Job Abstract

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.

We have an exciting opportunity in San Diego, CA (Poway, CA) for an Internal Aerodynamics and Thermal Engineer. The role will contribute to the development and implementation of novel thermal management solutions for both conceptual and production aircraft. The position is within our Flight Technologies Department and offers a unique opportunity for a thermal expert to work in close collaboration with the aero teams responsible for the aerodynamic design and performance of all GA-ASI aircraft. While the engineers in this group focus mainly on thermal management, they often support a wide range of external aerodynamics and propulsion integration analyses under the guidance of subject experts, offering ample opportunity for professional growth.

The internal aero and thermal group works closely with the aerodynamics, mechanical, and electrical engineering teams to develop thermal solutions for a wide range of challenges, ranging from performance analysis of individual avionics boxes to developing aircraft level environmental control strategies. A successful candidate will be a mid-career engineer looking for the opportunity to work with a highly skilled cross-functional team of engineers to leverage their previous experience towards solving difficult thermal management problems for our next generation of aircraft.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support development of thermal systems including system architecture definition, thermal system modeling, component sizing, and design in collaboration with peer technical teams.
• Perform trade studies relating to selection of material and subsystem hardware.
• Identify feasible thermal architectures and mature designs through conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design phases using practical passive and active thermal control techniques.
• Perform hand calculations to screen concepts, determine scope of higher detail analysis models and sanity check CFD model results.
• Develop and analyze steady state & transient system level thermal models to predict thermal loads, impacts, and temperature margins to support system design including relevant tool development and automation.
• Develop vehicle-level CFD thermal models using Fluent or Star-CCM+
• Develop and analyze steady state & transient models for liquid cooling systems used to size and optimize coolant pumps and heat exchangers for airborne applications.
• Develop and support thermal verification testing on aircraft systems and components including test design, test conduct, data reduction, analysis, and reporting.
• Brief design and analysis materials to internal and external customers.
• Provide engineering support for thermal management hardware procurement, planning, procedural & operations.
• Mentor and support junior engineers.
• Assists in proposal and new business development efforts.

We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

• Typically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in Mechanical or Aeronautical Engineering from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows; nine or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, seven or more years of experience with a masters degree, or four or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education.
• Relevant experience in Thermal or Fluids analysis in Aerospace, Automotive, or another relevant industry.
• Strong understanding of heat transfer and fluid mechanics/dynamics fundamentals, design, analysis, and processes related to aerospace thermal management systems.
• Fundamental knowledge of vapor compression systems, air cycle systems and ram cooled technologies and their application to aircraft environmental controls systems.
• Familiarity with thermal and liquid system components (e.g., valves, regulators, heat exchangers, and pumps for fuel, coolants, and other fluids).
• Demonstrated anchoring of first-principles models to higher-fidelity simulations and test data.
• Familiarity with industry standard aerospace thermal and environmental control system design requirements including MIL-HDBK-310 and MIL-STD-810.
• Direct experience in any of these technical areas: 3D Surface and Volume Meshing (ANSA preferred), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Heat Transfer/Thermal Analysis & Simulation, Numerical Methods, High Performance Computing, and/or Test Validation.
• Effective in contributing in a structured, cross functional team-oriented environment.
• Ability to obtain and maintain DoD security clearance is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Mechanical or Aeronautical Engineering related to heat transfer and fluid mechanics from an accredited college or university.
• 8+ years of relevant proven experience in design, analysis, and test of aircraft thermal systems.
• Demonstrated experience with sizing vapor compression systems, air cycle systems and ram cooled technologies and integration into aircraft environmental controls systems.
• Demonstrated experience with sizing and selection of liquid cooling system components (e.g., valves, regulators, heat exchangers, and pumps for fuel, coolants, and other fluids).
• Expert using industry-standard CFD tools like FUN3D, Fluent, Thermal Desktop or Star-CCM+, including use of HPC clusters.
• Experience designing/implementing/debugging/testing computer code (e.g., Python, MATLAB, C++, etc.).
• Active Secret or Top-Secret Security clearance.