Thermal Engineer Level 3 /4 (AHT)

Description

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Thermal Structural Engineer level 3 or 4 located in Woodland Hills, Ca, which is part of our Advanced Weapon Systems business unit in Northridge. We are a leading defense contractor specializing in advanced missile systems and aerospace technologies. Our mission‑critical programs demand innovative thermal solutions that ensure reliability, performance, and safety under extreme conditions. Join a high‑impact team that delivers cutting‑edge capabilities to our nation’s warfighters.

This position is required to be full-time, on-site in Woodland Hills, CA. No remote/telework arrangement is available for this position.  Applicants must have ability to obtain and maintain a US Government DoD Secret security clearance.

The Thermal Structural Engineer is responsible for the thermal design, analysis, testing, and validation of missile subsystems throughout the product life‑cycle.

The ideal candidate will possess a comprehensive understanding of thermal‑engineering principles, theories, and concepts, and will be familiar with related engineering disciplines.

Key Thermal Structural Responsibilities:

• Interpret customer statements of work and technical specifications to extract and define the boundary conditions for all thermal analyses.
• Develop comprehensive system‑level thermal models of complete assemblies, as well as detailed sub‑assembly and part‑level models.
• Build high‑fidelity thermal models of circuit‑card assemblies that extend down to individual component junctions.
• Conduct both steady‑state and transient thermal simulations to predict temperature fields, heat‑flow paths, and required heat‑sinking solutions.
• Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to ensure design concepts are manufacturable and meet program objectives.
• Prepare and support Technical Reviews, including Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR).
• Execute hand‑calculation checks to validate and cross‑verify computational thermal models.
• Design and specify thermal environmental test plans that confirm model predictions and certify hardware performance.
• Compile, document, and present analysis results, recommendations, and risk assessments to internal peers and external customers.
• Serve as the technical liaison with suppliers and customers, providing clarification, data exchange, and support as required.
• Mentoring the team

This position may require occasional responsibilities associated with Structural Engineering and Mass Property functional analysis, timeline analysis, detailed trade studies, and mass property requirements. Additional duties could be to translate customer, product, or derived mass property requirements into hardware and software specification requirements. Analyze, research, and tests system hardware and conditions for optimal mass property system solutions. Tools utilized may include solid modeling tools, database tools and standard office applications.

Basic Qualifications Principal Thermal Structural Engineer 3:

• BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Thermal Sciences, or a closely related field with 5 years of thermal engineering experience on aerospace or defense missile programs (design, analysis, or testing) or MS degree with 3 years of experience in the same.
• Proficiency with thermal‑analysis software such as FLUENT, FEMAP or SINDA, or equivalent tools.
• Hands‑on experience with thermal‑vacuum chambers, hot‑fire rigs, high‑temperature ovens, and temperature‑measurement instrumentation (thermocouples, RTDs, IR cameras).
• Familiarity with MIL‑STD‑810, MIL‑STD‑461, and other defense‑related thermal‑safety standards; ability to prepare compliance documentation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to clearly convey complex thermal concepts to multidisciplinary audiences.
• Strong grasp of heat‑transfer fundamentals: conduction, convection, radiation, and phase‑change processes.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government DoD Secret security clearance

Basic Qualifications Sr Principal Thermal Structural Engineer 4:

• BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Thermal Sciences, or a closely related field with 8 years of thermal engineering experience on aerospace or defense missile programs (design, analysis, or testing) or MS degree with 6 years of experience in the same.
• Proficiency with thermal‑analysis software such as FLUENT, FEMAP or SINDA, or equivalent tools.
• Hands‑on experience with thermal‑vacuum chambers, hot‑fire rigs, high‑temperature ovens, and temperature‑measurement instrumentation (thermocouples, RTDs, IR cameras).
• Familiarity with MIL‑STD‑810, MIL‑STD‑461, and other defense‑related thermal‑safety standards; ability to prepare compliance documentation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to clearly convey complex thermal concepts to multidisciplinary audiences.
• Strong grasp of heat‑transfer fundamentals: conduction, convection, radiation, and phase‑change processes.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government DoD Secret security clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

• Current US Government DoD Secret Security Clearance
• SINDA skill plus
• Knowledge of MINIVER or other aero heating codes a plus
• Missile Weight and Balance Certification
• Automated Weight and Balance System (AWBS) experience
• Experience with mass property and weight and balance analysis.

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