Power Electronics - Senior Staff Thermal Engineer

Shield AI•San Diego, CA

About The Position

Are you a passionate and innovative thermal engineer looking to help develop state of the art aircraft? Are you eager to make a positive difference in the world? Do you want to work alongside mission driven and values focused teammates? Shield AI is just the place for you! As a Senior Staff Thermal Engineer at Shield AI, you will lead the design, analysis, and integration of aircraft avionics thermal management systems. We are designing a high voltage, high power system using custom power electronics and energy storage. This role is best suited for an engineer who thrives on first-principles problem solving, is comfortable with ambiguous, open-ended challenges, and can bridge technical disciplines with strong communication and collaboration skills and the ability to simplify and communicate complex problems. The engineer will be a key contributor in shaping designs, mentoring peers, and ensuring robust thermal solutions that meet mission-critical aerospace requirements.

Requirements

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline
Minimum 7 years of professional experience in avionics or electronics thermal engineering
Strong expertise in heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and fluid mechanics
Deep understanding of active and passive cooling solutions and their integration at component and system level
Deep understanding of thermal management design elements including TIMs, spreaders, heat sinks, vapor chambers, heat pipes, and fans
Proficiency with thermal analysis and CFD tools (e.g., ANSYS Icepak, FloEFD, STAR-CCM+)
Proficiency with CAD design tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or similar
Demonstrated experience applying first-principles reasoning to complex engineering problems
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of leading technical discussions and presenting to stakeholders
Proven ability to learn and adapt quickly to new tools, processes, and technical challenges in a fast paced, startup environment

Responsibilities

Own thermal analysis and design efforts for unmanned aerial vehicle avionics including custom power electronics
Develop and validate analytical, numerical, and computational models for heat transfer and fluid flow using hand calculations and CFD tools such as FloEFD
Provide technical leadership in trade studies, system architecture decisions, and risk assessments
Lead cross-functional teams designing power electronic circuits and environmental enclosures. Provide design requirements that impact circuit part selection, board layout, material selection, and other design aspects
Drive test planning, instrumentation, and data analysis to correlate models with experimental results
Mentor junior engineers and guide cross-disciplinary teams in applying thermal/fluid fundamentals
Communicate technical findings clearly through executive-level briefings, design reviews, and written reports
Proactively identify risks, propose solutions, and influence electrical and/or PCBA design direction