Thermal Engineer, Hypersonic Air Vehicles

<div class="content-intro"><p>Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.</p></div><h3>About the Team</h3> <p>The Thermal Engineering team's work is essential to support our rapid innovation cycle and maintain the performance and reliability of advanced defense technologies. Thermal Engineers own the full development life cycle from conceptual design through ground testing and flight test analysis, ensuring high-performance, resilient systems that meet the demands of complex, contested environments.</p> <h3>About the Job</h3> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">We are looking for Thermal Engineers to join our Hypersonic Air Vehicles team in Costa Mesa, CA. In this role, you will support the thermal design and analysis of unmanned air vehicles operating in demanding high-speed flight environments.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">This role is ideal for someone early to mid-career with strong heat transfer and fluid dynamics fundamentals who wants to grow into full ownership of thermal design problems on hypersonic vehicle programs.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal"><strong>What You'll Do</strong></p> <ul> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Support thermal design and analysis of unmanned air vehicles at conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design maturities</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Perform thermal analysis of flight vehicles using CFD, FEA, and engineering methods</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Support material response modeling under combined thermal and mechanical loads</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Conduct transient thermal analysis for time-varying mission profiles</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Support ground test planning, execution, and analysis in specialized thermal test facilities</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Use first principles and MATLAB/Python models to inform design decisions</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Collaborate with aerodynamics, structures, electrical, and systems engineers on integrated solutions</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Present thermal analysis results at internal design reviews</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Prepare formal documentation (specifications, test procedures, technical reports)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Required Qualifications</strong></p> <ul> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">MS or higher degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Applied Physics with focus on heat transfer and fluid dynamics</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">In-depth understanding of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and high-temperature environments</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Coursework, research, or industry experience in thermal analysis for aerospace or high-performance hardware systems</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Experience with thermal analysis using CFD (STAR-CCM+, ANSYS Fluent) and/or FEA thermal solvers through coursework, research, or industry work</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Programming experience in MATLAB, Python, or similar</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Passion for defending the United States and her allies</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Ability to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance</li> </ul> <p><strong>Preferred Qualifications</strong></p> <ul> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">1-5 years of industry experience in aerospace thermal engineering on rocket, aircraft, or missile programs</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Experience with thermal analysis in high-speed flight regimes</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Experience with thermal-structural coupling</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Exposure to ground testing with thermal instrumentation and data acquisition</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Graduate research in aerothermal analysis, high-temperature materials, or thermal protection systems</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Experience with material response modeling in extreme thermal environments</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Knowledge of material degradation and surface phenomena under demanding conditions</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">CAD experience with SolidWorks or Siemens NX</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Experience preparing formal documentation</li> </ul><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="title">US Salary Range</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$129,000</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$171,000 USD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><p><span data-contrast="auto">The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335551550":0,"335551620":0,"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p> <p> </p> <h3 class="detailElios"><strong>Benefits</strong></h3> <p><span data-contrast="auto">At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. </span><em><span data-contrast="auto">For more information, <a href="https://www.anduril.com/careers">Explore Our Benefits</a>.</span></em></p> <p> </p> <div class="RichText column1"> <h3 class="detailElios"><strong>Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams</strong></h3> <p class="detailElios">Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.</p> </div> <div class="RichText column2"> <p class="detailElios">To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:</p> <ul> <li> <p class="detailElios"><strong>No Financial Requests: </strong>Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.</p> </li> <li><strong>Please always verify communications:</strong> <ul> <li>Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will <em>only</em> come from an <code>@anduril.com</code> address.</li> <li>Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to <a href="mailto:contact@anduril.com">contact@anduril.com</a>. </li> </ul> </li> <li> <p class="detailElios"><strong>Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach:</strong> If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.</p> </li> <li> <p class="detailElios"><strong>What to Do If You Suspect Fraud:</strong> Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to <a href="mailto:contact@anduril.com">contact@anduril.com</a>. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.</p> </li> </ul> </div> <h3> </h3> <h3><strong>Data Privacy</strong></h3> <p><span data-contrast="auto">To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit </span><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"><a href="https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/">https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/</a></span></span><span data-contrast="auto">.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335551550":0,"335551620":0,"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335551550":0,"335551620":0,"335559738":240,"335559739":240}">By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.</span></p></div>