Thermal Engineer I

About the Role

Shield AI is seeking a passionate and innovative Thermal Engineer to help develop state-of-the-art aircraft. You will lead the design, analysis, and integration of aircraft avionics thermal management systems. We are designing a high voltage, high power system using custom power electronics and energy storage. This role is best suited for an engineer who thrives on first-principles problem solving, is comfortable with design challenges, and values extreme ownership. The engineer will be a key contributor in ensuring robust thermal solutions that meet mission-critical aerospace requirements.

What You'll Do

• Own thermal analysis and design efforts for unmanned aerial vehicle avionics including custom power electronics.
• Develop and validate analytical, numerical, and computational models for heat transfer and fluid flow using hand calculations and CFD tools such as FloEFD.
• Provide input to trade studies, system architecture decisions, and risk assessments.
• Assist cross-functional teams designing power electronic circuits and environmental enclosures.
• Contribute to design requirements that impact circuit part selection, board layout, material selection, and other design aspects.
• Drive test planning, instrumentation, and data analysis to correlate models with experimental results.
• Communicate technical findings clearly through executive-level briefings, design reviews, and written reports.
• Proactively identify risks, propose solutions, and influence electrical and/or PCBA design direction.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.
• Internship or engineering club experience in avionics or electronics thermal engineering.
• Knowledge of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and fluid mechanics.
• Familiarity with thermal analysis and CFD tools (e.g., ANSYS Icepak, FloEFD, STAR-CCM+).
• Experience with CAD design tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or similar.
• Demonstrated experience applying first-principles reasoning to engineering problems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of leading technical discussions and presenting to stakeholders.
• Proven ability to learn and adapt quickly to new tools, processes, and technical challenges in a fast-paced, startup environment.
• Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.