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Salary: USD 115,200 - 158,400 / annual
Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Thermal Engineer to oversee thermal design, analysis, testing, and validation of space vehicles. Based at the company's Long Beach headquarters, you will perform thermal modeling and data analysis while collaborating with test and design engineers to capture vehicle thermal performance and drive design improvements. Deliverables support internal leadership, board of directors, and investors.
Key responsibilities include:
- Complete thermal modeling and analysis of vehicles
- Conduct thermal design trade studies balancing performance margins, resource use, risk, cost, and schedule
- Identify and resolve thermal design, acceptance, and performance issues for space vehicle components and assemblies
- Design and execute thermal tests for space vehicle components and assemblies
- Perform thermal model validation using test and in-flight data
- Liaise with all levels of program and engineering staff on thermal design and test matters
- Support other teams and disciplines as needed
- Identify and research potential vendors of thermal control materials
Rocket Lab's Space Systems team has enabled over 1,700 missions, ranging from interplanetary exploration and in-space manufacturing to national security and defense initiatives. The team has built spacecraft, payloads, and components for missions to the Moon and Mars, working with partners including NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, or other engineering discipline
- 5+ years of thermal engineering experience in the aerospace industry, in a thermal engineer role or other hands-on engineering capacity
- U.S. citizenship required due to program requirements (ITAR compliance)
NICE-TO-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master's or PhD in aerospace, mechanical, or other engineering discipline
- Strong background in heat transfer
- Experience with thermal systems and passive thermal management techniques
- Familiarity with Siemens NX and Teamcenter, with emphasis on model interrogation and defeaturing
- Demonstrated experience with Thermal Desktop
- Experience planning, executing, and analyzing thermal balance tests
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work independently while building strong colleague relationships
- Experience with constant conductance and variable conductance heat pipes
- Experience with multi-layer insulation design, fabrication, installation, and testing
- Experience with 0-D and 1-D thermal/fluid networks
- Familiarity with scripting languages such as Python and MATLAB
- Familiarity with thermal engineering tools such as NX Space Systems Thermal, ANSYS, SINDA, and THERMICA
- Knowledge of launch and on-orbit operations
- Familiarity with orbital mechanics and attitude dynamics related to thermal analysis
