Staff Thermal Systems Engineer – Spacecraft, TS/SCI

Northrop Grumman; Linthicum (MD); On-site; USD 169,000 - 254,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Space Sector in Linthicum, Maryland, is seeking a Staff Thermal Systems Engineer to join our Intelligence Systems Business Unit. The role centers on applying thermal engineering principles to spacecraft, avionics, or payloads and coordinating across disciplines to deliver robust thermal solutions.

The ideal candidate will lead thermal analyses, document results, review hardware drawings, and mentor junior engineers while collaborating with test teams and customers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in STEM with 12 years of experience, a master’s degree with 10 years of experience or a PhD with 8 years of experience in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical fields
• U.S Citizenship is required
• No clearance required to start, but must have the ability to obtain/maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance
• Thermal design and/or analysis experience for spacecraft or avionics subsystem and/or payloads
• Demonstrated expertise in thermal testing, thermal requirements derivation and verification, and advanced thermal materials
• Design, analysis, and integration experience of spacecraft, airborne, or comparable subsystems
• Experience using thermal analysis and standard design tools (Icepak, Thermal Desktop, NX)

Responsibilities

• Develop thermal‑systems requirements.
• Perform thermal analyses to create and optimize thermal‑control designs, delivering solutions to a wide range of challenging problems.
• Document thermal analyses and designs.
• Review and approve drawings for thermal‑design hardware content.
• Report analysis results and design details to internal management and external customers.
• Partner with test engineering to plan and execute subsystem‑level thermal tests and perform associated analyses.
• Provide feedback on the impact of potential cost and/or schedule changes.
• Work independently with minimal technical oversight and general direction.
• Coordinate with other engineering disciplines.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide guidance on best practices.

Skills

Thermal design

Thermal analysis

Spacecraft subsystems

Mentoring

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

Icepak

Thermal Desktop

NX

Job description

Northrop Grumman Space Sector in Linthicum, Maryland, is seeking a Staff Thermal Systems Engineer to join our Intelligence Systems Business Unit. The role centers on applying thermal engineering principles to spacecraft, avionics, or payloads and coordinating across disciplines to deliver robust thermal solutions.

The ideal candidate will lead thermal analyses, document results, review hardware drawings, and mentor junior engineers while collaborating with test teams and customers.