Staff Engineer, Aircraft Thermal Systems - Ranger (R6351)

Shield AI•Seattle, WA

2d•$170,000 - $260,000

About The Position

Shield AI is hiring a Staff (L4) Aircraft Thermal Systems Engineer to take technical ownership of thermal analysis, design, and vehicle integration for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. The role covers characterization of aircraft-level thermal environments, evaluation of heat-transfer pathways, development of cooling solutions, correlation of analytical and computational models, and delivery of thermal systems and hardware in a rapid-iteration development environment. It calls for technical rigor, quick decision-making, hands-on engineering, and ownership in an accelerated aircraft development setting. The engineer will define thermal environments and management solutions for vehicle bays, hot surfaces, and other thermal-critical installations. They will perform heat-transfer and fluid-mechanics analyses; develop analytical, finite-difference, and CFD models; design cooling solutions; manage thermal requirements and risks; and integrate thermal hardware with vehicle systems. The role also includes test planning and execution, supplier oversight, hardware qualification, airworthiness support, and technical leadership across disciplines.

Requirements

US citizenship and an active Secret or higher security clearance.
7 to 12 years of direct experience in aerospace thermal engineering, environmental control systems, or vehicle thermal and fluid system development.
B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Deep mastery of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics applied to aircraft or defense systems.
Demonstrated ability to perform first-principles hand calculations and use finite-difference methods and CFD or thermal-analysis tools such as FloEFD, STAR-CCM+, Thermal Desktop, or equivalent.
Demonstrated ability to design active and passive cooling solutions and manage thermal environments for aircraft bays, engine bays, hot surfaces, or comparable aerospace installations.
Experience with 3D CAD modeling, thermal hardware layout, routing, and drawing release using Siemens NX, CATIA, Creo, SolidWorks, or equivalent PLM workflows.
Proven experience sourcing COTS or custom aerospace components, driving suppliers to schedule, and assembling benchtop or vehicle-level test setups.
Ability to self-direct, prioritize technical tasks without oversight, and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines.

Nice To Haves

Experience with high-altitude aircraft thermal management, analysis, and design.
Hands-on experience with thermal and fluid system testing, instrumentation, data acquisition, and validation.
Knowledge of materials and manufacturing methods relevant to aerospace thermal management.
Background in multidisciplinary system integration spanning avionics, fluid systems, and systems engineering.
Familiarity with aerospace environmental and airworthiness requirements and test standards, including MIL-STD-810, MIL-HDBK-310, RTCA DO-160, and SAE AIR or ARP standards.

Responsibilities

Define and mature aircraft-level thermal environments and thermal management solutions for vehicle bays, hot surfaces, and other thermal-critical installations.
Perform first-principles heat-transfer and fluid-mechanics calculations and develop analytical, finite-difference, and CFD models for conduction, convection, radiation, and coupled thermal-fluid behavior.
Design and evaluate active and passive cooling solutions, including heat-rejection paths, airflow, ducting, thermal interfaces, and supporting hardware.
Generate thermal requirements, assess technical risks, and recommend designs balancing thermal performance with power, mass, volume, maintainability, and integration constraints.
Develop thermal hardware layouts and CAD models, and resolve interfaces with structures, avionics, fluid systems, EWIS, and adjacent mechanical systems.
Define qualification and verification test plans, design test rigs, support instrumentation and data acquisition, and correlate models with test data.
Author technical specifications and statements of work for thermal hardware, evaluate suppliers, and drive supplier execution through prototype build and test.
Define and execute qualification testing per MIL-STD-810, use results to mature production-ready hardware, and support MIL-HDBK-516 Airworthiness Certification.
Communicate findings through design reviews and technical reports, guide cross-disciplinary teams in applying thermal and fluid fundamentals, and influence vehicle-level thermal design decisions.