Thermal Engineer - Analysis & Test
Xona Space Systems· Information Services· Oct 24, 2026 · 4d ago
Burlingame, California
In office
Full-time
Mid
$132K–$178K
Job description
Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth.
With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.
Role Overview
We are seeking a hands-on Thermal Engineer to support the thermal design and environmental verification of our spacecraft. This role combines thermal analysis with direct ownership of thermal test development and execution.
During the first year, the role is expected to be approximately 50% thermal analysis and 50% test work. Over time, it will shift toward increasing ownership of component-, subsystem-, and spacecraft-level thermal analysis.
You will own work from early thermal modeling and collaboration with mechanical designers through thermal-vacuum (TVAC), thermal-chamber, and targeted R&D test campaigns. You will work closely with mechanical, electrical, systems, integration, and test teams to turn hardware designs into credible thermal models, generate test evidence, correlate models to data, and drive design improvements.
This is an excellent role for an engineer who enjoys both analytical problem-solving and hands-on work with spacecraft hardware.
What You’ll Do
Thermal Analysis & Design Support
- Develop and maintain thermal models for components, assemblies, and spacecraft-level systems.
- Perform steady-state and transient thermal analyses to assess operating temperatures, thermal margins, heater requirements, and environmental performance.
- Collaborate with mechanical designers to influence thermal interfaces, materials, surface finishes, insulation approaches, mounting strategies, and component placement.
- Perform thermal design trades and clearly communicate analysis assumptions, risks, results, and recommendations to cross-functional teams.
- Develop model inputs using hardware configuration, material properties, test data, and engineering judgment.
- Correlate thermal models with test results and use findings to improve model fidelity and guide future design decisions.
Thermal Test Development & Execution
- Develop and lead TVAC, thermal-chamber, thermal-cycling, and targeted R&D thermal test campaigns.
- Define test objectives, success criteria, instrumentation plans, sensor locations, data requirements, and test configurations.
- Write test plans, procedures, setup instructions, test reports, and verification documentation.
- Prepare and configure test hardware, including temperature sensors, heaters, harnessing, insulation, fixturing, and data-acquisition equipment.
- Execute tests safely and efficiently; monitor data in real time, troubleshoot anomalies, and lead post-test data review.
- Support test readiness reviews, post-test inspections, functional testing, anomaly resolution, and configuration tracking.
- Improve in-house thermal test infrastructure, procedures, automation, and data-analysis tools as needed.
Cross-Functional Engineering
- Work closely with mechanical, electrical, systems, integration, manufacturing, and test engineers throughout the hardware-development lifecycle.
- Provide early, practical thermal feedback to design teams to reduce downstream risk and rework.
- Support thermal verification planning and contribute analysis and test evidence to design reviews and flight qualification activities.
- Work with vendors and external test laboratories when specialized facilities or capabilities are required.
- Drive lessons learned from analysis and testing into thermal design practices, test methods, and future spacecraft builds.
Required Qualifications
- BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- Early-career to mid-career experience in thermal engineering, thermal analysis, environmental testing, or a closely related hardware discipline.
- Strong understanding of heat transfer, including conduction, convection, radiation, transient thermal behavior, thermal interfaces, and material properties.
- Experience creating, reviewing, or using thermal models for hardware, components, or integrated systems.
- Experience supporting hands-on hardware testing in a lab, environmental-test, aerospace, or similarly rigorous hardware environment.
- Ability to develop clear engineering documentation, including test procedures, analysis summaries, reports, and presentations.
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and comfort working directly with hardware.
- Ability to independently drive technical work, solve ambiguous problems, and collaborate effectively across disciplines.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with spacecraft thermal-analysis tools such as Thermal Desktop/SINDA, ESATAN, or equivalent.
- Direct experience supporting or leading TVAC, thermal-vacuum, thermal cycling, or thermal-chamber tests.
- Experience with thermocouples, RTDs, heaters, data-acquisition systems, vacuum-compatible hardware, and test instrumentation.
- Experience correlating thermal models with environmental-test data.
- Familiarity with spacecraft environmental-test standards and practices, such as GEVS, MIL-STD-1540, ECSS, or SMC-S-016.
- Experience using Python, MATLAB, or similar tools for test-data reduction, analysis, or automation.
- Experience working in a fast-paced aerospace, space, robotics, research, or high-reliability hardware environment.
- Experience developing, troubleshooting, automating, or modifying thermal or TVAC chamber capabilities.
What Success Looks Like
- Thermal models are credible, well documented, and useful for guiding spacecraft design decisions.
- TVAC, thermal-chamber, and R&D test campaigns are safe, organized, well instrumented, and produce actionable results.
- Test results close key thermal risks, improve model fidelity, and drive practical design improvements.
- Cross-functional teams receive clear, timely thermal guidance throughout design, build, and qualification.
- The engineer grows into ownership of increasingly complex subsystem- and spacecraft-level thermal analysis.
- Thermal analysis and test lessons learned are incorporated into scalable spacecraft design and verification practices.
For U.S. Roles: To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).
For U.K. Roles: To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).
For Canada Roles: Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.
We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
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