Space Payload Thermal Design Engineer

General Atomics and Affiliated Companies; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

GA-EMS in Acton, MA seeks a Mechanical Engineer focused on thermal design for optical space payloads. You will develop thermal control solutions and perform analyses for spacecraft subsystems, collaborating with mechanical, systems, optical, electrical, and test teams.

The ideal candidate has 2–5 years of experience, strong heat transfer background, hands-on AI&T experience, and proficiency with SINDA/FLUINT and Thermal Desktop. U.S. citizenship and DoD clearance are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, master's, or PhD in engineering; four+ years with bachelor, two+ years with master.
• Experience with SINDA/FLUINT and Thermal Desktop is highly desirable.
• Experience with the thermal design and analysis of space payloads; EO/IR payload experience a plus.
• Hands-on AI&T experience with radiators, thermal straps, heaters, MLI, and thermal interfaces.
• Familiarity with CAD tools (SOLIDWORKS, CREO, NX) and basic scripting (Python, MATLAB, FORTRAN).
• Exposure to TVAC, thermal cycling, or environmental tests and correlating models to test data.
• Strong written and verbal communication; ability to present technical information to varied audiences.
• Ability to organize tasks, work in a team, and meet deadlines.
• DoD security clearance; U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop thermal management for optical space payloads and satellites.
• Perform thermal analysis and simulations to support design trades and verifications.
• Lead AI&T activities for payload thermal hardware and data analysis.
• Develop and review thermal subsystem requirements, allocations, and test procedures.
• Support environmental test campaigns including planning and data correlation.
• Prepare technical documentation for reviews and milestones.
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.

Skills

Heat transfer

Thermal analysis

SINDA/FLUINT

Thermal Desktop

AI&T

CAD tools

Python/MATLAB

Space payloads

TVAC testing

Modeling & scripting

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD in engineering

Tools

SOLIDWORKS

CREO

NX

Job description

GA-EMS in Acton, MA seeks a Mechanical Engineer focused on thermal design for optical space payloads. You will develop thermal control solutions and perform analyses for spacecraft subsystems, collaborating with mechanical, systems, optical, electrical, and test teams.

The ideal candidate has 2–5 years of experience, strong heat transfer background, hands-on AI&T experience, and proficiency with SINDA/FLUINT and Thermal Desktop. U.S. citizenship and DoD clearance are required.