ansys Icepak, Siemens Simcenter FLOTHERM, 6SigmaET, or equivalent) for both component‑level and system‑level thermal modeling.
• Demonstrated experience designing passive thermal solutions (no fans/active cooling) for sealed or environmentally exposed electronics enclosures.
• Direct experience solving thermal challenges within IP‑rated sealed enclosures, understanding tradeoffs between weatherproofing and heat rejection.
• Strong working knowledge of thermal interface materials (TIMs), gap fillers, thermally conductive potting/adhesives, and their tradeoffs (thermal conductivity, cost, reliability, assembly process).
• Hands‑on experience with thermal characterization testing - thermal imaging cameras, thermocouples, environmental chambers, and correlating test data to simulation.
• Proven ability to work closely with electrical, RF, and mechanical engineering teams to translate power dissipation and component thermal limits into practical design solutions.
• Understanding of how PCB stack‑up, copper weight, and thermal via strategy contribute to overall system heat dissipation (ability to collaborate effectively with PCB design team).
• , logic analyzers, JTAG debuggers) to isolate hardware vs. software issues.

Preferred Qualifications (Bonus Skills)

• Specific experience managing thermal design for RF power amplifiers, beamforming ICs, or similarly high‑heat‑flux RF components.
• Experience transitioning thermal solutions from prototype to mass production, with awareness of cost‑down pressures and DFM/DFA for thermal hardware (heat sinks, TIMs, gap pads).
• Experience modeling and mitigating solar thermal loading for outdoor‑deployed electronics.
• Familiarity with HALT/HASS methodology and thermal cycling/thermal shock testing as part of product qualification.
• Familiarity with relevant environmental and reliability standards (IEC 60068, MIL‑STD‑810, Telcordia GR‑487) for outdoor telecom equipment.
• Experience co‑designing enclosure geometry (fins, ribs, venting where applicable) with industrial design/mechanical teams to optimize passive heat rejection while