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Varda Space Industries · 6 hours ago

Senior Thermal Engineer

El Segundo, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level

$134K/yr - $170K/yr

5+ years exp

Varda Space Industries is focused on developing commercial space infrastructure to benefit life on Earth. The Senior Thermal Analysis Engineer will be a key member of the vehicle engineering team, responsible for developing thermal system architectures and ensuring spacecraft hardware design meets operational requirements throughout mission phases.

AerospaceManufacturingProduct Design

No H1B

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain integrated thermal analysis models for Varda’s space vehicles

Ensure spacecraft thermal design includes passive and active means of controlling the vehicle system and component environments within operating and survival limits during all mission phases. Seek solutions that provide operational simplicity and system robustness

Create and maintain tools/systems for pre- and post-processing thermal analysis

Work collaboratively with other spacecraft disciplines to define thermal hardware requirements, such as optical properties, conductances, insulation, passive and/or active thermal control, vehicle attitude control, etc

Predict thermal loads and inform component level acceptance and qualification tests

Provide thermal guidance to vehicle level testing, such as thermal bakeout, Vehicle-In-The-Loop (VITL), Thruster Hot Fire, etc

Plan and execute vehicle level Thermal Vacuum (TVac) testing for future vehicles

Publish flight temperature and active thermal control predictions and provide thermal guidance to hardware teams, energy budget, and mission operations

Anchor thermal models to vehicle level Thermal Vacuum (TVac) testing and/or flight data to assess performance and improve thermal models

Define Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) blanket design, fabrication, and installation

Work independently with minimal technical oversight

Work open ended problems to inform technical decisions, balancing efficiency and fidelity

Mentor junior engineers and serve as a technical peer reviewer

Qualification

Thermal control systemsThermal analysis softwareThermal Vacuum testingData processing in MATLABThermal model anchoringThermal design experienceCommunication skillsProblem-solving skillsProject management experience

Required

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related Engineering discipline with a minimum of 5+ years of related professional experience, or a Master's degree in a related engineering discipline and 3+ years of related professional experience

Experience and knowledge in developing passive and active thermal control systems

Proficiency in detailed thermal analysis and troubleshooting in programs such as Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, ANSYS, MSC Nastran

Experience anchoring thermal models to test and/or flight data

Experience in planning and executing Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVac) testing

Experience in MATLAB (or equivalent) for data processing and task automation

Ability to structure open ended problems and perform initial sizing with hand calcs

Experience in 0D and 1D thermal and/or fluid networks

Familiarity with thermal margins and test requirements in SMC-S-016

Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an aptitude for interdisciplinary technical communication (structures, avionics, software, production, GNC, etc.)

Ability to successfully respond to evolving requirements in a fast-moving organization

Preferred

7-10+ years of related professional work experience

Experience of an entire spacecraft vehicle lifecycle, from initial concept, design development, production, integration, and test to mission operations

Familiarity with typical spacecraft thermal control technologies (e.g. heat pipes, pumped fluid systems, thermal blankets, optical coatings, etc.)

Experience in thermal design and analysis of reentry systems

Project management or project leadership experience