Sr. Thermal Engineer

Virgin Galactic www.VirginGalactic.com (SPCE:NYSE) Virgin Galactic recognizes that the answers to many of the challenges we face in sustaining life on our beautiful but fragile planet, lie in making better use of space. Sending people to space has not only expanded our understanding of science, but taught us amazing things about human ingenuity, physiology and psychology. From space, we are able to look with a new perspective both outward and back. From space, the borders that are fought over on Earth are arbitrary lines. From space it is clear that there is much more that unites than divides us.

We are at the vanguard of a new industry determined to pioneer twenty-first century spacecraft, which will open space to everybody — and change the world for good.  Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Galactic

If you are looking for a challenging opportunity that will ignite your passion for designing cool and innovative products, are exceptionally creative, are a great problem solver, and can make things happen - apply today!

The Senior Thermal Engineer will be responsible for advancing the thermal engineering development for the suborbital spaceplane SpaceShipTwo, Spaceship 3, the mothership Eve, and other special projects. The Senior Thermal Engineer will also be responsible for providing technical leadership and mentorship, promoting a culture of continual improvement and quality within the Thermal Team.

Virgin Galactic is seeking a seasoned engineer with an intimate knowledge of all aircraft systems. The engineer will also support instrumentation planning, mission control preparation, data processing, and model evaluation for flight testing and vehicle envelope expansion.

• Develop external heat transfer models encompassing thermal radiation and convection using in-house simulators, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and finite element models (FEM)
• Develop in-house thermal simulation capabilities using C++ & Matlab
• Support pre-flight preparation including development of instrumentation plans, review of test limitations, flight test plans and procedures, flight readiness reviews, mission control room support, and post flight analysis
• Work with other internal and external engineering groups to ensure proper application of design requirements
• Support entry into commercial service by ensuring that regulatory and internal company requirements related to thermals are met
• Develop standardized analysis and reporting tools
• Create and use scripted tools to maintain and analyze big-data physics databases in a Linux environment
• Perform model updates from data collected during vehicle or component testing and data created with analytical tools
• Develop and substantiate thermal design objectives and requirements for unique vehicles with unconventional configurations
• Develop and improve standards, processes, and best practices
• Determine methods and procedures on new assignments and coordinate activities of other team members

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, and/or equivalent, with a minimum of 5 years of related experience
• Test planning experience is highly desired, including flight and ground testing, writing test plans, instrumentation selection and planning, and data verification
• Test execution experience is highly desired, including familiarity with standard flight test practices and safety processes
• Experience in flight test aerodynamic and thermal model validation and correlation
• Experience with full aircraft analysis – transonic required, launch vehicle desirable, supersonic highly desirable
• Working knowledge of aircraft and spacecraft systems
• Proven experience in aerodynamics, simulation development, and thermal analysis
• Familiarity with relevant aerospace standards and thermal design criteria (FAA, FAA-AST, NASA, MilSpec, etc.)
• Advanced skills in Matlab, and C++
• Experience in supersonic computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and meshing with Fun3D and Po
• Experience in finite element modeling with FEMAP
• Strong ability to work system tasks, and adept at communicating with multiple interfaces
• Proven ability to lead technical work in an environment with multiple stakeholders
• Excellent proactive communication (oral, written, presentation), interpersonal, negotiation and organizational skills
• Ability to successfully complete assigned tasks with minimal supervision and oversight
• Applicants must be U.S. persons as defined by the ITAR (22 CFR §120.15)

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Knowledge of software development best practices like code review and configuration management
• Working knowledge of FORTRAN, Simulink
• Experience in other Flight Sciences disciplines

Physical and/or Additional Requirements

The position will be based out of our Tustin office with a hybrid remote/onsite schedule.

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.15) or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

As part of our commitment to health and safety, COVID-19 vaccines are required for current U.S. teammates, as well as all newly hired employees. 

As of October 1, 2021, all new hires must be able to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, ( “fully vaccinated” means at least two weeks have expired since receiving the vaccination’s last dose as recommended by the manufacturer) . If  you are offered employment, this requirement must be met by your date of hire. 

Virgin Galactic is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Virgin Galactic is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

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As part of our commitment to health and safety, COVID-19 vaccines are required for current U.S. teammates, as well as newly hired employees.

 As of October 1, 2021, all new hires must be able to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated against the COVID-19virus, (“fully vaccinated” means at least two week have expired since receiving the vaccination’s last dose as recommended by the manufacturer).  If you are offered employment, this requirement must be met be your date of hire.  Virgin Galactic complies with federal, state, and local laws with regard to accommodations related to this policy.