Senior Staff Thermal Analyst

About the role

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Apply structural engineering principles to develop structural analysis methodologies, verification strategies, and engineering solutions across multiple products and engineering programs.
• Evaluate load paths, stress distributions, fatigue life, fracture behavior, buckling stability, vibration response, thermal stresses, and structural integrity to advance analytical methodologies.
• Lead complex engineering calculations, finite element analyses (FEA), nonlinear analyses, margin of safety assessments, and design trade studies requiring ingenuity to resolve challenging structural engineering issues.
• Perform thermal analyses involving heat transfer, temperature distributions, thermal loads, and thermal-structural interactions to evaluate product performance and structural integrity.
• Lead highly complex structural verification, qualification, validation, and testing activities supporting engineering and manufacturing objectives.
• Evaluate engineering data, analytical models, test results, inspection findings, and structural performance while developing solutions that improve structural reliability and product performance.
• Guide root cause investigations, engineering changes, corrective actions, and structural improvements supporting successful product development and manufacturing.
• Correlate thermal models with test data and evaluate temperature-related performance to support thermal verification and design improvements.
• Serve as a primary technical resource for structural and stress analysis across significant engineering and manufacturing initiatives.
• Provide structural engineering guidance through design reviews, engineering investigations, manufacturing reviews, supplier evaluations, and complex technical problem resolution.
• Promote consistent structural analysis practices by mentoring engineers and supporting continuous improvement initiatives.
• Advance structural analysis methodologies, verification practices, engineering standards, and analytical techniques across multiple programs.
• Evaluate structural analysis methods, finite element models, verification processes, and emerging analytical technologies to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Lead initiatives that enhance structural integrity, product reliability, manufacturability, quality, analytical accuracy, and engineering effectiveness.

Job Requirements and Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, or a related engineering field with 12-15 years of related experience, or Master's degree with 8-12 years of related experience, or PhD with 5-8 years of related experience in structural analysis, stress analysis, finite element analysis, aerospace structures, or a related engineering discipline.
• Applied knowledge of thermal analysis principles, heat transfer, thermal modeling, temperature distributions, and thermal-structural interactions.
• In-depth knowledge of structural mechanics, stress analysis, mechanics of materials, finite element analysis (FEA), and advanced structural verification methodologies.
• Extensive experience performing static, dynamic, vibration, fatigue, fracture, buckling, nonlinear, and thermal stress analyses across multiple engineering programs.
• Comprehensive understanding of material behavior, fracture mechanics, failure theories, margin of safety calculations, GD&T, manufacturing processes, and structural qualification requirements.
• Develops innovative solutions for highly complex structural engineering challenges while advancing technical capabilities across multiple engineering efforts.
• Exercises sound judgment while guiding technical decisions, mentoring engineers, and advancing structural analysis methodologies.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
• Finite element analysis (FEA), structural analysis, CAD, and engineering software, e.g. ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran, HyperMesh, Creo, or equivalent applications.
• Engineering documentation, PLM, ERP, and collaboration tools, e.g. Windchill, SAP, Jira, or equivalent applications.

Additional information

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.