As a Thermal Design Engineer at Anduril Industries, you will support thermal design and analysis for advanced defense hardware including drones, aircraft, missiles, and related flight systems. You will apply first-principles engineering judgment, build thermal FEA/CFD models, support prototype builds and thermal tests, and contribute to defining thermal architectures for rugged environments. You will partner with cross-functional engineering teams to document power dissipation and thermal constraints, and present analysis results in design reviews. This role is ideal for someone early in their career with strong heat transfer and fluid dynamics fundamentals who wants to grow into full ownership of thermal design problems.

Responsibilities

Support thermal design and analysis for integrated hardware products, including drones, aircraft, missiles, or related defense systems
Apply first-principles engineering judgment using hand calculations, spreadsheets, and MATLAB/Python models to inform design decisions
Build and maintain thermal FEA/CFD models to predict system performance and establish design limits
Support prototype builds and thermal tests, including sensor selection, DAQ setup, data post-processing, and results documentation
Contribute to defining thermal architectures for rugged environments, demanding flight envelopes, and mission-specific thermal conditions
Partner with electrical, mechanical, aerospace, and systems engineers to document power dissipation, operating modes, and thermal constraints
Present thermal analysis results and recommendations in internal design reviews
Develop internal tools, workflows, or analysis methods that improve speed and quality of thermal decision-making

Requirements

MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related field with a focus on heat transfer, fluid dynamics, thermal sciences, or thermal systems
Strong first-principles understanding of heat transfer and fluid dynamics, including conduction, convection, radiation, fluid flow, and transient thermal behavior
Coursework, research, or internship experience in thermal analysis, modeling, or testing
Experience with MATLAB, Python, or similar tools for engineering analysis
Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to cross-functional teams
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret security clearance

Nice to have

1-3 years of industry experience in thermal engineering for aerospace, defense, or high-performance hardware systems
Experience with thermal analysis tools such as STAR-CCM+, ANSYS, Icepak, Flotherm, or comparable FEA/CFD platforms
Experience with CAD tools such as SolidWorks or Siemens NX
Graduate research in thermal-fluid systems, electronics cooling, aerothermal analysis, or related areas
Exposure to thermal testing, including instrumentation, data acquisition, and test-to-model correlation
Strong motivation to support Anduril's mission of defending the United States and allied partners

Benefits

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:
At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.