Spacecraft Thermal Engineer: Analysis + TVAC Testing

Xona-Space-Systems; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona, a leading navigational intelligence company in Burlingame, seeks a hands‑on Thermal Engineer to own thermal design and environmental verification for spacecraft hardware.

Initially split about 50/50 between thermal analysis and test development, the role grows toward full spacecraft‑level thermal analysis, TVAC testing, and cross‑disciplinary collaboration with mechanical, electrical, and systems teams.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Early‑ to mid‑career experience in thermal engineering, thermal analysis, environmental testing, or a closely related hardware discipline.
• Strong understanding of heat transfer: conduction, convection, radiation, transient behavior, and materials.
• Experience creating or using thermal models for hardware or subsystems.
• Hands‑on hardware testing in a lab or aerospace environment.
• Ability to document analyses, test procedures, and results clearly.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain thermal models for components, assemblies, and spacecraft systems.
• Perform steady‑state and transient thermal analyses to assess operating temperatures and margins.
• Collaborate with mechanical designers to optimize interfaces and materials.
• Lead TVAC, thermal‑chamber, and R&D test campaigns; write procedures and reports.
• Instrument, configure, and review test data; correlate with model predictions.
• Provide cross‑functional thermal guidance to reduce risk and inform design decisions.

Education

BS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Thermal Desktop/SINDA

ESATAN

MATLAB

Python

Job description

Xona, a leading navigational intelligence company in Burlingame, seeks a hands‑on Thermal Engineer to own thermal design and environmental verification for spacecraft hardware.

Initially split about 50/50 between thermal analysis and test development, the role grows toward full spacecraft‑level thermal analysis, TVAC testing, and cross‑disciplinary collaboration with mechanical, electrical, and systems teams.