39.0000° N, 98.0000° W

Impulse Space

Thermal Engineer

Redondo Beach$95,000 - $115,000 / yearPosted Sep 9, 2026
Disciplineengineering
Workplace typeon-site
EmploymentFull Time

As a Thermal Engineer at Impulse, you will be responsible for thermal management of spacecraft from concept, analysis, and design, to implementation, testing, and flight while working closely with a fast-paced, agile team that strives to make a high-performance spacecraft from a clean sheet design.

Responsibilities

* Develop and maintain thermal models of spacecraft, systems, and components

* Determine appropriate physical properties, environments, and boundary conditions

* Select and design of thermal management hardware

* Oversee and define thermal cycle and vacuum testing of components and spacecraft

* Analyze test data to correlate models and improve model fidelity

* Collaborate with design engineers to implement effective thermal management strategies

* Communicate with suppliers to determine properties and specify requirements of materials

* Thoroughly document analyses and designs including instructions for implementation

Minimum Qualifications

* Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering

* 1+ years' of demonstrated experience in developing and maintaining thermal models of spacecraft, systems, components, etc.

* 1+ years' of demonstrated experience in selection/design and implementation of thermal management hardware such as heat pipes, radiators, heaters, thermal paint, tape and MLI

* Ability to perform thermal testing, flight/ground testing and data analysis

* In order to be successful in this role, you should be someone who is uniquely creative, self-driven, and is able to lead his or her projects to completion

Preferred Skills and Experience

* Graduate work in numerical methods or heat transfer

* Creative solutions to complex problems

* Experience with successful thermal management strategies

* Experience with cryogenic fluids and fluid analysis software such as Starccm+

* Experience with Siemens Simcenter / Ansys Thermal and Thermal Desktop

* Prior experience with spacecraft design

* Experience working on a launch vehicle or satellite development effort

* Experience in a startup or agile development environment

Additional Information:

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Compensation (from employer):

$95,000 - $115,000 / year

Skills and experience

thermal modelsthermal management hardwarethermal testingdata analysisthermal properties