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Thermal Engineer, Thermal Protection Systems (TPS)

Anduril· Hardware Platform : Hardware Engineering Services
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Costa Mesa, CA$129k - $171kFull-timePosted 4w ago

About the role

Thermal Engineer specializing in Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) responsible for design, analysis, and validation of TPS for hypersonic and high-speed flight systems in extreme aerothermal environments.

Responsibilities

  • Own TPS design, material selection, and thermal analysis for hypersonic and high-speed flight vehicles, including missiles, reentry systems, and advanced flight platforms.
  • Perform aerothermal heating analysis using engineering correlations, boundary-layer methods, and CFD to define the thermal environment across flight trajectories.
  • Conduct ablation and material response modeling to predict TPS recession, in-depth thermal response, and structural thermal margins under mission-representative conditions.
  • Evaluate and select TPS materials, including carbon phenolic, PICA, silicone-based ablators, ceramics, and high-temperature composites, based on aerothermal loads, mass constraints, and manufacturability.
  • Partner with aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, and systems engineers to integrate TPS into vehicle design while managing mass, volume, and performance tradeoffs.
  • Define and execute thermal and material characterization tests, including arcjet testing, furnace testing, and instrumented flight-article thermal testing.
  • Build and maintain thermal models spanning hand calculations through detailed FEA/CFD to predict system performance, establish design limits, and support qualification.
  • Present TPS status, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations in internal design reviews and customer-facing technical reviews.
  • Support failure reviews and root-cause investigations using test data, thermal analysis, and first-principles reasoning.

Qualifications

  • MS or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related field with a focus on aerothermodynamics, heat transfer, thermal sciences, or materials science.
  • 2+ years of experience in TPS design, aerothermal analysis, or high-temperature material response for aerospace or defense systems.
  • Strong first-principles understanding of aerodynamic heating, ablation, high-temperature heat transfer, and material thermal response.
  • Experience with material response modeling tools such as FIAT, CMA, TITAN, or equivalent ablation/thermal response codes.
  • Experience supporting thermal design for hypersonic vehicles, reentry systems, missiles, rocket nozzles, or other systems operating in extreme aerothermal environments.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret security clearance.

Skills

Required:AerothermodynamicsMaterial response modelingThermal analysisAblation scienceTPS materials selection

Benefits

  • US Salary Range $129,000—$171,000 USD
  • Highly competitive equity grants included in full-time offers
  • Top-tier benefits for full-time employees
Last updated Sep 23, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Anduril

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