Spacecraft Thermal Engineer II – Drive Thermal Solutions

firefly; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan

Dental plan

Vision plan

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short-term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace in Austin, TX is seeking a Thermal Engineer to own subsystem and vehicle-level thermal analyses, develop validated models, and influence engineering decisions through high-quality analytic work.

Successful candidates typically have 3–8 years of spacecraft thermal experience, strong Thermal Desktop expertise, knowledge of thermal control systems, and fluency in Python and MATLAB, plus clear technical communication and teamwork across disciplines.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Aerospace, Mechanical, Physics, or related field.
• Willing to relocate to the greater Austin area.
• Approximately 3–8 years of spacecraft or aerospace thermal analysis experience.
• Strong experience with Thermal Desktop and related thermal analysis software.
• Strong understanding of spacecraft thermal control systems.
• Experience correlating analytical models with test data.
• Working knowledge of Python and MATLAB.
• Excellent technical communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to independently execute complex engineering analyses.

Responsibilities

• Independently develop and maintain subsystem and vehicle-level spacecraft thermal models.
• Own thermal analyses from model setup through documentation with minimal oversight.
• Execute thermal trade studies supporting design, integration, testing, and mission operations.
• Develop thermal control solutions including MLI, radiator sizing, heater strategies, coatings, and other passive and active thermal control technologies.
• Coordinate thermal environments with internal engineering teams and external customers.
• Organize and support testing, including vehicle-level thermal vacuum testing.
• Support the thermal control subsystem on console during launch operations.
• Correlate analytical models using thermal vacuum and environmental test data.
• Break large analytical efforts into actionable tasks while managing priorities across multiple programs.
• Document analysis results for internal and customer design reviews.
• Mentor entry-level engineers by reviewing models, analyses, and reports.
• Identify model sensitivities, uncertainties, and technical risks while recommending mitigation strategies.
• Contribute to process improvements, automation, and modeling best practices.

Skills

Thermal Desktop

Python

MATLAB

Independent analysis

Technical communication

Education

B.S. in Aerospace Engineering

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

ANSYS SpaceClaim

NX

Simcenter

Job description

Firefly Aerospace in Austin, TX is seeking a Thermal Engineer to own subsystem and vehicle-level thermal analyses, develop validated models, and influence engineering decisions through high-quality analytic work.

Successful candidates typically have 3–8 years of spacecraft thermal experience, strong Thermal Desktop expertise, knowledge of thermal control systems, and fluency in Python and MATLAB, plus clear technical communication and teamwork across disciplines.