Spacecraft Thermal Engineer: Analysis & TVAC Specialist

Telemetry Today LLC; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona is seeking a hands-on Thermal Engineer to support the thermal design and environmental verification of our spacecraft. The role blends thermal modeling with direct test development, starting with a roughly 50/50 split between analysis and hands‑on tests.

Over time, the position will shift toward owning component-, subsystem-, and spacecraft‑level thermal analyses, collaborating closely with mechanical, electrical, systems, integration, and test teams to translate hardware into credible

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• Early‑ to mid‑career thermal engineering experience.
• Strong understanding of heat transfer, conduction, convection, radiation.
• Experience creating or using thermal models for hardware or systems.
• Experience supporting hands‑on hardware testing in aerospace or similar.
• Ability to document analyses and present results clearly.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain thermal models for components and spacecraft systems.
• Perform steady‑state and transient analyses to assess temperatures and margins.
• Collaborate with design teams on interfaces, materials, and arrangements.
• Lead TVAC and thermal‑vacuum test campaigns and write procedures and reports.
• Provide cross‑functional thermal input throughout design, build, and qualification.

Skills

Thermal modeling

Heat transfer theory

Data analysis

Documentation

Cross-functional collaboration

Hands-on hardware testing

Education

BS in Mechanical Engineering

MS in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Thermal Desktop/SINDA

ESATAN

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Xona is seeking a hands-on Thermal Engineer to support the thermal design and environmental verification of our spacecraft. The role blends thermal modeling with direct test development, starting with a roughly 50/50 split between analysis and hands‑on tests.

Over time, the position will shift toward owning component-, subsystem-, and spacecraft‑level thermal analyses, collaborating closely with mechanical, electrical, systems, integration, and test teams to translate hardware into credible