CareerPlan

Principal Thermal Engineer - Aircraft Avionics & Thermal Systems (R3930)

Seattle, WashingtonFull-time2026-10-13 → 2026-11-12

Core

Lead the design, analysis, and integration of aircraft avionics thermal management systems for unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft-level thermal/fluid systems.

Role type

Sr. Staff Thermal Engineer (Aerospace/Defense)

Builds

Thermal architecture, analysis, and design strategy for UAV avionics and aircraft-level thermal/fluid systems

Domain

Aerospace / Defense / Thermal Management

Required skills

Heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation), Fluid mechanics, Active and passive cooling solutions, Thermal management design elements (TIMs, spreaders, heat sinks, vapor chambers, heat pipes, fans), CFD tools (ANSYS Icepak, FloEFD, STAR-CCM+), CAD design tools (NX, SolidWorks), System architecture, Technical leadership, First-principles reasoning

Preferred skills

High altitude aircraft avionics cooling, Aircraft integration constraints, Thermal and fluid system test strategies, Materials and manufacturing methods, Trade studies and proposals

Technologies

ANSYS Icepak, FloEFD, STAR-CCM+, NX, SolidWorks

Responsibilities

Own thermal architecture, analysis, and design strategy; Lead cross-functional trade studies; Develop and validate analytical, numerical, and computational models; Define verification and validation strategies; Serve as a technical authority in executive-level briefings; Proactively identify and retire system-level risks; Establish reusable thermal design methods and mentor engineers

Seniority

Sr. Staff, hands-on IC with technical leadership