Staff Thermal Engineer

Chaos Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free daily lunch

Fully-stocked kitchen

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

CHAOS Industries is seeking a Staff Thermal Engineer to perform thermal and fluid-flow analysis of electronic components, CCAs, and enclosures. You will develop ANSYS Icepak models and guide design for improved thermal performance.

The role requires a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering with 7+ years of experience, and the ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance. On-site in El Segundo, CA with collaboration across disciplines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related STEM field is required.
• 7+ years of relevant experience in electronics thermal analysis.
• Hands-on experience with ANSYS Icepak is required.

Responsibilities

• Perform hand calculations and detailed thermal analyses of components, CCAs, and enclosures.
• Develop and use ANSYS Icepak models for cooling and internal flow.
• Analyze cooling systems including cabinets, coldplates, and heat exchangers.
• Plan and support thermal tests and correlate models with test results.
• Provide thermal design guidance to electrical and mechanical teams.

Skills

Hand calculations

Thermal analyses

Heat transfer

Thermodynamics

Fluid mechanics

Engineering communication

Independent collaboration

Security clearance ability

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

ANSYS Icepak

Macroflow

STAR-CCM+

NX thermal

Job description

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com .

Role Overview:

CHAOS is seeking a Staff Thermal Engineer to perform thermal and fluid-flow analysis of electronic components, circuit card assemblies (CCAs), and electronic enclosures. The role spans design trades, detailed analysis, hardware integration, qualification, and production support.

You will analyze heat transfer and internal fluid flow, including air and liquid coolants in cabinets, coldplates, and heat exchangers. You will work closely with electrical and mechanical designers, providing technical guidance to improve thermal performance and resolve design challenges. You will plan and support tests, perform data reduction, and correlate thermal models with test results.

• This is a full-time, on-site position in El Segundo, CA.
• This requisition is open to candidates who may be considered for a lower or higher job level. Final level and grade will be determined based on relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.

Responsibilities:

• Perform hand calculations and detailed thermal analyses of electronic components, CCAs, and enclosures
• Develop and use ANSYS Icepak models for electronics cooling and internal air and liquid coolant flow
• Analyze cooling systems that include cabinets, coldplates, heat exchangers, and related hardware
• Assess temperatures, flow distribution, pressure drop, and thermal margins across expected operating conditions
• Define model inputs, assumptions, and boundary conditions, and communicate their effect on results
• Provide practical thermal design guidance to electrical and mechanical designers
• Identify thermal risks and recommend design changes in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams
• Participate in design and peer reviews
• Plan and support thermal tests, analyze test data, and correlate models with test results
• Support board and system bring-up, qualification, troubleshooting, and production issues
• Document analysis methods, assumptions, results, and recommendations
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related STEM field and 7+ years of relevant experience
• Hands-on experience performing electronics thermal analysis using ANSYS Icepak
• Strong working knowledge of heat transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics
• Experience analyzing thermal performance of electronic components, circuit boards, or enclosures
• Ability to perform engineering hand calculations and assess when detailed simulation is needed
• Experience analyzing liquid-cooled coldplates and heat exchangers
• Experience with forced-air cooling, flow distribution, pressure-drop analysis, and fan performance
• Strong technical communication skills and ability to work independently across engineering disciplines
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Preferred Requirements:

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
• Experience with Macroflow, STAR-CCM+, NX thermal, or other thermal or CFD software
• Experience planning or supporting thermal tests, reducing test data, or correlating analysis models
• Experience with aerospace, defense, or other high-reliability electronic systems
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-810, RTCA/DO-160, or VITA-48

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch while you're working onsite, fully-stocked kitchen, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 500+employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $150,000 - $230,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in CHAOS Industries’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A \"disabled veteran\" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A \"recently separated veteran\" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An \"active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran\" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An \"Armed forces service medal veteran\" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.