{"id":798055,"url":"https://alion.io/job/eonsystems-thermal-engineer-payload-optical-terminal","title":"Thermal Engineer - Payload & Optical Terminal","company":{"id":720034,"name":"EON","domain":"eon.systems","url":"https://alion.io/company/eon-5","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":7,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-11-04T06:34:25Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Culver City, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":69000,"max_usd":162000,"period":"year","method":"role_country_seniority_unknown","sample_n":15150},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"ANSYS","optional":false},{"name":"MATLAB","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Thermal Desktop","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-04T03:13:16Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-04","last_verified_at":"2026-11-04T12:09:38Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":92,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":92},"description":"About the Company\nAndreessen Horowitz has recently invested in a stealth startup building a space-based data transport network that moves enterprise data between two points on Earth using free-space laser links in MEO. The company is focused on providing multi-Tbps capacity network infrastructure, relying on optics and unique constellation orbit design to deliver reliable bandwidth to enterprises and sovereigns. If you are interested in learning more, please apply or contact the a16z team to connect with the founders.\nThe Role\nYou keep the optics stable. A Tbps-class link holds sub-micron alignment across the whole optical path, and that alignment drifts with temperature. Between high-power EDFAs, modem electronics, and precision optics sharing one assembly, thermal control is what keeps the beam path true - not just what keeps hardware alive. Thermal stability is a first-light problem here, not only a field one.\nYou own thermal for the terminal and bench now, and extend it to the flight payload as the space segment comes online - across real deployment sites, not a controlled lab. You partner with Optomechanical on structural-thermal-optical behavior and with the amplifier and electronics seats on heat loads.\nWhat you will own\nThermal design and analysis for the optical terminal, bench, and - as it comes online - the flight payload.\n\nThermal stability tight enough to hold sub-micron alignment (STOP, with Optomechanical and Optical Design).\n\nHeat management for high-power amplifiers, drivers, and modem electronics next to precision optics.\n\nThe thermal environment across real deployment sites.\n\nThermal interfaces and budgets for the payload, with the Satellite Systems Engineer.\n\nThe roadmap from demonstrator thermal control to a field- and orbit-survivable terminal.\n\nWhat you should have\nThermal design and analysis depth; fluent in thermal tools (Thermal Desktop, ANSYS, COMSOL, or similar).\n\nStructural-thermal-optical (STOP) reasoning, or a strong feel for how heat moves precision hardware.\n\nElectronics and high-power-component cooling.\n\nHands-on thermal test and model correlation.\n\nA degree in mechanical, aerospace, or physics, plus modeling skills (Python, MATLAB, or similar).\n\nBonus\nSpacecraft or payload thermal (vacuum, radiative, thermal-vacuum test).\n\nOptical-system or precision-instrument thermal control.\n\nHigh-power laser or fiber-amplifier cooling.\n\nDeployed or field-hardware thermal experience.\n\nIf this list doesn't perfectly match your background but you've done serious precision-thermal or payload-thermal work, reach out anyway - we are always looking for exceptional people.\nWhat this job is really like\nWe are a lean company by design. There is no program office, no requirements team handing you specs, and no army of analysts. You will build the models, make the calls on incomplete data, and be forced to defend and revise them. You will spend meaningful hands-on time in the lab, not just in reviews. You will own your piece of the system and live with the consequences of your own trades. If you do your best work inside a large, well-resourced program, this seat will frustrate you. If you have been waiting for that kind of ownership from the start, this is the job for you.\nCompensation + Benefits\nWe offer competitive, best-in-class compensation including salary, meaningful equity, and full benefits. Health, dental, vision, generous paid time off (PTO), relocation support, and a real equipment and lab budget.\nLocation:\nCulver City (onsite).","description_format":"text","description_chars":3513,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["AI for Science"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-12T06:26:52Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":7,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.265,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":92,"expected_fill_days":25,"reasons":["conf:3","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-11-04T06:34:25Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/eonsystems-thermal-engineer-payload-optical-terminal","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/eonsystems-thermal-engineer-payload-optical-terminal.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-04T12:25:54Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":18708,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-05T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":720034},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=720034"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Feonsystems-thermal-engineer-payload-optical-terminal"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Feonsystems-thermal-engineer-payload-optical-terminal"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Feonsystems-thermal-engineer-payload-optical-terminal"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/eonsystems-thermal-engineer-payload-optical-terminal\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Feonsystems-thermal-engineer-payload-optical-terminal"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":798055}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"eon.systems","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":798055},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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