Principal Missile Thermal Engineer; AHT

Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people’s lives around the world today and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in the nation’s history—from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean to stealth bombers to landing on the moon.

We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work—and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they are making history.

Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking Principal Missile Thermal Engineer T3 located in Woodland Hills
, which is part of the Northridge Business Unit in Advanced Weapon Systems. We are a leading defense contractor specializing in advanced missile systems and aerospace technologies. Our mission‑critical programs demand innovative thermal solutions that ensure reliability, performance, and safety under extreme conditions. Join a high‑impact team that delivers cutting‑edge capabilities to our nation’s warfighters.

This position requires full‑time, on‑site in Woodland Hills, CA
. No remote or telework arrangement is available for this position. Applicants must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance.

The Missile Thermal Engineer 3 is responsible for the thermal design, analysis, testing, and validation of missile subsystems throughout the product life‑cycle. The role works within a multidisciplinary team to ensure that all thermal solutions meet stringent performance, reliability, and safety requirements under extreme operating environments. Due to workload cycles, the position supports other teams including structural, mass property, dynamic, M&P, and possibly system or design.

• Interpret customer statements of work and technical specifications to extract and define the boundary conditions for all thermal analyses.
• Develop comprehensive system‑level thermal models of complete assemblies, as well as detailed sub‑assembly and part‑level models.
• Build high‑fidelity thermal models of circuit‑card assemblies that extend down to individual component junctions.
• Conduct both steady‑state and transient thermal simulations to predict temperature fields, heat‑flow paths, and required heat‑sinking solutions.
• Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to ensure design concepts are manufacturable and meet program objectives.
• Prepare and support Technical Reviews, including Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR).
• Execute hand‑calculation checks to validate and cross‑verify computational thermal models.
• Design and specify thermal environmental test plans that confirm model predictions and certify hardware performance.
• Compile, document, and present analysis results, recommendations, and risk assessments to internal peers and external customers.
• Serve as the technical liaison with suppliers and customers, providing clarification, data exchange, and support as required.

• BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Thermal Sciences, or a closely related field with 7 years of thermal‑engineering experience on aerospace or defense missile programs (design, analysis, or testing) or an MS degree with 5 years of experience in the same.
• Proficiency with thermal‑analysis software such as FEMAP or SINDA, or equivalent tools.
• Strong grasp of heat‑transfer fundamentals: conduction, convection, radiation, and phase‑change processes.
• Hands‑on experience with thermal‑vacuum chambers, hot‑fire rigs, high‑temperature ovens, and temperature‑measurement instrumentation (thermocouples, RTDs, IR cameras).
• Familiarity with MIL‑STD‑810, MIL‑STD‑461, and other defense‑related thermal‑safety standards; ability to prepare compliance documentation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;…