Thermal Engineer - Aerospace Systems
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 25, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 20, 2026. Analytical Mechanics Associates scores A on the Alion truth index.
Job Description:
The qualified candidates will be responsible for supporting NASA research involving aerothermodynamics, materials and structures, and propulsion systems analysis. Responsibilities will extend to supporting efforts of other government agencies or their partners on national and international programs. As part of this work, the candidate will interface with NASA affiliates at other Government agencies, national or international organizations, and with Integrated Product Teams comprised of participants from NASA, other government entities, academia, and industry.
Responsibilities:
- Perform external flow analyses for determining aerothermodynamic loads on spacecraft, re-entry vehicles, high-speed aircraft, wind tunnel models, and other research platforms.
- Perform heat transfer analysis for propulsion systems, payloads, fluid transport, and actively cooled systems.
- Apply analysis results to the design of leading edges, thermal protection systems, heat mitigation strategies, and materials selection.
- Predict thermal instrumentation responses (thermocouples, heat flux sensors, and radiometers), integrate experimental results with models to characterize thermal environments.
- Identify, develop, and design, advanced high-temperature thermal protection materials, with use of additive manufacturing techniques.
- Generate assembly/integration and test procedures
- Prepare and present technical reports, engineering analyses, and project briefings to management and stakeholders.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace or Materials Engineering, Thermal Sciences, Physics, or a relevant technical discipline.
- Demonstrated use of Pointwise, GridPro, HeldenMesh and Tecplot
- Strong understanding of thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and thermal control principle
- Experience conducting thermal and power balance of propulsion systems, including heat exchanger design, propellant feed and pressurization systems, and thermal analysis
- Experience performing ground tests including those in conventional supersonic/hypersonic aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic wind tunnels, true-enthalpy propulsion blow-down and pulse-type test facilities.
- Experience with Python programming or similar.
- Familiarity with the Microsoft Office suite of tools
- US citizenship is required; US Persons permissible for some positions.
Desired Experience:
- Experience in performing Structural, Thermal and Optical Performance (STOP) analysis Proficiency with thermal analysis and modeling tools such as Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, ANSYS, MATLAB, or equivalent software.
- Experience with thermal vacuum testing, environmental testing, and model correlation activities.
- Knowledge of spacecraft thermal control systems, aircraft thermal systems, advanced materials, or hypersonic vehicle thermal environments.
- Experience in material characterization using Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), Thermomechanical Analysis (TMA), Laser Flash (LFA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
Analytical Mechanics Associates (AMA) is proud of our customer relationships, our diverse and dynamic work environment, and our employees' career satisfaction. AMA is a small business with a wide reach; headquartered in Hampton, VA, AMA has operations in Greenbelt, MD; Huntsville, AL; Dallas and Houston, TX; Denver, CO; Mountain View, CA; and Edwards Air Force Base, CA.
With over 60 years of experience, AMA specializes in aerospace engineering, science, analytics, information technology, and visualization solutions. AMA combines the best of engineering, science, and mathematics capabilities with the latest in information technologies, visualization, and multimedia to build creative solutions. We offer competitive salaries and a substantial benefits package, including but not limited to paid personal and federally recognized holiday leave, salary deferrals into a 401(k)-matching plan with immediate vesting, tuition reimbursement, short/long term disability plans, and a variety of medical, dental, and vision insurance options.
AMA is committed to the professional growth of every employee, understanding that the successes of our employees drive our success. We provide a work environment that is engaging, collaborative, and supportive. To learn more about our company, please visit our website at www.ama-inc.com/careers and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
AMA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment or employee because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited under federal, state, or local laws.
Analytical Mechanics Associates (AMA) is proud of our customer relationships, our diverse and dynamic work environment, and our employees' career satisfaction. AMA is a small business with a wide reach; headquartered in Hampton, VA, AMA has operations in Greenbelt, MD; Huntsville, AL; Dallas and Houston, TX; Denver, CO; Mountain View, CA; and Edwards Air Force Base, CA. With over 60 years of experience, AMA specializes in aerospace engineering, science, analytics, information technology, and visualization solutions. AMA combines the best of engineering, science, and mathematics capabilities with the latest in information technologies, visualization, and multimedia to build creative solutions. We offer competitive salaries and a substantial benefits package, including but not limited to paid personal and federally recognized holiday leave, salary deferrals into a 401(k)-matching plan with immediate vesting, tuition reimbursement, short/long term disability plans, and a variety of medical, dental, and vision insurance options.
AMA is committed to the professional growth of every employee, understanding that the successes of our employees drive our success. We provide a work environment that is engaging, collaborative, and supportive. To learn more about our company, please visit our website at www.ama-inc.com/careers and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
AMA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment or employee because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited under federal, state, or local laws.