Staff Thermal Analysis Engineer

Archer is an aerospace company based in San Jose, California building an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with a mission to advance the benefits of sustainable air mobility. We are designing, manufacturing, and operating an all-electric aircraft that can carry four passengers while producing minimal noise. Our sights are set high and our problems are hard, and we believe that diversity in the workplace is what makes us smarter, drives better insights, and will ultimately lift us all to success. We are dedicated to cultivating an equitable and inclusive environment that embraces our differences, and supports and celebrates all of our team members. What you’ll do: Perform detailed thermal analysis of the airframe, considering external heating, solar radiation, internal heat sources, and insulation Develop and implement thermal management solutions for airframe composite structures to mitigate thermal stress, manage material temperatures limits, and maintain structural integrity Design and optimize cooling solutions (e.g. forced and/or natural convection, heat pipes, liquid cooling etc.) for aircraft systems and LRUs, including but not limited to actuators, flight control, avionics, and electrical distribution systems, to ensure operation within specified temperature limits in accordance with the vehicle design envelope Perform parametric studies and sensitivity analyses to optimize thermal design of aircraft structure as well as vehicle systems and LRUs Develop, refine, and use advanced CFD and FEA models to simulate complex thermal scenarios and validate design assumptions Support the planning and execution of test campaigns at component, system, and aircraft levels to collect data for thermal models correlation and validation Collaborate closely with Aerodynamics, Airframe, Flight Control, Actuation, Avionics, Propulsion, Battery, and Manufacturing teams to develop and integrate thermal solutions and address interdependences Participate in design reviews, document analysis results, design recommendations, and contribute to technical reports What you need: MS / PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering or a related field 5+ years of experience in thermal analysis and design within the aerospace or automotive industry Strong understanding of heat transfer fundamentals (conduction, convection, radiation) and their application in aerospace and/or automotive systems Demonstrated experience with thermal management of aerospace structures and/or high-power density systems and LRUs Demonstrated experience with CFD and FEA software packages (e.g. NASA Overflow and/or Fun3D CFD solvers, StarCCM+, Ansys Fluent and Thermal analysis packages, Abacus, Nastran) Demonstrated experience with thermal testing and test-data correlation Familiarity with aerospace design principles, materials, and manufacturing processes Familiarity in Python programming (strongly preferred) or Matlab/Simulink programming coding experience Excellent work planning and issue resolution skills Strong technical, written, and verbal communication skills Ability to work in groups and individually Experience in a fast-paced design environment Bonus Qualifications: Experience with eVTOLs or other electric aircraft or automotive programs Familiarity with thermal management of high-voltage battery systems and electric motors Familiarity with thermal management of avionics and power electronics Experience with CAD modeling systems (e.g . NX, CATIA, Solidworks) Experience with gradient-based and gradient-free optimization techniques Experience with surrogate modeling techniques and statistical analysis Experience with system-level lab or wind tunnel testing as well as vehicle-level testing (ideally flight test experience). Experience with test campaign planning, execution, and data processing Experience with experimental data processing and reduction techniques Experience with software development, object-oriented, version co ... (truncated, view full listing at source)