Thermal Design and Analysis Engineer II

About the role

Shield AI, a defense-tech company developing AI and aircraft products, is hiring a Thermal Engineer II in Seattle. You will own the design, analysis and integration of thermal management systems for the launch and recovery system's structural and electronics components, working across disciplines to ensure structural integrity, manufacturability and mission readiness.

Key responsibilities

• Own thermal solutions for the autonomous aircraft launch and recovery system
• Develop and validate analytical, numerical and computational models for heat transfer and fluid flow using hand calculations and CFD tools such as FloEFD
• Prototype, test and iterate mechanism designs for functionality and reliability
• Lead trade studies, system architecture decisions and risk assessments
• Plan tests, instrument them and analyse data to correlate models with experimental results
• Influence mechanical, electrical and PCBA design direction and collaborate with mechanical, electrical, avionics, flight controls, manufacturing and test teams
• Support pre-production builds, prototype integration and ground/flight testing
• Take part in design reviews and architecture discussions, and improve design processes and team workflows

Required profile

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or a related discipline
• 2+ years of professional experience in thermal engineering
• Demonstrated first-principles reasoning and strong written and verbal communication
• Ability to learn quickly in a fast-paced startup environment
• S//SAR security clearance desired

Required skills

• Heat transfer and fluid mechanics, active and passive cooling solutions
• Thermal management elements: TIMs, spreaders, heat sinks, vapor chambers, heat pipes, fans
• CFD tools such as ANSYS Icepak, FloEFD, STAR-CCM+
• CAD tools such as NX or SolidWorks

Preferred: M.S. degree, hands-on thermal and fluid system testing, MIL-STD-810 testing experience, and knowledge of materials and manufacturing methods for thermal management.