Senior Thermal Analysis Engineer

The role

You will develop and maintain thermal system architectures for space vehicles. You will collaborate cross-functionally to ensure vehicle health and performance through all mission phases.

What you will do

• Develop and maintain integrated thermal analysis models for Varda’s space vehicles
• Create and maintain tools/systems for model and flight data processing
• Ensure spacecraft remains within operating and survival limits via passive and active thermal control
• Collaborate with other spacecraft disciplines to drive hardware, software, and/or con-ops improvements
• Plan, execute, and anchor models to Thermal Vacuum (TVac) testing
• Provide guidance to vehicle level testing
• Work independently with minimal technical oversight
• Mentor junior engineers and serve as a technical peer reviewer

Required qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience
• 3+ years of experience and knowledge in developing passive and active thermal control systems
• Proficiency in detailed thermal analysis in Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT
• 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
• Familiarity with thermal margins and qualification test requirements in SMC-S-016
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Nice to have

• Master's degree in a related engineering discipline and 3+ years of related professional experience
• Experience of an entire spacecraft vehicle lifecycle
• Experience in thermal design and analysis of reentry systems

About the company

Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. The company is headquartered in El Segundo, California.