Thermal Systems Engineer II - MLI/Spacecraft Insulation

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; California; On-site; USD 110,000 - 133,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Dental and Vision

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Job summary

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, seeks a Thermal Engineer to design thermal systems, develop hardware, assemble and test MLI/SLI blankets for spacecraft power and temperature control. You’ll work in the Thermal Fluid Systems & Hardware Group reporting to the Group Supervisor.

Responsibilities include patterning blankets in CAD, overseeing flight hardware fabrication and testing, and coordinating material selection, traceability, and logistics with multiple JPL teams

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, chemical engineering, applied physics or similar.
• 3+ years related experience (or 1 year with a Master’s, 0 with a PhD).
• Knowledge of heat transfer, fluid mechanics and numerical methods.
• Experience with MLI/SLI materials and CAD tools.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Design custom SLI/MLI blankets from requirements to support the MLI Lead Engineer.
• Use CAD for blanket patterning and layout work in a cleanroom.
• Coordinate fabrication, bake-outs, delivery and installation of flight MLI/SLI.
• Guide material selection and implementation with thermal system engineers.
• Oversee material traceability and procurement for flight hardware.
• Coordinate access and logistics for flight hardware with the MLI Lead Engineer.
• Support logistics for multiple JPL facilities and partner sites nationwide and abroad.
• Prepare technical design and test review presentations and actions.
• Assist in MLI costing/scheduling for flight projects.
• Support design trades balancing performance, cost, risk and schedule.

Skills

Heat transfer

Fluid mechanics

Numerical methods

Engineering design

Engineering lab work

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Aerospace/Mechanical/Chemical Eng degree

Applied Physics

Tools

NX Space Systems Thermal

AutoCAD/SolidWorks

MATLAB

LabVIEW

Job description

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, seeks a Thermal Engineer to design thermal systems, develop hardware, assemble and test MLI/SLI blankets for spacecraft power and temperature control. You’ll work in the Thermal Fluid Systems & Hardware Group reporting to the Group Supervisor.

Responsibilities include patterning blankets in CAD, overseeing flight hardware fabrication and testing, and coordinating material selection, traceability, and logistics with multiple JPL teams