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Principal Thermal Engineer - Aircraft Avionics & Thermal Systems (R3930)

Shield AI· X-BAT Division – X-BAT Engineering - Mechanical
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Seattle, WA, San Diego, CA$250k - $350kFull Time EmployeePosted 1w ago

About the role

Principal Thermal Engineer responsible for owning the technical direction, architecture, and development of aircraft avionics thermal management systems, with cross-functional leadership across aircraft programs and programs.

Responsibilities

  • Own thermal architecture, analysis, and design strategy for unmanned aerial vehicle avionics and aircraft-level thermal/fluid systems across programs.
  • Lead cross-functional trade studies and technical decisions, balancing thermal performance with power, weight, volume, reliability, manufacturability, and aircraft integration constraints.
  • Develop and validate analytical, numerical, and computational models for heat transfer and fluid flow using hand calculations and CFD tools such as FloEFD, and establish modeling standards and best practices.
  • Define verification and validation strategies, guiding test planning, instrumentation, and data analysis to correlate models with experimental results and resolve critical performance risks.
  • Serve as a technical authority in executive-level briefings, design reviews, and customer discussions, communicating complex findings and driving alignment on technical direction.
  • Proactively identify and retire system-level risks, influence electrical and/or PCBA design direction, and drive resolution of complex interfaces across avionics, mechanical, and aircraft systems.
  • Establish reusable thermal design methods and solutions, mentor engineers, and strengthen thermal engineering capabilities across the organization.

Qualifications

  • B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.
  • Minimum 12 years of professional experience in avionics or electronics thermal engineering, including technical leadership of complex, multidisciplinary systems.
  • Strong expertise in heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and fluid mechanics, with demonstrated ability to apply this expertise to system architecture and critical design decisions.
  • Deep understanding of active and passive cooling solutions and their integration at component, subsystem, and aircraft level.
  • Deep 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+), including experience establishing modeling approaches and evaluating analysis quality.
  • Proficiency with CAD design tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or similar.
  • Demonstrated experience applying first-principles reasoning to complex engineering problems and resolving ambiguous technical challenges with significant system-level impact.
  • Proven track record of owning thermal architecture and delivering thermal management solutions from concept through integration, verification, and validation.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of influencing cross-functional technical decisions and presenting to executive stakeholders.
  • Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, establish engineering best practices, and lead technical efforts across teams or programs.
  • Proven ability to learn and adapt quickly to new tools, processes, and technical challenges in a fast paced, startup environment.
  • Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.

Skills

Required:Thermal architectureHeat transfer and fluid mechanicsActive and passive coolingCFD toolsCAD toolsFirst-principles problem solvingMentorship / leadership

Benefits

  • Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
  • Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location.
  • All offers contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check.
  • Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits.
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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