Spacecraft Thermal Architect

At ClearSpace, we believe in reusability, in affordability driving disruption, and that no progress is real unless it is sustainable.

Our company was founded in 2018 out of the realization that in-orbit servicing and space debris removal are vital services for the future of space exploration and operations. Today ClearSpace has assembled an expert engineering team and is leading the way toward sustainable space operations. From a garage in Switzerland, we now operate across UK and Europe, and are working with world-leading institutions and companies to bring our dream of a sustainable space ecosystem to life.

We are looking for a Spacecraft Thermal Architect to join our team !

The Role

The successful candidate will be a key member of the Mechanical, Thermal and Propulsion (MTP) team and will act as the technical authority for the spacecraft thermal design. The Thermal Architect will own the spacecraft thermal architecture, define thermal control strategies and drive thermal design decisions across all mission phases.

There is also an opportunity for the right candidate to act as the lead coordinator for the Mechanical, Thermal, and Propulsion domains on the mission, ensuring coherent spacecraft design solutions.

Key responsibilities

• Own the spacecraft thermal architecture throughout the mission lifecycle.
• Define and justify the overall thermal control strategy for the spacecraft and payloads.
• Lead thermal design trade-offs involving passive and active thermal control solutions.
• Define thermal requirements and allocation to subsystems and equipment.
• Develop and maintain spacecraft thermal budgets and thermal design margins.
• Lead spacecraft thermal modelling activities and ensure model correlation throughout development.
• Define thermal hardware architecture including MLI, coatings, heaters, radiators, heat pipes, thermal straps and temperature sensing systems.
• Coordinate thermal analyses for all mission phases.
• Work closely with mechanical, propulsion, avionics and systems engineers to ensure coherent spacecraft design solutions.
• Define thermal verification strategies and support qualification and acceptance testing activities.
• Support design reviews by providing thermal design rationale and demonstrating compliance with mission requirements.
• Assess thermal impacts of configuration changes, non-conformances and anomalies.
• Act as the primary technical point of contact for thermal architecture matters with customers, suppliers and partners.
• Mentor thermal engineers and contribute to development of thermal engineering standards and best practices.

Must Have

• 10+ years of experience in spacecraft thermal engineering.
• Proven experience as lead thermal engineer, principal thermal engineer or thermal architect on spacecraft developments.
• Strong expertise in spacecraft thermal control systems and thermal analysis methodologies.
• Extensive experience with spacecraft thermal mathematical models and correlation activities.
• Proficiency in thermal analysis software and CAD tools, especially ESATAN-TMS.
• Deep knowledge of passive and active thermal control technologies.
• Experience defining thermal requirements, budgets and system-level thermal trades.
• Experience supporting thermal vacuum testing and environmental verification campaigns.
• Familiarity with ECSS thermal engineering standards.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to lead technical discussions and defend architectural decisions.

Nice to have

• MSc or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Thermal Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics or similar.
• Experience across LEO, MEO and GEO missions.
• Familiarity with launch vehicle thermal environments.
• Leadership and mentoring experience.
• Experience working directly with ESA or other institutional customers.

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