Thermal Hardware Engineer – Lunar Permanence

Jobtailor; Washington; On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor in Seattle area is seeking an experienced Thermal Engineer to join a team focused on lunar lander hardware. You will apply heat transfer and fluid systems knowledge to design, size, and verify thermal hardware and collaborate across engineering teams.

The role emphasizes build, test, and validation through aerospace hardware, with leadership responsibilities to influence safe human spaceflight programs.

Qualifications

• B.S. in mechanical or aerospace engineering required.
• 3+ years in thermal engineering with aerospace experience.
• Strong heat transfer and fluid systems knowledge.
• Familiarity with heat exchangers, cold plates and spacecraft hardware.
• Experience designing, sizing, building and testing hardware.
• Understanding of verification and validation processes.
• CAD experience; Creo preferred.
• CFD methods for component-level analysis.
• Cross-functional team collaboration.
• M.S./PhD is a plus; 5+ years aerospace experience preferred.
• Knowledge of pumped fluid loop hardware and semi-passive devices.
• Familiarity with AS9100D, ASME, SAE, AWS, ANSI Y14.5.

Responsibilities

• Provide thermal hardware expertise to Lunar vehicle architectures.
• Contribute to a team of Thermal Engineers developing lunar lander hardware.
• Drive designs through build, test, and verification.
• Apply technical leadership to support safe human spaceflight.

Skills

Heat transfer

Fluid systems

Aerospace hardware verification

Cross-functional teamwork

Design for manufacturability

Pumped fluid loop know-how

Education

B.S. in mechanical or aerospace engineering

M.S. or PhD in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Tools

Creo

CFD Optimization Tools

Thermal Desktop

Sinda/Fluint

FEA tools

Job description

Responsibilities

• Provide thermal hardware expertise to Lunar vehicle architectures
• Contribute to a team of Thermal Engineers developing innovative thermal hardware for lunar landers
• Drive designs through build, test, and verification
• Apply technical expertise and leadership skills to positively impact safe human spaceflight

Requirements

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering
• 3+ years of relevant Thermal Engineering experience
• Strong grasp of heat transfer and fluid system fundamentals
• Familiarity with heat exchangers, cold plates, and other common spacecraft hardware
• Demonstrated experience designing, sizing, building, and testing hardware
• Understanding of aerospace hardware verification and validation process
• Moderate experience with CAD software; preferably Creo
• Familiarity with computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation methods for component-level analysis
• Demonstrated experience working in cross-functional teams to deliver results
• Desired: M.S. or PhD degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering
• 5+ years of relevant aerospace experience
• Solid understanding of pumped fluid loop hardware such as pumps, cold plates, radiators, valves, heat exchangers, etc and semi-passive devices like sensors and heaters
• Familiarity with relevant standards such as AS9100D, ASME, SAE, AWS and ANSI Y14.5 specifications
• Experience solving a variety of thermal problems demonstrating breadth in application
• Vendor technical management experience
• Design for manufacturability and assembly experience is a plus
• Experience developing component specifications
• Demonstrated experience in CREO modeling and drawing creation
• Familiarity with Thermal Desktop and Sinda/Fluint, including model validation and test correlation
• Experience with CFD optimization of cold plates and heat exchangers
• Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools experience

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in Thermal Engineering with a strong foundation in heat transfer, fluid systems, and aerospace hardware verification. Proven ability to design, build, and test thermal hardware for lunar applications while collaborating effectively in cross-functional teams.

Certifications & Qualifications

• AS9100D
• ASME
• SAE
• AWS
• ANSI Y14.5

Tools & Technologies

• CREO
• CFD Optimization Tools
• Thermal Desktop
• Sinda/Fluint