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Senior Thermal Engineer, Mission Electronics

Anduril· Hardware Platform : Hardware Engineering Services
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Costa Mesa, CA$146k - $194kfull-timePosted 2mo ago

About the role

Senior Thermal Engineer responsible for thermal design and analysis of electronic assemblies across platforms including air vehicles, maritime, ground systems, and wearables. Owns thermal architecture, performs first-principles analysis, runs FEA/CFD, and leads prototype builds, testing, and trade studies to ensure performance in demanding environments.

Responsibilities

  • Own the thermal design and analysis of electronics—from board and component level up through enclosures and full assemblies—for products across air vehicles, maritime and ground systems, and wearables/body-worn devices.
  • Use first principles as the basis for every decision and discern the right level of analysis to apply. Execute hand calculations, spreadsheets, and MATLAB/Python first-order models to inform the path forward before jumping into detailed design.
  • Define thermal architecture and heat-rejection paths—conduction, natural and forced convection, cold plates, heat sinks, heat pipes, thermal interface materials, and coatings—to keep components within junction and touch-temperature limits across demanding environments.
  • Establish hot, cold, and edge-case operating conditions for each platform based on industry standards and intended use, accounting for altitude and flight envelopes on air vehicles, salt fog and humidity in maritime environments, solar load and enclosed cabinets on ground systems, and human-contact and comfort limits on wearables.
  • Work with electrical, mechanical, and systems engineers to characterize and document component power dissipation under different operating modes.
  • Communicate the pros and cons of system and packaging architectures with respect to thermal considerations, and drive trade studies that balance thermal margin against size, weight, and power.
  • Own the thermal FEA/CFD models and predict system performance. Define red/yellow design limits for test and operation.
  • Define and execute prototype builds and tests to verify thermal designs (do CAD, select sensors and DAQ equipment, post-process data, summarize results, etc.).
  • Present thermal status at formal reviews internally and with customers. Provide a clear understanding of timelines and technical status.
  • Develop internal tools to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of analysis.
  • Support failure reviews and root-cause analysis with test data and thermal analysis.

Qualifications

  • MS or higher degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, applied physics, or a related field with a focus on heat transfer and fluid dynamics (BS with additional experience considered)
  • In-depth understanding of heat transfer and fluid dynamics
  • 5+ years of experience designing thermal solutions for electronics or integrated hardware products
  • Practical experience with electronics cooling and packaging—component and board-level thermal management, TIMs, heat sinks, heat pipes, cold plates, and enclosure heat rejection
  • Practical experience designing both passive and active thermal management systems
  • Thermal testing experience—sensor selection, data acquisition, and data post-processing
  • Thermal FEA/CFD experience—STAR-CCM+, ANSYS, Icepak, or FloEFD
  • CAD experience with Siemens NX or SolidWorks
  • Passion for defending the United States and her allies
  • Be able to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance

Skills

Required:First-principles analysis

Benefits

  • Comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees). For more information, Explore Our Benefits.
Last updated Aug 5, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Anduril

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