Principal Thermal Engineer - Aircraft Avionics & Thermal Systems (R3930)

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 Principal Thermal Engineer at Shield AI, you will own the technical direction, architecture, and development of aircraft avionics thermal management systems, with scope spanning aircraft-level thermal and fluid systems. You will lead complex, cross-functional engineering efforts and establish thermal design strategies that support performance, reliability, and scalability across aircraft platforms and programs.

This role is best suited for an engineer who thrives on first-principles problem solving, is comfortable with ambiguous, open-ended challenges, and can bridge technical disciplines with strong communication and collaboration skills and the ability to simplify and communicate complex problems. The engineer will serve as a technical authority, shaping system architectures, resolving critical technical challenges, mentoring engineers, and driving robust thermal solutions that meet mission-critical aerospace requirements.

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.

Minimum 12 years of professional experience in avionics or electronics thermal engineering, including technical leadership of complex, multidisciplinary systems.

Strong expertise in heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and fluid mechanics, with demonstrated ability to apply this expertise to system architecture and critical design decisions.

Deep understanding of active and passive cooling solutions and their integration at component, subsystem, and aircraft level.

Deep 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+), including experience establishing modeling approaches and evaluating analysis quality.

Proficiency with CAD design tools such as NX, SolidWorks, or similar.

Demonstrated experience applying first-principles reasoning to complex engineering problems and resolving ambiguous technical challenges with significant system-level impact.

Proven track record of owning thermal architecture and delivering thermal management solutions from concept through integration, verification, and validation.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of influencing cross-functional technical decisions and presenting to executive stakeholders.

Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, establish engineering best practices, and lead technical efforts across teams or programs.

Proven ability to learn and adapt quickly to new tools, processes, and technical challenges in a fast paced, startup environment.

Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.