Mechanical Thermal Analysis Engineer

We’re ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering company helping clients bring groundbreaking ideas to life—from advancing space exploration and life-saving medical devices to building autonomous electric vehicles. With 3,000+ experts across North America, we partner with leading companies in aerospace, medical devices, robotics, automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, rail, and more.

As part of the global ALTEN Group—57,000+ engineers in 30 countries—we deliver across the entire product development cycle, from consulting to full project outsourcing.

When you join ALTEN Technology USA, you’ll collaborate on some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges, supported by mentorship, career growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. We take pride in fostering a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

The Mechanical Thermal Analysis Engineer applies advanced thermal and mechanical engineering techniques to design, analyze, and validate UAV/UAS platforms operating in demanding terrestrial and high-altitude environments. This role focuses on developing and implementing thermal management solutions for propulsion systems, avionics, and fuselage structures, ensuring reliability under stringent environmental conditions. The engineer will assess technical risks associated with testing high-flying systems, lead detailed thermal analyses, and create predictive models to support safe and efficient system performance.

Position Responsibilities

• Lead or support thermal analysis efforts for UAV/UAS systems, including propulsion heating effects, avionics cooling, fuselage blanketing, and environmental conditioning.

• Develop and run 3D FEA and CFD models using ANSYS Icepak and other CAE tools to predict thermal behavior and guide design trade-offs.

• Perform heat sink design and optimization for propulsion systems, electronic components, and structural elements.

• Assess technical risks for ground and flight testing of high-flying UAVs, including thermal limits, heat rejection, and altitude effects on system performance.

• Support environmental requirements definition and compliance (thermal, vibration, altitude, and humidity conditions).

• Develop and execute thermal test plans, procedures, and instrumentation setups to validate designs in laboratory and field environments.

• Analyze test data, generate reports, and recommend corrective actions or design refinements.

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to integrate thermal management strategies into fuselage design, propulsion systems, and avionics packaging.

• Create and maintain mechanical drawings, documentation, and product structures including BOMs and design trees.

• Support project planning and coordination, including subcontractor management where thermal subsystems or analyses are outsourced.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Minimum 5+ years of relevant technical experience in thermal/mechanical engineering for UAVs, aerospace platforms, or advanced electronic systems.

• Proficiency in thermal modeling and simulation using ANSYS Icepak, ANSYS Mechanical, or equivalent FEA/CFD tools.

• Experience performing 3D FEA/CFD analyses for structural and thermal problems, including propulsion heating, fuselage insulation/blanketing, and avionics cooling.

• Strong knowledge of thermal management tradeoffs and materials properties, including adhesives, coatings, and insulating materials for extreme environments.

• Experience with heat sink design, airflow analysis, and environmental conditioning systems.

• Familiarity with environmental qualification requirements (DO-160, MIL-STD, or equivalent).

• Skilled in test and measurement techniques including thermal instrumentation, heat flux measurement, and environmental chamber testing.

• Proficiency in CAD tools (SolidWorks or equivalent) for mechanical modeling.

• Strong documentation skills, including requirements definition, BOM management, and technical risk assessment reporting.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience applying RTCA DO-160, MIL-STD-810, or MIL-STD-1540 for environmental and thermal qualification of aerospace systems.

• Direct background in UAV/UAS thermal management, including propulsion heat rejection, fuselage insulation/blanketing, and avionics packaging strategies.

• Hands-on experience with thermal vacuum testing, altitude chambers, and propulsion thermal stress testing.

• Knowledge of fuel system thermal behavior and its impact on propulsion efficiency in UAV/UAS systems.

• Experience leading multidisciplinary design reviews with a focus on thermal performance and environmental survivability.

• Familiarity with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) tools such as Cameo for integrating thermal subsystem requirements into overall UAV system design.

• Prior experience working with defense contractors, aerospace primes, or UAV/UAS OEMs on thermal or environmental subsystems.

Salary Range: $140,000-170,000

The actual salary offered is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, location, the candidate’s combination of job-related knowledge, qualifications, skills, education, training, and experience 

MANDATORY FOR ALL REMOTE/HYBRID AND/OR CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, MARYLAND, CONNECTICUT, ILLINOIS, MINNESOTA, VERMONT, MASSACHUSETTS, NEVADA, NEW YORK, RHODE ISLAND, WASHINGTON STATE & CINCINNATI, OHIO, JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, TOLEDO, OHIO BASED ROLES. 

Note: Due to the nature of the work, only US Persons (citizens or permanent residents) need apply for this position.

ALTEN Technology is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our Policy is to extend opportunities to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individual’s age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or veteran status.

Please beware of job seeker scams and see this important notice on our careers page for more information about our recruiting process.

Compliance Notice: Alten USA is a federal contractor subject to the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Executive Order 11246. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Drug Screening Requirement: As a federal contractor, Alten USA maintains a drug-free workplace. All candidates selected for employment will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment drug screening as a condition of hire.