{"id":747512,"url":"https://alion.io/job/spacekinetic-senior-thermal-engineer","title":"Senior Thermal Engineer","company":{"id":685289,"name":"Space Kinetic","domain":"spacekinetic.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/spacekinetic","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":93,"open_postings":35,"ghost_share":0.029,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":145,"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"senior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["El Segundo, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":140000,"max":180000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":180000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"AutoCAD","optional":false},{"name":"MATLAB","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":false},{"name":"Thermal Desktop","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-16T18:59:12Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-12","last_verified_at":"2026-11-02T02:30:54Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":108,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":108},"description":"A New Paradigm For Space Operations. \nWho We Are:\nSpace Kinetic is a dual-use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations - one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different - an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures - where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.\nThis is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.\nWhat You’ll Do:\nSpace Kinetic is looking for a Senior Thermal Engineer to assist with thermal analysis, hardware design, hardware acquisition, and test within the simulation group of the Mechanical Engineering department. The candidate will ensure that components will operate within safe temperature ranges despite the extreme thermal environment of space. The candidate will work on passive and active thermal control systems. \nDesign, analyze, and test thermal hardware, including MLI blankets, heaters, heat pipes, sensors, vents, radiators, and surface coatings.\nPartner with mechanical teams to develop passive and active thermal-control systems.\nPlan, execute, and document TVAC, thermal-cycling, interface, and material-characterization tests.\nValidate and verify thermal designs through analysis and testing.\nMap thermal loads and temperatures onto structural finite-element models.\nCreate drawings, analysis reports, test plans, procedures, reports, presentations, and other technical documentation.\nBuild and maintain thermal-material databases and comprehensive parts lists using BOMs, drawings, supplier data, and technical databases.\nCollaborate with Structures, Electrical, GNC, Propulsion, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing, Production, and Integration and Test teams.\nMonitor component fabrication, integration, and testing through completion.\nWork independently, learn quickly, communicate clearly, and deliver accurate results in a fast-paced environment.\nWhat It Takes:\nBachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field,\n5+ years of relevant space-industry experience designing spacecraft thermal systems from initial analysis through ground testing and on-orbit validation.\nAbility to develop and execute tests that validate hardware performance under extreme conditions.\nHands-on experience with laboratory tools, spacecraft integration, and environmental testing.\nProficiency with Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, RadCAD, Siemens Space Systems Thermal, or similar tools.\nUnderstanding of orbital thermal environments and spacecraft heat-transfer principles.\nExperience designing or procuring MLI blankets and related thermal-control hardware.\nAbility to correlate thermal models with test data.\nExperience with CAD tools such as SolidWorks, Creo, or AutoCAD.\nBasic MATLAB or Python proficiency.\nAbility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.\nMust meet applicable U.S. Government export-control requirements.\nWhat We’d Love:\nPrior experience with spacecraft design\nExperience working on a launch vehicle or satellite development effort\nExperience in a startup or agile development environment\nPassion for the commercial and government space industry.\nWhere You’ll Be:\nThe position will be on site at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA.\nWhat We Offer: \nEquity-Based Compensation\n401(k) retirement plan with a 3.5% company match\nHighly Competitive PTO\nPaid company holidays + winter break \nComprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance\nUnique Performance-based bonus opportunities\nITAR Requirements: \nThis position is subject to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here\nEqual Employment Opportunity:\nSpace Kinetic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.\nThe annual base salary for this role is below. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education/experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity. \nPay Range\n$140,000—$180,000 USD","description_format":"text","description_chars":5612,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Retirement plans","Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Space & Aerospace","Missiles","Space Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-11T14:41:29Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":49,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.813,"p_room":0.6,"age_days":108,"expected_fill_days":145,"reasons":["conf:3","win:late","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":180000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/spacekinetic-senior-thermal-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/spacekinetic-senior-thermal-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-02T06:40:27Z","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":9636,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-03T00:00:00Z"}},"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":685289},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=685289"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fspacekinetic-senior-thermal-engineer"},{"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%2Fspacekinetic-senior-thermal-engineer"},{"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%2Fspacekinetic-senior-thermal-engineer"},{"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/spacekinetic-senior-thermal-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fspacekinetic-senior-thermal-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":747512}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"spacekinetic.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":747512},"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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