Thermal Structural Engineer Level 3 /4 (AHT)
About The Position
Northrop Grumman is seeking a Thermal Structural Engineer level 3 or 4 located in Woodland Hills, Ca, which is part of our Advanced Weapon Systems business unit in Northridge. We are a leading defense contractor specializing in advanced missile systems and aerospace technologies. Our mission‑critical programs demand innovative thermal solutions that ensure reliability, performance, and safety under extreme conditions. Join a high‑impact team that delivers cutting‑edge capabilities to our nation’s warfighters. This position is required to be full-time, on-site in Woodland Hills, CA. No remote/telework arrangement is available for this position. Applicants must have ability to obtain and maintain a US Government DoD Secret security clearance. Thermal Structural Engineer is responsible for the thermal design, analysis, testing, and validation of missile subsystems throughout the product life‑cycle. The ideal candidate will possess a comprehensive understanding of thermal‑engineering principles, theories, and concepts, and will be familiar with related engineering disciplines.
Requirements
- BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Thermal Sciences, or a closely related field with 5 years of thermal engineering experience on aerospace or defense missile programs (design, analysis, or testing) or MS degree with 3 years of experience in the same.
- Proficiency with thermal‑analysis software such as FLUENT, FEMAP or SINDA, or equivalent tools.
- Hands‑on experience with thermal‑vacuum chambers, hot‑fire rigs, high‑temperature ovens, and temperature‑measurement instrumentation (thermocouples, RTDs, IR cameras).
- Familiarity with MIL‑STD‑810, MIL‑STD‑461, and other defense‑related thermal‑safety standards; ability to prepare compliance documentation.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to clearly convey complex thermal concepts to multidisciplinary audiences.
- Strong grasp of heat‑transfer fundamentals: conduction, convection, radiation, and phase‑change processes.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government DoD Secret security clearance
- BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Thermal Sciences, or a closely related field with 8 years of thermal engineering experience on aerospace or defense missile programs (design, analysis, or testing) or MS degree with 6 years of experience in the same.
- Proficiency with thermal‑analysis software such as FLUENT, FEMAP or SINDA, or equivalent tools.
- Hands‑on experience with thermal‑vacuum chambers, hot‑fire rigs, high‑temperature ovens, and temperature‑measurement instrumentation (thermocouples, RTDs, IR cameras).
- Familiarity with MIL‑STD‑810, MIL‑STD‑461, and other defense‑related thermal‑safety standards; ability to prepare compliance documentation.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to clearly convey complex thermal concepts to multidisciplinary audiences.
- Strong grasp of heat‑transfer fundamentals: conduction, convection, radiation, and phase‑change processes.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government DoD Secret security clearance
Nice To Haves
- Current US Government DoD Secret Security Clearance
- SINDA skill plus
- Knowledge of MINIVER or other aero heating codes a plus
- Missile Weight and Balance Certification
- Automated Weight and Balance System (AWBS) experience
- Experience with mass property and weight and balance analysis.
Responsibilities
- Interpret customer statements of work and technical specifications to extract and define the boundary conditions for all thermal analyses.
- Develop comprehensive system‑level thermal models of complete assemblies, as well as detailed sub‑assembly and part‑level models.
- Build high‑fidelity thermal models of circuit‑card assemblies that extend down to individual component junctions.
- Conduct both steady‑state and transient thermal simulations to predict temperature fields, heat‑flow paths, and required heat‑sinking solutions.
- Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to ensure design concepts are manufacturable and meet program objectives.
- Prepare and support Technical Reviews, including Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR).
- Execute hand‑calculation checks to validate and cross‑verify computational thermal models.
- Design and specify thermal environmental test plans that confirm model predictions and certify hardware performance.
- Compile, document, and present analysis results, recommendations, and risk assessments to internal peers and external customers.
- Serve as the technical liaison with suppliers and customers, providing clarification, data exchange, and support as required.
- Mentoring the team
- This position may require occasional responsibilities associated with Mass Property functional analysis, timeline analysis, detailed trade studies, and mass property requirements.
- Additional duties could be to translate customer, product, or derived mass property requirements into hardware and software specification requirements.
- Analyze, research, and tests system hardware and conditions for optimal mass property system solutions.
- Tools utilized may include solid modeling tools, database tools and standard office applications.
Benefits
- Relocation assistance may be available
- health insurance coverage
- life and disability insurance
- savings plan
- Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
- overtime
- shift differential
- discretionary bonus
- Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results.
- Long Term Incentives (for VP or Director positions)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
