Spacecraft Thermal Engineer III

Firefly Aerospace; Leander (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental & vision plans

Relocation benefits

Educational reimbursement

Parental leave

Flexible PTO

Short-term disability

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace in Texas is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer to provide technical leadership for spacecraft thermal analysis across multiple vehicle programs. You will own the architecture, validation, and long-term maintenance of integrated thermal models, and develop innovative methods to improve team capability and efficiency.

You will lead thermal trade studies, define strategies from conceptual design through flight, organize testing, mentor engineers, and represent Thermal Engineering

Qualifications

• 8–15+ years spacecraft thermal analysis experience.
• Expert knowledge of heat transfer and thermal control systems.
• Proficient with Thermal Desktop and standard thermal tools.
• Strong programming in Python or MATLAB for analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead thermal analyses that drive major vehicle design decisions across multiple spacecraft programs.
• Own the architecture, validation, and long-term maintenance of integrated spacecraft thermal models.
• Develop innovative analytical methods, workflows, and automation to improve team capability.
• Lead thermal trade studies involving environments, propulsion effects, lunar surface interactions, cryogenics, and advanced thermal control technologies.
• Define thermal analysis strategies from conceptual design through flight.
• Organize and lead testing, including vehicle-level thermal vacuum testing.
• Serve as the point of contact for the thermal control subsystem during launch operations.
• Lead model validation using thermal vacuum, qualification, acceptance, and flight data.
• Mentor and review work of engineers; represent Thermal Engineering in reviews and audits.

Skills

Thermal analysis

Spacecraft thermal control

Python

MATLAB

Thermal Desktop

Technical leadership

Communication skills

Testing & correlation

Education

Bachelor's in Aerospace/Mechanical/Physics

MS/PhD preferred

Tools

Thermal Desktop

Job description

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACEFirefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company that enables our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the only commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the only company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACEFirefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.SUMMARYFirefly Senior Thermal Engineers provide technical leadership for spacecraft thermal analysis across multiple vehicle programs. They develop analytical approaches for complex thermal challenges, establish modeling strategies, mentor engineers across the organization, and influence major program decisions throughout vehicle development.This role requires deep expertise in spacecraft thermal engineering, strong technical judgment, and the ability to independently lead multidisciplinary efforts involving analysis, testing, and vehicle design.RESPONSIBILITIESLead thermal analyses that drive major vehicle design decisions across multiple spacecraft programs.Own the architecture, validation, and long-term maintenance of integrated spacecraft thermal models.Develop innovative analytical methods, workflows, and automation that improve team capability and efficiency.Lead thermal trade studies involving mission environments, propulsion effects, lunar surface interactions, cryogenics, and advanced thermal control technologies.Define thermal analysis strategies supporting conceptual design through flight.Organize and lead testing, including vehicle-level thermal vacuum testing.Serve as the point of contact for the thermal control subsystem during launch operations.Lead model validation efforts using thermal vacuum, qualification, acceptance, and flight data.Mentor and technically review work performed by thermal engineers across multiple experience levels.Represent Thermal Engineering during customer reviews and major program design reviews.Provide technical leadership during anomaly investigations and rapid-response engineering efforts.Influence organizational best practices, analytical standards, and long-term capability development.Support hiring, technical interviews, and development of the thermal engineering team.QUALIFICATIONSRequiredB.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related fieldApproximately 8–15+ years of spacecraft thermal analysis experienceExpert knowledge of spacecraft heat transfer and thermal control systemsExtensive experience with Thermal Desktop and industry-standard thermal analysis softwareDemonstrated success leading thermal analyses through design, testing, and flightExperience with instrumentation and testing thermal hardwareExperience correlating analytical models using environmental and flight dataStrong programming skills using Python, MATLAB, or similar languagesExcellent technical leadership and communication skillsProven ability to independently scope, execute, defend, and communicate complex analysesDesiredM.S. or Ph.D.Experience supporting NASA, DoD, or commercial spacecraft programsExperience developing new thermal analysis methodologies or software automationFamiliarity with thermal standards (e.g., GSFC-STD-7001B, SMC-S-016, RCC-319, Spacecraft Payload requirements)Experience organizing and executing thermal vacuum testsExperience with advanced spacecraft thermal control technologies, lunar environments, plume heating, and mission-specific thermal phenomenaPrimary Level Salary Range:Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, relocation benefits, educational reimbursement, short term disability, and flexible PTO options.To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firefly is governed based on merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.