Job Title

SENIOR THERMAL ENGINEER

Location

Huntsville, AL 35806 US (Primary)

Category

Engineering

Job Type

Full-Time

Career Level

Experienced (Non-Manager)

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Security Clearance Required

Secret

Job Description

Ignite is currently seeking a driven, detail-oriented Senior Thermal Engineer to join our team supporting the NGI Program in Huntsville, AL. As a member of the thermal engineering team, you will support high-fidelity thermal analyses across missile components, subsystems, and fully integrated systems - including ground support equipment - throughout the entire lifecycle.

Job Requirements

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: • Owning end-to-end thermal modeling strategy using tools such as NX, Simcenter, SINDA/Fluent, and Thermal Desktop • Developing preliminary hand calculations and reduced-order models to inform early design trades before advancing to detailed simulations • Accounting for all relevant heating environments - conduction, convection, radiation (solar, Earth IR, albedo), aerodynamic heating, free molecular heating, and transient mission effects • Translating program requirements into actionable thermal design criteria and verification strategies • Driving thermal support for Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) and environmental testing, including instrumentation strategy and data correlation • Partnering across structures, materials, propulsion, manufacturing, and quality to develop producible, cost-effective thermal solutions • Coordinating TPS design, material selection, and component-level thermal integration This is a highly collaborative, fast-paced environment where your technical judgment and leadership will directly influence system-level performance.

Job Requirements and Qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline
• 3+ years of experience in thermal/thermofluids analysis (thermophysics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, etc.)
• Experience using industry-standard thermal analysis tools such as NX/Simcenter, Thermal Desktop, SINDA, ANSYS
• Strong mathematical, analytical, and problem-solving skills grounded in mechanical engineering fundamentals
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance, thus US Citizenship is required

Desired Skills: • Experience modeling complex missile or aerospace thermal environments in Finite Element Analysis (FEA) across full mission profiles • Expertise in integrating transient and steady-state data from cross-functional teams into high-fidelity models • Experience coordinating with test teams to define instrumentation plans, conditioning approaches, and correlation strategies • Proficiency performing 1D models and first-principles calculations (bulk temperatures, backside temperatures, ablation, erosion, etc.) • Experience influencing material selection and TPS design from a thermal performance perspective • Strong executive-level communication skills with the ability to translate complex analysis into clear, actionable insights for both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Security Clearance Requirements:

ACTIVE SECRET

Education Requirements:

Bachelor's Degree in a STEM Discipline