Thermal Design Engineer

Talanto; Costa Mesa, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 112,000 - 149,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril, a defense technology company in Costa Mesa, CA, seeks a Thermal Design Engineer to join the Thermal Engineering team. You will support thermal design and analysis for drones, aircraft, missiles, and related flight systems.

You will apply first-principles methods, build thermal models, and collaborate across disciplines to ensure robust performance in demanding environments. This early-career role offers growth into full ownership of thermal design challenges.

Qualifications

• MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Physics, or related field with a focus on heat transfer or thermal systems.
• Strong first-principles understanding of heat transfer and fluid dynamics, including conduction, convection, radiation and transient behavior.
• Coursework, research, or internship in thermal analysis, modeling, or testing.
• Experience with MATLAB, Python, or similar tools for engineering analysis.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to cross-functional teams.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Support thermal design and analysis for integrated hardware products including drones, aircraft, missiles, or related defense systems.
• Apply first-principles engineering judgment with hand calculations, spreadsheets, and MATLAB/Python models to inform design decisions.
• Build and maintain thermal FEA/CFD models to predict system performance and set design limits.
• Support prototype builds and thermal tests, including sensor selection and DAQ setup.
• Contribute to defining thermal architectures for rugged environments and mission-specific conditions.
• Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, aerospace, and systems engineers to document power dissipation and thermal constraints.
• Present results and recommendations in internal design reviews.
• Develop internal tools or workflows to improve speed and quality of thermal decisions.

Skills

Heat transfer

Fluid dynamics

MATLAB

Python

Communication

Education

MS in Mechanical Engineering / Aerospace Engineering / Applied Physics

Tools

STAR-CCM+

ANSYS

Icepak

Flotherm

SolidWorks

Siemens NX

Job description

Python

Important: if an employer asks you to log into their system via iCloud or Google, send a code, an SMS or Telegram password, run some code, or install software — refuse. These are signs of fraud.

•••••••••••••••••• is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting‑edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

About the Team

The Thermal Engineering team enables Anduril's rapid hardware development cycle by ensuring advanced defense systems perform reliably in demanding real‑world environments. The team works across high‑power, tightly integrated products where thermal architecture, analysis, testing, and cross‑functional design decisions directly affect product performance, reliability, and mission success.

About the Role

We are looking for a Thermal Design Engineer to join our team in Costa Mesa, CA. In this role, you will support thermal design and analysis for advanced defense hardware across drones, aircraft, missiles, and related flight systems.

This role is ideal for someone early in their career with strong heat transfer and fluid dynamics fundamentals from graduate coursework or research, who wants to grow into full ownership of thermal design problems in a fast‑paced environment.

What You'll Do

• Support thermal design and analysis for integrated hardware products, including drones, aircraft, missiles, or related defense systems
• Apply first‑principles engineering judgment using hand calculations, spreadsheets, and MATLAB/Python models to inform design decisions
• Build and maintain thermal FEA/CFD models to predict system performance and establish design limits
• Support prototype builds and thermal tests, including sensor selection, DAQ setup, data post‑processing, and results documentation
• Contribute to defining thermal architectures for rugged environments, demanding flight envelopes, and mission‑specific thermal conditions
• Partner with electrical, mechanical, aerospace, and systems engineers to document power dissipation, operating modes, and thermal constraints
• Present thermal analysis results and recommendations in internal design reviews
• Develop internal tools, workflows, or analysis methods that improve speed and quality of thermal decision‑making

Required Qualifications

• MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related field with a focus on heat transfer, fluid dynamics, thermal sciences, or thermal systems
• Strong first‑principles understanding of heat transfer and fluid dynamics, including conduction, convection, radiation, fluid flow, and transient thermal behavior
• Coursework, research, or internship experience in thermal analysis, modeling, or testing
• Experience with MATLAB, Python, or similar tools for engineering analysis
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to cross‑functional teams
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• 1-3 years of industry experience in thermal engineering for aerospace, defense, or high‑performance hardware systems
• Experience with thermal analysis tools such as STAR-CCM+, ANSYS, Icepak, Flotherm, or comparable FEA/CFD platforms
• Experience with CAD tools such as SolidWorks or Siemens NX
• Graduate research in thermal‑fluid systems, electronics cooling, aerothermal analysis, or related areas
• Exposure to thermal testing, including instrumentation, data acquisition, and test‑to‑model correlation
• Strong motivation to support Anduril's mission of defending the United States and allied partners

US Salary Range$112,000—$149,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top‑tier benefits for full‑time employees, including:

Benefits

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next.