Senior Thermal System Engineer Verified today
Role highlights
- Senior Thermal System Engineer
- Location: Valencia, Spain (most team based in Espoo, Finland)
- Department: Space Systems
- Reports to: Mechanical Engineer Lead
- Employment type: Permanent
- Workplace model: Hybrid
- Subject to security screening including SUPO
Why this role matters
Every ICEYE satellite depends on precision engineering and rock-solid reliability. As the company grows and expands spacecraft platforms to meet increasingly demanding mission requirements, we need an experienced spacecraft thermal control engineer to help lead this effort, bringing hands-on experience testing, verifying, and qualifying space hardware.
About ICEYE
ICEYE is the world leader in sovereign intelligence from space, delivering persistent monitoring capabilities to detect and respond to changes in any location on Earth. We own the world's largest and most advanced SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite constellation, providing intelligence with unmatched quality, latency and revisit times in any weather, day or night. ICEYE-built constellations serve customers in defence and intelligence, environmental monitoring, insurance and emergency management. Founded in Finland, ICEYE operates globally with over 1000 employees.
Your day-to-day responsibilities
- Design and implement full spacecraft-level thermal models for current and next-generation spacecraft
- Specify and support qualification testing at subsystem and system level
- Own thermal hardware end-to-end: propose new thermal design concepts, identify suppliers, test and validate component designs
- Perform thermal analysis of passive and active thermal control components, electrical assemblies, subsystems, and systems
- Support assembly, integration, and test (AIT) activities including maintenance of thermal control components
- Support operations teams in resolving thermal issues during Launch and Early Orbit Operations (LEOP) and beyond
- Ensure on-time product delivery from concept through qualification
- Contribute to continuous improvement of existing products
- Partner with hardware engineering domains, AIT engineering, and QA to ensure products meet specification
- Work with system and subsystem engineers to define requirements for new products
- Collaborate with internal and external engineering and AIT teams during integration to confirm thermal solutions meet requirements
What we're looking for
Must haves:
- 6+ years of experience in thermal simulation as a Thermal Engineer in the space industry
- Experience with TVAC testing and model correlation
- Proactive, self-directed working style
- Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills
- Based near Espoo or willing to relocate; up to 30% remote work acceptable
- Experience working in multi-disciplinary environments (electrical, AIT, mechanical, propulsion, RF)
- Experience with thermal control of satellites at system and subsystem level, or comparable complex aerospace systems
- Comfortable working cross-functionally with systems, electrical, and manufacturing teams
- Strong teamwork, analytical, documentation, and communication skills
Nice to haves:
- Hands-on experience with spacecraft thermal hardware: surface treatments, MLI, passive and active thermal control components, heat pipes
- Experience with Systema-Thermica, ESATAN, and/or Thermal Desktop
- MSc in Aerospace Engineering
- Knowledge of SAR satellite technology, lifecycles, and the space environment
- Experience with Python
- Familiarity with industry standards such as ECSS and NASA standards
- Solid understanding of spacecraft configurations, orbits, and STK
Application process
- Recruiter screening
- Hiring manager interview
- Technical task
- Technical panel interview
- Director interview