Shield AI
Principal Thermal Engineer - Aircraft Avionics & Thermal Systems (R3930)
$250K–$350K
Seattle, Washington +1 · On-site · Principal · Full-time · Posted Oct 13, 2026
- Location
- Seattle, Washington
San Diego, California - Experience
- Minimum 12 years of professional experience in avionics or electronics thermal engineering.
- Education
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline; M.S. or Ph.D. preferred.
- Visa sponsorship
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance is desired.
About the job
Leads the thermal architecture, analysis, design, integration, and validation of aircraft avionics and aircraft-level thermal and fluid systems for unmanned aircraft.
What you'll do
- Own thermal architecture and lead analysis and design across programs, including trade studies and technical decisions.
- Develop and validate heat-transfer and fluid-flow models; guide test planning and correlate models with experimental results.
- Set technical direction, resolve system-level risks and interfaces, mentor engineers, and communicate findings to executives and customers.
What they ask for
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
- At least 12 years of professional experience in avionics or electronics thermal engineering, including technical leadership of complex multidisciplinary systems.
- Expertise in heat transfer, fluid mechanics, active and passive cooling, and thermal-management components and integration.
- Proficiency with thermal analysis/CFD tools and CAD design tools; experience delivering thermal solutions from concept through integration, verification, and validation.
Nice to have
- M.S. or Ph.D. in a relevant engineering discipline.
- Experience in high-altitude aircraft avionics cooling or aircraft thermal architecture and integration.
Pay
USD 250,000–350,000 per-year-salary; base salary
Tools
FloEFD, ANSYS Icepak, STAR-CCM+, NX, SolidWorks
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative