Staff Engineer, Thermal Engineering (R6172)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems.

As a Staff Thermal Engineer at Shield AI, you will be the technical authority for aircraft avionics thermal management and electronics cooling. You will define thermal architecture, set analysis and test standards, and carry avionics thermal solutions from concept through qualification and production.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as technical owner and authority for avionics thermal management across V-BAT, from concept through design, analysis, qualification, and production.
• Define avionics thermal architecture, derive thermal requirements, and establish thermal environments and interface requirements for avionics bays, enclosures, and components.
• Develop, review, and approve analytical, numerical, and computational heat transfer and fluid flow models using hand calculations and CFD tools such as FloEFD.
• Lead trade studies, system architecture decisions, and risk assessments.
• Define qualification and verification strategy.
• Influence electrical and PCBA design direction early, including component placement, power dissipation budgets, and thermal design rules.
• Author thermal specifications and statements of work.
• Lead thermal content at design reviews and produce clear, traceable technical reports and analysis records.
• Mentor and develop junior and senior engineers.

Required qualifications:

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 8 years of professional experience in avionics or electronics thermal engineering, including technical ownership of thermal solutions carried through qualification and into production.
• Expert knowledge of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and fluid mechanics.
• Proven experience defining and integrating active and passive cooling solutions at component, subsystem, and system level.
• Advanced proficiency with thermal analysis and CFD tools.
• Experience with CAD design tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or similar.
• Demonstrated experience planning and executing thermal qualification and verification testing.
• Track record of technical leadership.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred qualifications:

• M.S. in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Experience with high-altitude aircraft avionics cooling and thermal design.
• Experience with aerospace environmental and airworthiness requirements.
• In-depth knowledge of aircraft integration constraints.
• Knowledge of materials and manufacturing methods relevant to thermal management.
• Experience with transient and duty-cycle thermal analysis.
• Experience with supplier development and technical oversight of thermal hardware suppliers.

Additional Information:

• Salary: USD 140,000-210,000 per-year-salary
• Benefits: Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity