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Senior Engineer, Avionics Thermal Engineering (R5298)

Dallas, Texas
Full Time On-site

Are you a passionate and innovative thermal engineer looking to help develop state of the art AI and aircraft products? Are you eager to make a positive difference in the world? Do you want to work alongside mission driven and values focused teammates?  Shield AI is just the place for you!

As a Senior Thermal Engineer at Shield AI, you will own  the design, analysis, and integration of aircraft avionics thermal management systems and electronics cooling.

This role is best suited for an engineer who thrives on first-principles problem solving, is comfortable with ambiguous, open-ended challenges, and can communicate well across functions, ensuring well coordinated thermal management solutions.

What you'll do:

  • Own thermal solutions for unmanned aerial vehicle avionics including design, analysis, and test.
  • Develop and validate analytical, numerical, and computational models for heat transfer and fluid flow using hand calculations and CFD tools such as FloEFD.
  • Provide technical leadership in trade studies, system architecture decisions, and risk assessments.
  • Drive test planning, instrumentation, and data analysis to correlate models with experimental results.
  • Guide cross-disciplinary teams in applying thermal/fluid fundamentals.
  • Communicate technical findings clearly through design reviews, and written reports.
  • Proactively identify risks, propose solutions, and influence electrical and/or PCBA design direction.

Required qualifications:

  • B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.
  • Minimum 4 years of professional experience in avionics or electronics thermal engineering.
  • Strong expertise in heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and fluid mechanics.
  • Strong understanding of active and passive cooling solutions and their integration at component and system level.
  • Understanding of thermal management design elements including TIMs, spreaders, heat sinks, vapor chambers, heat pipes, and fans
  • Proficiency with thermal analysis and CFD tools (e.g., ANSYS Icepak, FloEFD, STAR-CCM+).
  • Experience with CAD design tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or similar.
  • Demonstrated experience applying first-principles reasoning to complex engineering problems.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Proven ability to learn and adapt quickly to new tools, processes, and technical challenges in a fast paced, startup environment.

Preferred qualifications:

  • M.S. in a relevant engineering discipline.
  • Experience with high altitude aircraft avionics cooling and thermal design.
  • Familiarity with aircraft integration constraints (power, weight, volume, maintainability, safety).
  • Hands-on experience with thermal and fluid system testing, instrumentation, and validation.
  • Knowledge of materials and manufacturing methods relevant to thermal management
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. 

About Shield AI

Shield AI

Shield AI is a defense technology company building autonomous AI systems for aircraft, drones, and intelligent mission software used in complex military environments. Founded in 2015, the company is best known for developing Hivemind, an AI pilot system that enables aircraft and drones to operate autonomously in contested and GPS-denied environments, supporting U.S. and allied defense missions.

For job seekers, Shield AI offers opportunities across advanced fields including artificial intelligence, robotics, software engineering, autonomy systems, aerospace engineering, embedded systems, and mission operations. The company is especially attractive to engineers, AI researchers, and defense professionals who want to work on real-world autonomous systems that are actively being deployed in operational military scenarios.

Unlike traditional defense contractors, Shield AI operates with a startup-style engineering culture focused on rapid experimentation, real-world testing, and fast deployment of autonomous capabilities. Employees work on tightly integrated AI and robotics systems that combine perception, decision-making, and control, enabling platforms to operate without direct human input in highly complex environments.

As modern warfare increasingly shifts toward autonomous systems, distributed sensing, and AI-enabled decision-making, Shield AI continues to grow as one of the most prominent companies in next-generation defense technology. For professionals seeking to build cutting-edge autonomy systems with direct mission impact, Shield AI stands out as a leading employer in the defense innovation ecosystem.

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