Thermal Design Engineer — Defense Electronics

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Equity grants

Competitive compensation package

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA is seeking a Thermal Engineer to own the thermal design of electronics across aerospace, maritime, and ground systems. You will apply heat transfer and fluid dynamics to ensure reliability in demanding environments and lead FEA/CFD modeling, testing, and prototyping.

You’ll collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and systems teams, present findings at reviews, and contribute internal tools to improve analysis efficiency, while pursuing Top Secret clearance.

Qualifications

• MS or higher degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, applied physics, or a related field (BS with additional experience considered).
• Strong fundamentals in heat transfer and fluid dynamics.
• 2–4 years of experience in thermal design, analysis, or testing for electronics or integrated hardware products.
• Familiarity with electronics cooling concepts: TIMs, heatsinks, heat pipes, enclosure heat rejection.
• Exposure to thermal testing: sensor selection, data acquisition, and data post-processing.
• Experience with at least one thermal FEA/CFD tool: STAR-CCM+, ANSYS, Icepak, FloEFD, or COMSOL.
• CAD experience with Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or equivalent.
• Ability to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret clearance.
• Passion for defending the United States and allies.

Responsibilities

• Own the thermal design and analysis of electronics—from board and component level up through enclosures and full assemblies for products across air vehicles, maritime and ground systems, and wearables/body-worn devices.
• Define thermal architecture and heat-rejection paths—conduction, natural and forced convection, cold plates, heat sinks, heat pipes, thermal interface materials, and coatings—to keep components within junction and touch-temperature limits.
• Establish operating conditions for each platform based on standards and use, accounting for altitude, humidity, and solar load.
• Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and systems engineers to characterize and document component power dissipation.
• Communicate trade-offs of architectures with respect to thermal margin, size, weight, and power.
• Own the thermal FEA/CFD models and define design limits for test and operation.
• Define and execute prototype builds and tests to verify thermal designs (CAD, sensors, DAQ, data post-processing).
• Present thermal status at reviews and ensure timelines and status clarity.
• Develop internal tools to improve analysis efficiency and effectiveness.
• Support failure reviews and root-cause analysis with test data and thermal analysis.

Skills

Heat transfer fundamentals

Fluid dynamics

Thermal design experience

Data acquisition

Python/MATLAB for analysis

Education

MS in mechanical/aerospace engineering or related field

Tools

STAR-CCM+

ANSYS

Icepak

FloEFD

COMSOL

Siemens NX

SolidWorks

Job description

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA is seeking a Thermal Engineer to own the thermal design of electronics across aerospace, maritime, and ground systems. You will apply heat transfer and fluid dynamics to ensure reliability in demanding environments and lead FEA/CFD modeling, testing, and prototyping.

You’ll collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and systems teams, present findings at reviews, and contribute internal tools to improve analysis efficiency, while pursuing Top Secret clearance.