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Varda Space Industries · 4 hours ago

Senior Thermal Analysis Engineer

El Segundo, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level

$150K/yr - $180K/yr

5+ years exp

Varda Space Industries is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure. The Senior Thermal Analysis Engineer will develop and maintain thermal system architectures and collaborate cross-functionally to ensure vehicle health and performance through all mission phases.

AerospaceManufacturingProduct Design

No H1B

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

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

Work collaboratively with other spacecraft disciplines to define thermal hardware requirements and iterate on designs based on simulation results

Publish flight predictions and provide actionable guidance larger engineering team

Ensure spacecraft remains within operating and survival limits during all mission phases via passive and active thermal control. Seek solutions that provide operational simplicity and system robustness

Create and maintain tools/systems for thermal simulation and flight data processing

Plan and execute Thermal Vacuum (TVac) testing

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

Provide guidance to vehicle level testing, such as thermal bakeout, Vehicle-In-The-Loop (VITL), propulsion hot fire, etc

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 anchoringInterdisciplinary communicationProject managementProblem-solving

Required

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related 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 system balance sizing with hand calcs or simplified simulations

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

Familiarity with thermal margins and qualification 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.)

Experience in project management/leadership for a multidisciplinary design or test campaign

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

Experience in thermal design and analysis of reentry systems

A track record of taking ownership of projects and delivering results in a fast-paced environment