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Engineer II, Thermal Design and Analysis (R4934)

Shield AI· X-BAT Division – X-BAT Engineering - LRV
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Seattle, WA$110k - $160kFull Time EmployeePosted 4mo ago

About the role

Thermal Engineer responsible for design, analysis, and integration of thermal management systems for the launch and recovery system of autonomous aircraft, collaborating across mechanical, electrical, avionics, and test teams in a fast-paced startup environment.

Responsibilities

  • Own thermal solutions for the autonomous aircraft launch and recovery system
  • Develop and validate analytical, numerical, and computational models for heat transfer and fluid flow using hand calculations and CFD tools such as FloEFD
  • Prototype, test, and iterate mechanism designs for functionality and reliability
  • Provide technical leadership in trade studies, system architecture decisions, and risk assessments
  • Drive test planning, instrumentation, and data analysis to correlate models with experimental results
  • Proactively identify risks, propose solutions, and influence mechanical, electrical and/or PCBA design direction
  • Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, avionics, flight controls, manufacturing, and test teams
  • Support pre-production builds, prototype integration, and ground/flight testing on the pathway to production and field deployment
  • Participate in design reviews, architecture discussions, and technical decision-making forums related to structural systems
  • Identify opportunities to improve design processes, configuration management, and team workflows for increased engineering velocity and design quality

Qualifications

  • B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline
  • 2+ years of professional experience in thermal engineering
  • Strong expertise in heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and fluid mechanics
  • Strong understanding of active and passive cooling solutions and their integration at component and system level
  • 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+)
  • Experience 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
  • Proven ability to learn and adapt quickly to new tools, processes, and technical challenges in a fast paced, startup environment
  • A demonstrated record of working hard, being trustworthy, holding yourself to high standards, and being kind to others
  • Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired

Skills

Required:Heat transferFluid mechanicsThermal management designCFD toolsCAD toolsFirst-principles problem solvingCommunication

Benefits

  • Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
  • Temporary employee offer package (applicable after 60 days of employment) + temporary benefits package
  • Salary compensation influenced by skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and location; offers contingent on background check
Last updated Oct 23, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Shield AI

Autonomy for the world.

Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.

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