Sr Thermal Analyst

About the role

This role supports the development and operations of New Glenn, a single-configuration, heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle capable of routinely carrying people and payloads to low-Earth orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, cislunar, and beyond. Its first stage is fully reusable, and the vehicle was designed from the beginning to be human-capable.

Responsibilities

• Perform detailed thermal analysis of Thermal Protection System (TPS) components, including design trade studies, sizing, and verification across all operational phases — ground, ascent, reentry, and recovery.
• Conduct thermal analysis of critical vehicle systems, subsystems, and components including umbilicals, tank domes, aft skirts, and metal engine eyeball seals, spanning cryogenic to high-temperature environments.
• Develop, maintain, and validate Thermal Desktop and ANSYS thermal models for component- and vehicle-level analysis.
• Lead and support thermal design reviews, analysis reviews, and verification activities throughout the product lifecycle.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with structures, propulsion, materials, manufacturing, and test teams to ensure thermal designs meet performance and safety requirements.
• Develop and execute thermal test plans; correlate analytical models to test data and flight data.
• Author and review thermal databook, engineering reports, analysis memos, and technical documentation in support of drawing releases and design certification.
• Identify and drive resolution of thermal design risks and anomalies, providing clear technical recommendations to program leadership.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of thermal analysis processes, tools, and best practices within the team.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in thermal analysis within aerospace, launch vehicle, or spacecraft development programs.
• Demonstrated proficiency with ANSYS (Mechanical, Fluent, or equivalent) for thermal and coupled thermal-structural analysis.
• Experience conducting thermal analysis of TPS components and/or vehicle structural components in extreme thermal environments (cryogenic through high-heat reentry conditions).
• Strong understanding of heat transfer fundamentals: conduction, convection, radiation, and phase change.
• Knowledge of the analogy between heat and mass transfer, with the ability to adapt heat transfer correlations to mass and fluid transport calculations.
• Experience developing and documenting thermal analysis in support of design certification and qualification testing.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Skills

• Proficiency with scripting or programming languages (Python, MATLAB) for analysis automation and data processing.
• Familiarity with 3D CAD tools (e.g., CREO, NX) for geometry import and thermal model development.
• Familiarity with CFD-derived aerothermal environments as inputs to thermal models.
• Knowledge of AI/ML techniques applied to engineering analysis, such as surrogate modeling, design space exploration, or predictive thermal modeling.
• Experience supporting launch site operations or flight readiness reviews.

Benefits

• Base Pay Range For WA applicants is $121,023.00 - $169,432.20
• Other Site Ranges May Differ
• Culture Statement
• Export Control Regulations
• Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation