Senior Thermal Engineer

Senior Thermal Engineer

Infinite Orbits

Toulouse, France

About the Role

To complete our dynamic and international team, we are looking for a Senior Thermal Engineer to lead the thermal design, analysis, and verification of high-performance systems such as spacecraft, satellites, avionics, or aerospace structures. This role involves ownership of thermal subsystem architecture, modelling, and validation, ensuring thermal control requirements are met under a wide range of operating conditions.

Job Description

Thermal Design & Analysis:

• Lead thermal design efforts from concept through delivery for spacecraft, payloads, electronics, or mechanical systems.
• Develop thermal control systems using passive (radiators, insulation, thermal straps) and active (heaters, loop heat pipes, pumped loops) solutions.
• Perform thermal modeling and simulation using tools such as Thermal Desktop, ESATAN, Sinda/Fluint, Ansys Icepak, or equivalent.

System Integration & Requirements:

• Define and manage thermal requirements based on mission needs and environmental constraints.
• Develop and maintain thermal mathematical models (TMMs) at both component and system levels.
• Ensure proper thermal interfaces between subsystems (mechanical, electrical, payload, etc.).

Verification & Testing:

• Develop and execute thermal test plans including:
  • Thermal balance tests.
  • Thermal vacuum tests (TVAC).
  • Bakeout and thermal cycling.
  • Correlate thermal models with test data and refine predictions accordingly.

Documentation & Reporting:

• Prepare technical documentation, including thermal design reports, analyses, test plans, and compliance matrices.
• Support internal and customer design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR).

Mentorship & Leadership:

• Mentor junior engineers and guide best practices in thermal design and simulation.
• Provide technical leadership within multidisciplinary project teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5–10 years of experience in thermal engineering, ideally in the space or aerospace sector.
• Proficiency with thermal simulation software and experience with spacecraft or high-reliability electronics thermal design.
• Knowledge of applicable standards (e.g., ECSS-E-30-01, NASA-STD-7009, MIL-STD thermal test practices).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and documentation skills.

Good to have:

• Experience with thermal design for CubeSats, LEO/GEO spacecraft, or high-density electronics.
• Familiarity with CAD tools (e.g., SolidWorks, CATIA) and their thermal model export interfaces.
• Knowledge of mission operations constraints (e.g., orbital environments, eclipses, radiative conditions).
• Experience supporting launch vehicle integration or in-orbit operations.

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