Senior Thermal Analysis Engineer

About the Role

This role is part of the Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops Blue Origin’s Blue Moon landers and related products. You will be responsible for thermal analysis for the MK1 Lunar Lander, including component, vehicle, and mission analysis in environments ranging from launch to cis-lunar space to the lunar surface, primarily using Thermal Desktop.

Responsibilities

• Collect analysis inputs from stakeholders and responsible engineers from vehicle and hardware teams.
• Develop new or modified thermal analysis models to represent vehicle configuration and behavior.
• Create analysis cases to evaluate vehicle thermal performance in worst-case conditions.
• Analyze component and assembly thermal performance using a broad spectrum of analysis techniques, from classical hand calculations to Thermal Desktop models.
• Post-process analysis results to draw engineering conclusions from output data.
• Author and publish analysis reports in various mediums to support engineering decision-making.
• Generate and present design review content to subsystem, vehicle, and business unit partners and customers.
• Mentor more junior thermal analysts.

Qualifications

• B.S. degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering or equivalent.
• 8+ years of relevant Thermal Engineering/Analysis experience.
• Proven, hands-on experience designing and analyzing thermal control systems within the space or aerospace industry.
• Senior-level understanding of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation), fluid flow, and thermodynamic principles as applied to spacecraft thermal control systems.
• Solid understanding of spacecraft thermal control hardware, including heaters, MLI blankets, thermal coatings, heat pipes, radiators, thermostats, and thermal isolators.
• Proficiency with industry-standard thermal analysis tools, including Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, and ANSYS Workbench, including model development, validation, correlation, and uncertainty quantification.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to earn trust and maintain positive and professional relationships.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. or PhD degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
• 10+ years of relevant aerospace experience.
• Experience solving a variety of thermal problems demonstrating breadth in application.
• Avionics thermal systems expertise at the component and system level.
• Familiarity with cryogenic thermal control systems.
• Proficiency in trajectory-dependent thermal analysis for launch vehicles or spacecraft.
• Working knowledge of aerospace standards and regulations, including NASA-STD, ECSS, and MIL-HDBK, as they apply to thermal control systems.
• Experience on verification and validation programs for complex spaceflight systems.
• Knowledge of MATLAB and/or Python for scripting, data analysis, and thermal model automation.

Pay

Base pay ranges:

• CA: $156,802.00 - $219,522.45
• CO: $144,179.00 - $201,849.90
• WA: $156,802.00 - $219,522.45

Other site ranges may differ.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability.
• 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%.
• Education Support Program.
• Stock options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week).
• Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.