Senior Thermal Engineer

Senior Thermal Engineer | Lockheed Martin

Space is a critical domain, connecting our technologies, our security and our humanity. While others view space as a destination, we see it as a realm of possibilities, where we can do more — we can innovate, invest, inspire and integrate our capabilities to transform the future. At Lockheed Martin Space, we aim to harness the full potential of space to cultivate innovation, reduce costs, and push the boundaries of what technology can achieve.

We're creating future-ready solutions, focusing on resiliency and urgency through our 21st Century Security® vision. We're erasing boundaries and forming partnerships across industries and around the world. We're advancing spacecraft and the workforce to fuel the next generation. And we're reimagining how space can connect us, ensuring security and prosperity. Join us in shaping a new era in space and find a career that's built for you.

The Senior Thermal Engineer will execute thermal-analysis activities for aerospace and defense systems under the guidance of senior thermal leads. This role focuses on developing thermal models, performing steady-state and transient heat-transfer analyses, supporting design decisions for propulsion subsystem, and cooling solutions. In this role your responsibilities will include:

• Thermal Modeling & Analysis
• Build and validate 2‑D/3‑D thermal FEM models using ANSYS Thermal Desktop
• Conduct steady-state, transient, conductive, convective, and radiative heat-transfer studies.
• Generate temperature, heat-flux, and thermal-gradient plots; calculate margins of safety.
• Design Integration
• Work with system and subsystem engineers to incorporate thermal constraints early in the design cycle.
• Provide thermal sizing recommendations for subsystem.
• Verification and Validation
• Assist in defining test-article requirements, instrumentation layout, and test-procedure development for thermal ground-test and flight-test campaigns.
• Compare test data to predictions, update models, and document correlation results.
• Documentation
• Produce clear analysis reports, design briefs, and risk-mitigation documents following LM standards.
• Maintain configuration-controlled CAE files and analysis templates.
• Collaboration & Mentoring
• Participate in multidisciplinary design reviews (DDRs, CDRs) and present findings to senior engineers and program managers.
• Provide technical guidance to junior analysts when needed.
• Continuous Improvement
• Stay current with emerging thermal-analysis methods, software releases, and industry standards.
• Contribute to internal best-practice repositories and knowledge-share sessions.

Desired skills:

• Master's degree in a thermal-focused discipline.
• Experience with spacecraft, missile, or hypersonic vehicle thermal environments.
• Knowledge of model-based systems engineering (MBSE) tools (SysML, Cameo).
• Prior involvement in design-to-production or Agile development cycles.

By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in this position and could be considered for other career opportunities where similar skills and requirements have been identified as a match. Should this match be identified you may be contacted for this and future openings.

This position requires a government security clearance, you must be a US Citizen for consideration.

Lockheed Martin supports a variety of alternate work schedules that provide additional flexibility to our employees. Schedules range from standard 40 hours over a five day work week while others may be condensed. These condensed schedules provide employees with additional time away from the office and are in addition to our Paid Time off benefits.

At Lockheed Martin, we use our passion for purposeful innovation to help keep people safe and solve the world's most complex challenges. Our people are some of the greatest minds in the industry and truly make Lockheed Martin a great place to work. With our employees as our priority, we provide diverse career opportunities designed to propel, develop, and boost agility.

Our flexible schedules, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits enable our employees to live a healthy, fulfilling life at and outside of work. We place an emphasis on…