Thermal Engineer II

Firefly Aerospace; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short-term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace in Austin, TX is seeking a Thermal Engineer to own subsystem and vehicle-level thermal analyses from concept through flight operations. You will develop validated thermal models and coordinate with multidisciplinary teams to inform engineering decisions.

Successful candidates will drive analyses from problem definition to documentation, mentor junior engineers, and contribute to test planning and thermal vacuum campaigns.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field
• Must be willing to relocate to the greater Austin area
• Approximately 3–8 years of spacecraft or aerospace thermal analysis experience
• Strong experience with Thermal Desktop and related thermal analysis software
• Strong understanding of spacecraft thermal control systems
• Experience correlating analytical models with test data
• Working knowledge of Python and MATLAB
• Excellent technical communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to independently execute complex engineering analyses
• Experience with ANSYS SpaceClaim, NX, or Simcenter
• Experience developing thermal test plans and coordinating thermal vacuum tests
• Familiarity with NASA spacecraft thermal standards
• Experience supporting spacecraft through integration and environmental testing

Responsibilities

• Independently develop and maintain subsystem and vehicle-level spacecraft thermal models.
• Own thermal analyses from model setup through documentation with minimal oversight.
• Execute thermal trade studies supporting design, integration, testing, and mission operations.
• Develop thermal control solutions including MLI, radiator sizing, heater strategies, coatings, and other passive and active thermal control technologies.
• Coordinate thermal environments with internal engineering teams and external customers.
• Organize and support testing, including vehicle-level thermal vacuum testing.
• Support the thermal control subsystem on console during launch operations.
• Correlate analytical models using thermal vacuum and environmental test data.
• Break large analytical efforts into actionable tasks while managing priorities across multiple programs.
• Document analysis results for internal and customer design reviews.
• Mentor entry-level engineers by reviewing models, analyses, and reports.
• Identify model sensitivities, uncertainties, and technical risks while recommending mitigation strategies.
• Contribute to process improvements, automation, and modeling best practices.

Skills

Analytical problem solving

Technical communication

Independent work

Spacecraft thermal analysis

Relocation willingness

Education

B.S. in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Thermal Desktop

ANSYS SpaceClaim

NX

Simcenter

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.

SUMMARY

Firefly Thermal Engineers apply advanced simulation and heat transfer expertise to solve complex spacecraft thermal challenges from concept development through flight operations. Engineers in this role independently own subsystem thermal analyses, develop validated thermal models, and influence engineering decisions through high-quality analytical work.

Successful candidates are expected to drive thermal analyses from problem definition through documentation while collaborating across multiple engineering disciplines.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Independently develop and maintain subsystem and vehicle-level spacecraft thermal models.
• Own thermal analyses from model setup through documentation with minimal oversight.
• Execute thermal trade studies supporting design, integration, testing, and mission operations.
• Develop thermal control solutions including MLI, radiator sizing, heater strategies, coatings, and other passive and active thermal control technologies.
• Coordinate thermal environments with internal engineering teams and external customers.
• Organize and support testing, including vehicle-level thermal vacuum testing.
• Support the thermal control subsystem on console during launch operations.
• Correlate analytical models using thermal vacuum and environmental test data.
• Break large analytical efforts into actionable tasks while managing priorities across multiple programs.
• Document analysis results for internal and customer design reviews.
• Mentor entry-level engineers by reviewing models, analyses, and reports.
• Identify model sensitivities, uncertainties, and technical risks while recommending mitigation strategies.
• Contribute to process improvements, automation, and modeling best practices.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field
• Must be willing to relocate to the greater Austin area
• Approximately 3–8 years of spacecraft or aerospace thermal analysis experience
• Strong experience with Thermal Desktop and related thermal analysis software
• Strong understanding of spacecraft thermal control systems
• Experience correlating analytical models with test data
• Working knowledge of Python and MATLAB
• Excellent technical communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to independently execute complex engineering analyses
• Experience with ANSYS SpaceClaim, NX, or Simcenter
• Experience developing thermal test plans and coordinating thermal vacuum tests
• Familiarity with NASA spacecraft thermal standards
• Experience supporting spacecraft through integration and environmental testing

Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, educational reimbursement, short term disability, and flexible PTO options.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firefly is governed based on merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.