Thermal Design Engineer, Spacecraft & Launch Vehicles

SpaceX

Hawthorne (CA)

On-site

USD 100,000 - 140,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

401(k) plan

Health insurance

Paid vacation

Parental leave

Job summary

SpaceX seeks a Thermal Engineer to own the thermal design of Falcon, Dragon and Starfall hardware. You will take hardware from concept to CAD/build, validate against ground tests, flight and orbit data, and drive design decisions that keep components within limits across all flight phases.

You will leverage Thermal Desktop, ANSYS Workbench and CFD tools, and collaborate across teams to improve performance while meeting aggressive schedules. SpaceX offers strong compensation and benefits.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in engineering is required.
Knowledge of thermal design from concept to test is expected.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end thermal design of spacecraft, launch-vehicle, and hardware from concept through CAD/build and validation against ground test, flight, and orbital data.
Translate thermal analysis into design decisions—materials, coatings, insulation, interfaces, and TCS architecture—and carry them to flight hardware.
Automate workflows to reduce engineering investment in the design cycle.
Pursue performance and robustness improvements in hardware.
Aim for operational simplicity and reduce burden on other groups at SpaceX.
Produce quality documentation and review peer work.