Thermal Engineer
Array Labs
Thermal Engineer
Array Labs
Designs, builds, operates mass-manufacturable radar satellites
Salary Range: 150000 to 250000 (Currency: USD) (Pay period: per-year-salary)
About the Job
As a Thermal Engineer, you will own the thermal design of Array's radar satellites and payloads, from architecture through flight verification. Spaceborne radar is fundamentally a thermal problem: high-power transmit amplifiers operate at high duty cycles in a small-satellite package, with tight temperature stability requirements driven by RF performance. You will own the in-house thermal simulation framework, extending its physics, validating it against test data, and using it to drive design decisions, while building, instrumenting, and testing flight hardware. You will define heat rejection architectures, design radiators and conduction paths, and run thermal vacuum campaigns, working closely with RF, electrical, mechanical, and systems engineers to make sure the hardware survives and performs on orbit.
As part of our fast growing engineering team, you will play a critical role in the design of the world's most advanced radar satellite constellation, built to improve humanity's ability to rapidly and comprehensively understand our changing planet.
Responsibilities
Define spacecraft and payload thermal architecture, including radiator sizing and conduction paths from high-power RF components to space.
Own, extend, and validate Array's in-house Python thermal simulation framework, and use it to drive design decisions.
Support board- and component-level thermal design with electrical and RF engineers, including junction temperature and derating analysis.
Design, build, and test thermal hardware: radiators, interface materials, coatings, MLI, heaters, and sensor instrumentation.
Plan and execute thermal vacuum and thermal balance test campaigns, and correlate models against test and flight telemetry.
Develop thermal requirements, interface control documentation, and verification plans with systems engineering.
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or a related STEM field.
3+ years of industry experience fielding hardware in thermally-constrained products.
Strong coding proficiency, preferably in Python, with experience extending or developing engineering analysis tools rather than only using them.
Hands-on experience building, instrumenting, and testing thermal hardware.
Strong grounding in heat transfer fundamentals.
Excellent teamwork and communication skills.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, iterative design environment.
Preferred Skills & Experience
Master's or Ph.D. in a related discipline.
Experience with satellite thermal design and flight-proven hardware.
Experience developing thermal or multiphysics simulation software: numerical methods, radiation view factors, transient solvers.
Familiarity with software engineering practices: version control, testing, code review.
Experience with thermal management of high-power RF electronics (GaN power amplifiers, phased arrays, high-dissipation boards).
Familiarity with two-phase systems: heat pipes, loop heat pipes, or vapor chambers.
Experience with commercial thermal tools (Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, ANSYS) as a complement to in-house tooling.
Compensation & Benefits
Our hiring and compensation strategy is simple: We offer competitive salaries and meaningful equity. We want everyone here to have real ownership in what we're building.
We reserve the right to modify base pay and other compensation components. More details about our benefits are available to candidates during the hiring process.
Interview Process
We will conduct interviews via Google Meet, with the potential for an onsite visit to our office in Redwood City, CA. The typical interview process takes around 3 to 5 weeks.
Why Join Array
At Array Labs, deep technical expertise meets relentless impact. We prioritize curiosity over hierarchy and bold ideas over incremental gains. Our world-class team across hardware engineering, software, and aerospace works collaboratively to push boundaries.
Join industry-leading experts to build the future of radar and deliver unprecedented insights into the physical world.
ITAR Requirements
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Array Labs is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made on the basis of merit, competence, and job qualifications without regard to gender, color, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender identity, veteran status, disability status, marital status, or any other legally protected status.
If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact us at [email protected].
Designs, builds, operates mass-manufacturable radar satellites
Array Labs designs, builds, and operates mass-manufacturable radar satellites, offering turnkey radar sensors for satellite makers and defense primes, multistatic radar systems, and data products like 10 cm-resolution digital elevation models (Site3D). Its radar instruments use production techniques from consumer electronics and telecommunications to deliver much higher power at a fraction of the cost of legacy systems, while enabling clusters of satellites to form radar networks. Unlike traditional space radars, it focuses on a radar-first platform with scalable clusters and sovereign systems for defense and commercial customers, supported by strategic partnerships such as Mitsubishi Electric. The company aims to provide reliable, high-performance radar sensing at scale to improve mapping, surveillance, and decision-making for defense and industry.
Explore more opportunities at Array Labs