About the role
About the role
Orbital Operations is seeking a highly motivated Fluid Systems Engineer to lead the design and development of heat exchangers critical to our Cryogenic Propulsion Management System (CPMS). You will design thermal management hardware that integrates with reverse Brayton cycle (RBC) systems, high-performance turbomachinery, and low-loss cryogenic storage. The ideal candidate brings experience designing and prototyping thermal-fluid systems for aerospace or other high-performance environments and is excited to help shape the infrastructure for a more maneuverable space domain.
Key Responsibilities include:
- Lead conceptual and detailed design of cryogenic heat exchangers, including plate-fin, printed circuit, and custom compact geometries.
- Perform thermal and fluid flow analysis across operating conditions typical of in-space cryogenic systems (e.g. LOX, LH2, GN2, GH2).
- Collaborate with the turbomachinery and RBC subsystem teams to ensure thermal interfaces and system dynamics are optimized for performance, reliability, and thermal stability.
- Support system modeling and simulations (FEA, CFD) to validate heat exchanger performance and optimize geometry under extreme space environments.
- Interface with fabrication partners to develop manufacturing approaches for high-precision cryogenic heat exchangers.
Required Qualifications
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
- 3+ years of experience in heat exchanger or cryogenic thermal system design in aerospace or similar hardware-focused industry.
- Proficiency in thermal/fluid simulation tools (e.g., ANSYS, STAR-CCM+, COMSOL).
- Experience with materials and fabrication methods relevant to cryogenic and vacuum environments (e.g., brazing, diffusion bonding, welded alloys).
