Propulsion Thermal Analyst

About the role

We are looking for a Propulsion Thermal Analyst who is equally proficient in applying first order calculations as they are to running SINDA or developing their own analysis code. You will work across design, analysis, development, operation, and reuse scenarios in a fast-moving development environment. This is a highly technical role for someone who wants to be close to details, make consequential design decisions, and help establish the propulsion and stage fluids systems of an orbital launch vehicle program from the ground up.

What You Will Do

• Perform thermal analysis of engine and stage fluid systems during static and flight operations, transients, and re-entry
• Build and run steady-state and transient thermal models using tools like Thermal Desktop/SINDA, ANSYS, or in-house codes to predict temperatures, heat fluxes, and thermal gradients
• Analyze regenerative, film, and radiation cooling schemes and size cooling channels to keep wall temperatures within material limits
• Couple thermal models with structural (thermal-stress), fluid (CFD), and combustion analyses to support integrated multidisciplinary assessments
• Characterize heat transfer in cryogenic propellant feed systems, including tank thermal management, boil-off, chill-down, and insulation performance
• Define and analyze thermal protection and conditioning requirements for engines, stage, lines, and valves
• Conduct trade studies and sensitivity analyses to drive design decisions on cooling, geometry, and operating conditions
• Identify thermal risks and failure modes, support anomaly investigations, and recommend design or operational mitigations

Qualifications

Required 

• 7+ years of experience with one or more of the following:
• • Thermal analysis of aerospace vehicles and components
  • Experience with cryogenic fluids
• Inclination toward a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment with rapid hardware development using iterative design-build-test cycles that are central to the engineering culture
• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field

Preferred 

• Supersonic, hypersonic, or re-entry heating analysis
• Fluid analysis proficiency
• Structural analysis proficiency
• Turbomachinery fluid analysis proficiency
• Experience with liquid bipropellant rocket engines
• Experience with methane systems
• Exposure to complex fluid systems as well as understanding the behaviour of the mechanisms in those systems
• Functional proficiency in CAD (NX) and Python
• Advanced degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field