Power Electronics – Thermal Engineer I (R4842)

Are you a passionate and innovative Thermal Engineer looking to help develop state of the art aircraft? 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 Thermal Engineer at Shield AI, you will lead the design, analysis, and integration of aircraft avionics thermal management systems. We are designing a high voltage, high power system using custom power electronics and energy storage. This role is best suited for an engineer who thrives on first-principles problem solving, is comfortable with design challenges, and values extreme ownership. The engineer will be a key contributor in ensuring robust thermal solutions that meet mission-critical aerospace requirements.

What you'll do:

• Own thermal analysis and design efforts for unmanned aerial vehicle avionics including custom power electronics
• Develop and validate analytical, numerical, and computational models for heat transfer and fluid flow using hand calculations and CFD tools such as FloEFD
• Provide input to trade studies, system architecture decisions, and risk assessments
• Assist cross-functional teams designing power electronic circuits and environmental enclosures
• Contribute to design requirements that impact circuit part selection, board layout, material selection, and other design aspects
• Drive test planning, instrumentation, and data analysis to correlate models with experimental results
• Communicate technical findings clearly through executive-level briefings, 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
• Internship or engineering club experience in avionics or electronics thermal engineering
• Knowledge of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and fluid mechanics
• Familiarity 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 engineering problems
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of leading technical discussions and presenting to stakeholders
• Proven ability to learn and adapt quickly to new tools, processes, and technical challenges in a fast paced, startup environment