Lead, Mechanical Engineer; Thermal; Space Optics

L3

Harris is dedicated to recruiting and developing high‑performing talent who are passionate about what they do. Our employees are unified in a shared dedication to our customers’ mission and quest for professional growth. L3

Harris provides an inclusive, engaging environment designed to empower employees and promote work‑life success. Fundamental to our culture is an unwavering focus on values, dedication to our communities, and commitment to excellence in everything we do.

L3

Harris is the Trusted Disruptor in defense tech. With customers’ mission‑critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end‑to‑end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security.

L3

Harris is dedicated to recruiting and developing high‑performing talent who are passionate about what they do. Our employees are unified in a shared dedication to our customers’ mission and quest for professional growth. L3

Harris provides an inclusive, engaging environment designed to empower employees and promote work‑life success. Fundamental to our culture is an unwavering focus on values, dedication to our communities, and commitment to excellence in everything we do.

Job Title:
Lead, Mechanical Engineer (Thermal) – Space Optics

Job Code: 44597

Job Location:
On‑site in Palm Bay, FL or Fort Wayne, IN

Job Schedule: 9/80 (Every other Friday off!)

Relocation:
Relocation assistance is available to qualified applicants

L3

Harris is seeking an experienced and highly accomplished Lead
Thermal Engineer to lead spacecraft‑level thermal design, modeling, and analysis activities for advanced space based electro‑optical missions. This role is responsible for architecting and validating thermal solutions that ensure mission success across multiple orbital environments. The ideal candidate is a recognized technical expert capable of driving complex spacecraft thermal strategy, mentoring engineers, and collaborating across multidisciplinary teams.

• Serve as the technical lead for spacecraft‑level thermal design, defining architecture, strategies, and requirements for high‑reliability space vehicles.
• Develop detailed thermal models and analyses for all mission phases, including worst‑case hot/cold environments, eclipse conditions, orbital variations, and mission‑specific scenarios.
• Lead creation and validation of thermal control hardware—including radiators, coatings, heat pipes, surface finishes, insulation, heaters, and conductive interfaces.
• Own thermal performance budgets and flow‑down of requirements to payloads, avionics, structures, and propulsion subsystems.
• Evaluate thermal impacts of system trades, configuration changes, power profiles, and operational timelines.
• Direct development of thermal math models using industry‑standard tools such as Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, ESATAN‑TMS, or equivalent.
• Provide leadership during spacecraft hardware build, integration, and test—including thermal vacuum (TVAC) planning, execution, anomaly resolution, and correlation of test results to analysis.
• Guide environmental considerations for space platforms including radiation, conduction, convection‑free behavior, material properties, surface degradation, and mission life effects.
• Act as a cross‑functional leader, collaborating closely with systems engineering, mechanical design, power, RF, digital hardware, manufacturing, and mission assurance teams.
• Mentor junior and mid‑level engineers, establishing best practices and driving continuous improvement in thermal engineering processes.
• Prepare high‑quality documentation including thermal requirements, analysis reports, review packages, test plans, and verification matrices.
• Ability to obtain a US security clearance