Lead Thermal Engineer

About the Company

Starcloud is building a network of data centers in space, starting at kilowatts and scaling to gigawatt capacity. By moving compute into orbit, we tap nearly unlimited solar power and radiate heat straight into the cold of space, escaping the energy and cooling limits that constrain data centers on Earth.

Responsibilities

• Own the thermal architecture, including active and passive thermal control across the spacecraft
• Design active loops including cold plates, coolant loops, pumps, heat exchangers, and deployable radiators
• Lead technical trades regarding performance, mass, cost, reliability, and manufacturability
• Model and correlate thermal models for spacecraft and subsystems against test and flight data
• Deliver flight hardware end to end from concept through manufacturing and qualification
• Build and mentor the thermal engineering team, setting standards and verification workflows

Requirements

• BS in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline
• 8+ years of hands-on thermal engineering experience in design, analysis, and hardware development
• Strong command of thermal analysis tools such as Thermal Desktop or Ansys
• Experience with active thermal control in demanding environments (space, power, automotive, or data centers)
• Ability to manage engineers while remaining deeply hands-on
• Must be a U.S. person (citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual) under ITAR/EAR

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience formally leading a thermal engineering team
• Expertise in high-power thermal systems like pumped fluid loops or large radiators
• Experience leading development from architecture through qualification and production