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. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Job Description:

Are you a passionate and innovative thermal engineer looking to help develop state of the art AI and aircraft products? Are you eager to make a positive difference in the world? Do you want to work alongside mission driven and values focused teammates?  Shield AI is just the place for you!

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.

This role is best suited for an engineer who solves problems from first principles, turns ambiguous, open-ended challenges into clear technical plans, and influences design decisions across mechanical, electrical, PCBA, and systems teams. You will mentor other engineers and raise the thermal capability of the organization.

What you'll do:

• 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. Set modeling standards, assumptions, and margin policies for the team.
• Lead trade studies, system architecture decisions, and risk assessments. Balance thermal performance against power, weight, volume, cost, maintainability, and schedule.
• Define qualification and verification strategy. Lead test planning, instrumentation, and data analysis, and correlate models with test data. Support environmental qualification to standards such as MIL-STD-810 and RTCA DO-160.
• Influence electrical and PCBA design direction early, including component placement, power dissipation budgets, and thermal design rules.
• Author thermal specifications and statements of work. Evaluate suppliers and provide technical direction to them for thermal hardware such as heat sinks, cold plates, heat pipes, vapor chambers, and fans.
• Lead thermal content at design reviews and produce clear, traceable technical reports and analysis records.
• Mentor and develop junior and senior engineers. Review their analyses and test plans and guide cross-disciplinary teams in applying thermal and fluid fundamentals.
• Identify program-level thermal risks early, propose mitigations, and drive them to closure.

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, with the ability to validate complex models using first-principles calculations.
• Proven experience defining and integrating active and passive cooling solutions at component, subsystem, and system level.
• In-depth knowledge of thermal management design elements, including TIMs, spreaders, heat sinks, cold plates, vapor chambers, heat pipes, and fans, and how they are selected, qualified, and manufactured.
• Advanced proficiency with thermal analysis and CFD tools (e.g., ANSYS Icepak, FloEFD, STAR-CCM+), including setting up, reviewing, and correlating models against test data.
• Experience with CAD design tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or similar, and with PLM-controlled design release.
• Demonstrated experience planning and executing thermal qualification and verification testing, including instrumentation and data acquisition.
• Track record of technical leadership: leading trade studies, presenting at design reviews, and influencing cross-functional design decisions.
• Experience mentoring engineers and reviewing their technical work.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical findings clearly to engineering teams, program leadership, and customers.
• Proven ability to self-direct, prioritize without oversight, and deliver in a fast-paced, startup environment.

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, including MIL-STD-810, MIL-HDBK-310, RTCA DO-160, and MIL-HDBK-516.
• In-depth knowledge of aircraft integration constraints (power, weight, volume, maintainability, safety).
• Knowledge of materials and manufacturing methods relevant to thermal management, including machined, cast, additively manufactured, and bonded thermal hardware.
• Experience with transient and duty-cycle thermal analysis, and with system-level thermal budgets across multiple avionics units.
• Experience with supplier development and technical oversight of thermal hardware suppliers.

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Full-time regular employee offer package:

Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.