Senior Thermal Engineer (f/m/d)

About the role:

As our Senior Thermal Engineer (f/m/d) , you will contribute to all thermal engineering efforts at Dcubed. As our sole Thermal Engineer, you’ll be acting as the primary point of contact for thermal design, analysis, and testing across products and development projects.

This role involves managing smaller development projects, overseeing thermal analysis and test campaigns, and providing technical expertise in thermal engineering for space systems. From day one, you will take over the thermal modeling in an ongoing satellite project and continue the development with the team. You will maintain a knowledge base, tools, and facilities while driving innovation in thermal design and testing processes. This position requires strong technical expertise, independence and leadership skills. It is also crucial to have the ability to drive strategic thermal engineering initiatives in a disciplined manner.

As a professional you have strong systems engineering and project management skills. You can communicate and coordinate cross-functional efforts, as well as prioritize and show example of structured and efficient way of working. You have disciplined and safe workshop and lab practices, and are good at fostering collaboration.

The role requires excellent English skills (German is a plus), and eligibility to work in Germany.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for thermal analysis and design across products and development projects

• Provide expert guidance on thermal aspects of projects and products, including advising teams and stakeholders on technical matters, documentation, etc.

• Build and maintain thermal models of varying complexity according to the needs and progression of projects, correlate thermal models to test data

• Conduct or oversee thermal analysis campaigns, compile reports on results, and ensure actionable outcomes

• Exchange thermal models and analysis results with customers, partners, and subcontractors, derive reduced-order models if necessary

• Prepare, conduct or support thermal and thermal vacuum test campaigns, document and evaluate test results, and ensure that test campaign objectives are met

• Design and manufacture hardware and ground support equipment for thermal control in-house, write specifications for procuring thermal control hardware, and support the procurement process

• Compile and maintain technical documentation and milestone reports

• Manage smaller development projects requiring in-depth knowledge of space thermal engineering

Candidate background:

• Education: Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field

• Experience: Minimum of 3+ years of relevant professional experience in the space industry

Candidate skills & competences:

• Deep understanding of heat transfer physics and spacecraft thermal design principles

• Experience with relevant industry standards (e.g., ECSS)

• Expertise in orbital thermal analysis tools (ideally Thermal Desktop, alternatively ESATAN-TMS, Radian, or similar) and FEA software (ideally Ansys Mechanical)

• Proficiency in CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks, Onshape, Fusion 360) and data analysis tools (e.g., Python)

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical concepts clearly .

• Pragmatism and the ability to prioritize tasks under tight schedules

• Self-motivated and capable of working independently while fostering collaboration.

• Proven track record of managing thermal engineering projects, including thermal testing and analysis campaigns