Specialist, Aerospace Engineer (Thermal Analysis)

L3Harris•Sacramento, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Specialist, Aerospace Engineer (Thermal Analysis) applies technical expertise in thermal and fluids analysis of solid rocket motor (SRM) components and systems. The role supports solid rocket propulsion objectives by performing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and thermal analyses, developing innovative analytical methods, and solving complex technical challenges that may require ingenuity and establish precedents for future decisions. The engineer leads complex projects with general oversight, communicates with internal stakeholders and external customers, and drives designs from concept through detailed design. The work includes initial sizing and verification using hand calculations; detailed thermal analysis and temperature prediction and ablation assessment using proprietary codes based on aerothermal tools; CFD analysis using commercial software; and test support, including pre- and post-test analysis of static-fired motors for model validation. The role also defines rocket motor test instrumentation and processes data for production, bench, and full-engine qualification activities. The position is located in Huntsville, Alabama, or Sacramento, California, follows a 9/80 schedule, and requires 10% travel. The ability to obtain a U.S. secret security clearance is required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and at least 4 years of prior thermal design experience; or a graduate degree and at least 2 years of prior thermal design experience; or, in lieu of a degree, at least 8 years of prior thermal design experience.
Ability to obtain a U.S. secret security clearance.
Travel up to 10%.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor of Science in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering.
Active U.S. secret security clearance.
Strong skills in applying heat transfer and fluid dynamics to propulsion systems.
Understanding of solid rocket motor function and design.
Experience coding in Fortran and scripting with Python or MATLAB.
Hands-on experience with solid rocket motor manufacturing.
Experience with CEA, CMA, Thermal Desktop, Fluent, or CFD++.
Ability to parse large amounts of data for analysis.

Responsibilities

Lead complex projects with general oversight.
Communicate effectively with internal stakeholders, including program offices and chief engineers, and with external customers.
Drive designs from the conceptual phase through detailed design.
Perform hand calculations for initial sizing and verification.
Conduct detailed thermal analysis using proprietary codes based on aerothermal tools such as ACE, gasket, and CMA to predict temperatures and assess ablation of SRM insulators and other hardware components.
Execute CFD analyses with commercial codes such as ANSYS Fluent to support thermal analysis and SRM design.
Support testing through pre- and post-test analysis of static-fired motors for model validation.
Define rocket motor test instrumentation and process data for production, bench, and full-engine qualification activities.