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Senior Space Thermal System Engineer

VZLU Aerospace a.s. · Aerospace & space

Summary

This role involves designing, developing, and verifying spacecraft thermal systems for satellite missions. The Senior Space Thermal System Engineer will perform thermal analysis, develop thermal models, and ensure compliance with ECSS standards throughout the satellite lifecycle.

Key facts

Status
Available
Location
Prague
Work arrangement
On-site
Level
Senior
Experience
5+ years
Education
Master's
Languages (required)
  • EnglishFluent
Required skills
  • thermal design
  • thermal analysis
  • thermal models
  • thermal budgets
  • thermal verification
  • ECSS standards
  • heat transfer principles
  • spacecraft thermal design
Benefits
  • 5 weeks of vacation
  • meal allowance
  • allowance for supplementary pension insurance
  • allowance for leisure activities
Estimated salary (not official)
~75k–95k Kč/moRough estimate for a full-time role — not provided by the employer How is this calculated?

Full description

Are you passionate about space systems and eager to work on cutting-edge satellite missions? As a Senior Space Thermal System Engineer, you will play a key role in designing, developing, and verifying spacecraft systems from concept to operation.

You will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, ensure compliance with ECSS standards, and contribute to mission success through technical excellence and innovative solutions.

If you have a strong background in thermal engineering and system engineering and thrive in a dynamic environment, we would love to hear from you!

Responsibilities

  • Perform thermal design and analysis for spacecraft structures, equipment, payloads, and subsystems.
  • Develop and maintain thermal models.
  • Support definition of spacecraft thermal control concepts and thermal design trade-offs.
  • Analyze thermal requirements and translate them into design, verification, and documentation inputs.
  • Prepare thermal budgets, predictions, margins, assumptions, and interface data.
  • Support specification and technical coordination of thermal hardware and supplier inputs.
  • Prepare inputs for thermal verification, including test predictions, instrumentation, data evaluation, and model correlation.
  • Participate in environmental test campaigns and support preparation of test reports.
  • Prepare technical documentation, including specifications, analysis reports, procedures, compliance inputs, and review data packages.
  • Present technical results to internal teams, customers, suppliers, and international project partners.
  • Support proposals, technical work package definition, effort estimates, and review preparation.

Required qualifications

  • Master’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, thermal engineering, applied physics, or a comparable technical field.
  • Experience in thermal engineering, preferably in spacecraft or aerospace applications.
  • Good understanding of heat transfer principles and practical engineering analysis.
  • Experience with thermal analysis, thermo-elastic modeling, calculations, requirements interpretation, and technical documentation.
  • Ability to work with models, boundary conditions, material properties, assumptions, margins, and interface data.
  • Experience with at least one relevant simulation, analysis, or engineering calculation tool.

Preferred qualifications

  • Experience with spacecraft, satellite, CubeSat, payload, instrument, or space equipment thermal design.
  • Experience with ESATAN-TMS, Thermica, Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, ANSYS, COMSOL, MATLAB, Python, or similar tools.
  • Experience with thermal vacuum testing, thermal balance testing, environmental testing, or thermal model correlation.
  • Experience preparing specifications, analysis reports, test procedures, test reports, compliance matrices, or review data packages.
  • Understanding of spacecraft interfaces, equipment accommodation, operational cases, and survival cases.
  • Hands-on experience with hardware integration, laboratory work, AIT activities, or supplier technical coordination.
  • Ability to automate calculations, post-processing, reporting, or repetitive engineering workflows.

Must Have

  • 5 to 10 years of experience as a spacecraft thermal systems engineer or equivalent experience.
  • Strong communication and organizational skills.
  • Solid knowledge and hands-on experience with ECSS standards.
  • Experience with the full satellite lifecycle (Phases A, B, C, D, E).
  • Ability to work in interdisciplinary and international project teams.
  • Willingness to travel within Europe and represent the company at conferences and industry events.
  • Fluency in written and spoken English.

What We Offer

  • Work on cutting-edge space technology projects with a direct impact on real missions.
  • Access to advanced software and satellite control systems.
  • Participation in national and international space projects.
  • Possibility of further qualification growth in the system of career education according to the position held.
  • Stable working background, access to top technologies.
  • 5 weeks of vacation, meal allowance, allowance for supplementary pension insurance, allowance for leisure activities.
  • Location of work in Prague or in Brno, Czech Republic.

If you are interested in this job position, please send your CV to our HR manager.

Tereza Ducháčová, HR manager – duchacova@vzlu.cz

Apply on the company site