Thermal Test Engineer Huntington , California,

Huntington Beach, California, United States

Founded in 2023, Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology company focused on developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms. At the core of our mission is the commitment to delivering scalable, decentralized defense systems that enhance the strategic capabilities of the United States and its allies. With a workforce of approximately 350 employees, we operate with startup agility and ambition.

Our vision is to redefine the future of warfare through cutting-edge manufacturing, innovation at speed, and unwavering focus on national security. We are dedicated to solving the next generation of warfare with lethal systems that deter kinetic conflict and protect global security.

Mach Industries is seeking a Thermal Test Engineer to support the development, qualification, and production of aerospace and defense systems. This role will be responsible for planning, developing, executing, and analyzing thermal and environmental tests on components, subsystems, and integrated systems.

The Thermal Test Engineer will work closely with Mechanical, Thermal, Systems, Electrical, Manufacturing, Quality, and Program teams to ensure products meet defined thermal performance, reliability, and environmental requirements.

• Develop and execute thermal and environmental test plans for aerospace and defense hardware, including components, subsystems, and system-level assemblies.
• Develop detailed test procedures, test requirements, instrumentation plans, test configurations, and test readiness documentation.
• Plan and execute thermal cycling, thermal vacuum (TVAC), thermal soak, temperature/humidity, high/low temperature, and other environmental tests as applicable to program requirements.
• Support qualification, acceptance, development, and verification testing throughout the product lifecycle.
• Configure and operate environmental test chambers, thermal vacuum chambers, thermal cycling equipment, and associated test systems.
• Select, install, calibrate, and verify test instrumentation including thermocouples, RTDs, pressure sensors, heat flux sensors, and other data acquisition instrumentation.
• Monitor test execution and ensure test conditions remain within approved limits and procedures.
• Collect, process, reduce, and analyze thermal test data to evaluate product performance against requirements.
• Identify and troubleshoot test anomalies, instrumentation issues, chamber/equipment problems, and hardware performance issues.
• Support root-cause investigations for thermal test failures and unexpected test results.
• Support thermal model validation and correlation using test data.
• Generate comprehensive test reports documenting test configuration, procedures, results, anomalies, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Participate in engineering reviews including test readiness reviews, preliminary/design reviews, test result reviews, and failure review boards.
• Support development and continuous improvement of thermal test methods, processes, fixtures, instrumentation, and laboratory capabilities.
• Develop and maintain test equipment, procedures, work instructions, and standard operating procedures.
• Coordinate with internal teams, suppliers, external test facilities, and customers as required.
• Ensure testing is performed in accordance with applicable aerospace, military, customer, quality, safety, and environmental requirements.
• Support test equipment calibration, maintenance, troubleshooting, and laboratory safety activities.
• Maintain accurate test records, configuration documentation, test logs, and engineering data.
• Support multiple concurrent test programs and communicate test status, risks, and issues to program stakeholders.
• Travel to external test facilities or customer sites as required.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, or a related engineering discipline.
• 2+ years of experience in thermal testing, environmental testing, test engineering, or a related aerospace/defense engineering discipline.
• Hands-on experience developing and executing engineering test procedures.
• Experience with thermal chambers and/or thermal vacuum (TVAC) chambers.
• Experience with thermal cycling, thermal soak, temperature testing, or other environmental qualification testing.
• Experience with test instrumentation such as thermocouples, RTDs, pressure transducers, temperature sensors, and data…