Thermal Engineer

Synerfac Technical Staffing; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Synerfac Technical Staffing seeks a senior Thermal Engineer in Columbus, OH to drive continuous improvement in thermal simulation, mentor staff, and provide technical leadership on demanding applications across industries worldwide.

The role requires a strong background in heat transfer, thermodynamics, and FEA, with hands-on experience using ANSYS and CAD tools. You will develop templates, tools, and workflows to boost productivity and ensure design integrity.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Sciences, Heat Transfer, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Physics, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related discipline.
• 5-10 years of engineering experience in thermal analysis, heat transfer, or thermal product development.
• Strong understanding of thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and thermal systems engineering.
• Extensive experience performing thermal finite element analysis (FEA).
• Experience with ANSYS software; ANSYS Discovery is preferred.
• Proficiency with SolidWorks and SpaceClaim or similar 3D CAD software.
• Strong communication and leadership to mentor engineers and drive improvements.
• Ability to solve complex problems using first-principles analysis.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical authority for heat transfer, thermodynamics, and thermal simulation across the organization.
• Lead the development and continuous improvement of thermal simulation methodologies, engineering standards, validation practices, and best practices.
• Perform advanced steady-state and transient thermal analyses using finite element analysis (FEA) to support product design and development.
• Develop and optimize thermal models for heating solutions used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment and other demanding industrial applications.
• Evaluate temperature distributions, heat-up performance, surface temperatures, thermal gradients, thermal efficiency, and thermal safety considerations.
• Apply simulation-driven engineering to optimize product designs, improve performance, and reduce development cycle time.
• Establish and maintain standards for thermal modeling, simulation setup, material properties, engineering assumptions, meshing strategies, and results interpretation.
• Develop standardized simulation templates, workflows, and tools that improve consistency, repeatability, accuracy, and engineering efficiency.
• Validate simulation models through laboratory testing, analytical calculations, and correlation with product performance data.
• Lead engineering process improvement initiatives across Design Engineering and R&D teams.
• Develop engineering calculators, design tools, templates, and automated workflows to improve productivity and streamline repetitive engineering tasks.
• Identify opportunities to improve SolidWorks modeling practices, engineering procedures, simulation workflows, and design standards.
• Leverage Python, VBA, and similar technologies to automate engineering calculations, analyses, and repetitive design processes.
• Research and implement new engineering methods, software tools, and technologies that enhance engineering capabilities and product development efficiency.
• Mentor and train design engineers in thermal analysis, simulation methodologies, heat transfer, thermodynamics, and engineering fundamentals.
• Develop technical documentation, work instructions, training materials, and engineering standards to support consistent application of engineering best practices.
• Provide technical support for complex customer applications and unique thermal challenges.
• Collaborate with customer engineering teams to understand application requirements and recommend practical, optimized thermal solutions.
• Communicate complex engineering analyses, simulation results, thermal trade-offs, and design recommendations effectively to technical audiences.
• Support strategic semiconductor OEM customers and participate in customer technical discussions as needed.
• Travel occasionally to customer sites to provide technical support and address application-specific thermal engineering requirements.

Skills

Heat transfer

Thermodynamics

Finite element analysis

First-principles analysis

Engineering judgment

Education

Master's/PhD in Mechanical Eng or related field

Tools

ANSYS

SolidWorks

SpaceClaim

Python

VBA

Job description

Job Requirements

Join a Columbus, Ohio-based manufacturer of industrial heating, insulation, and temperature control solutions, where your work supports customers across a wide range of industries around the world. Enjoy competitive pay, steady full-time hours, paid training, and opportunities for career growth with a company that values safety, quality, teamwork, and long-term employee success.

The thermal engineer would be responsible for working with the engineering and R&D teams to drive continuous improvement in thermal simulation practices, develop engineering tools and procedures that reduce product development time, mentor engineering staff, and provide technical leadership on complex customer applications.

Qualified candidate would combine expertise in hear transfer and thermodynamics with practical engineering judgment, advanced simulation experience, and a passion for improving engineering processes.

Job Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical authority for heat transfer, thermodynamics, and thermal simulation across the organization.


• Lead the development and continuous improvement of thermal simulation methodologies, engineering standards, validation practices, and best practices.


• Perform advanced steady-state and transient thermal analyses using finite element analysis (FEA) to support product design and development.


• Develop and optimize thermal models for heating solutions used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment and other demanding industrial applications.


• Evaluate temperature distributions, heat-up performance, surface temperatures, thermal gradients, thermal efficiency, and thermal safety considerations.


• Apply simulation-driven engineering to optimize product designs, improve performance, and reduce development cycle time.


• Establish and maintain standards for thermal modeling, simulation setup, material properties, engineering assumptions, meshing strategies, and results interpretation.


• Develop standardized simulation templates, workflows, and tools that improve consistency, repeatability, accuracy, and engineering efficiency.


• Validate simulation models through laboratory testing, analytical calculations, and correlation with product performance data.


• Lead engineering process improvement initiatives across Design Engineering and R&D teams.


• Develop engineering calculators, design tools, templates, and automated workflows to improve productivity and streamline repetitive engineering tasks.


• Identify opportunities to improve SolidWorks modeling practices, engineering procedures, simulation workflows, and design standards.


• Leverage Python, VBA, and similar technologies to automate engineering calculations, analyses, and repetitive design processes.


• Research and implement new engineering methods, software tools, and technologies that enhance engineering capabilities and product development efficiency.


• Mentor and train design engineers in thermal analysis, simulation methodologies, heat transfer, thermodynamics, and engineering fundamentals.


• Develop technical documentation, work instructions, training materials, and engineering standards to support consistent application of engineering best practices.


• Provide technical support for complex customer applications and unique thermal challenges.


• Collaborate with customer engineering teams to understand application requirements and recommend practical, optimized thermal solutions.


• Communicate complex engineering analyses, simulation results, thermal trade-offs, and design recommendations effectively to technical audiences.


• Support strategic semiconductor OEM customers and participate in customer technical discussions as needed.


• Travel occasionally to customer sites to provide technical support and address application-specific thermal engineering requirements.

Job Qualifications

• Master\"s degree or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Sciences, Heat Transfer, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Physics, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related engineering discipline.


• 5-10 years of engineering experience in thermal analysis, heat transfer, thermal systems, or thermal product development.


• Strong understanding of thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and thermal systems engineering.


• Extensive experience performing thermal finite element analysis (FEA).


• Experience with ANSYS simulation software; experience with ANSYS Discovery is preferred.


• Proficiency with SolidWorks and SpaceClaim or similar 3D CAD software.


• Demonstrated experience developing, validating, and correlating thermal simulation models.


• Strong ability to solve complex engineering problems using first-principles analysis and sound engineering judgment.


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex technical concepts.


• Demonstrated ability to lead technical projects, mentor engineers, and drive continuous improvement initiatives.


• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills with a high level of attention to detail.


• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across multiple engineering disciplines.


• Strong work ethic and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced engineering environment.