Staff Thermal Engineer

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview:

CHAOS is seeking a Staff Thermal Engineer to perform thermal and fluid-flow analysis of electronic components, circuit card assemblies (CCAs), and electronic enclosures. The role spans design trades, detailed analysis, hardware integration, qualification, and production support.

You will analyze heat transfer and internal fluid flow, including air and liquid coolants in cabinets, coldplates, and heat exchangers. You will work closely with electrical and mechanical designers, providing technical guidance to improve thermal performance and resolve design challenges. You will plan and support tests, perform data reduction, and correlate thermal models with test results.

• This is a full-time, on-site position in El Segundo, CA.
• This requisition is open to candidates who may be considered for a lower or higher job level. Final level and grade will be determined based on relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.

Responsibilities:

• Perform hand calculations and detailed thermal analyses of electronic components, CCAs, and enclosures
• Develop and use ANSYS Icepak models for electronics cooling and internal air and liquid coolant flow
• Analyze cooling systems that include cabinets, coldplates, heat exchangers, and related hardware
• Assess temperatures, flow distribution, pressure drop, and thermal margins across expected operating conditions
• Define model inputs, assumptions, and boundary conditions, and communicate their effect on results
• Provide practical thermal design guidance to electrical and mechanical designers
• Identify thermal risks and recommend design changes in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams
• Participate in design and peer reviews
• Plan and support thermal tests, analyze test data, and correlate models with test results
• Support board and system bring-up, qualification, troubleshooting, and production issues
• Document analysis methods, assumptions, results, and recommendations

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related STEM field and 7+ years of relevant experience
• Hands-on experience performing electronics thermal analysis using ANSYS Icepak
• Strong working knowledge of heat transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics
• Experience analyzing thermal performance of electronic components, circuit boards, or enclosures
• Ability to perform engineering hand calculations and assess when detailed simulation is needed
• Experience analyzing liquid-cooled coldplates and heat exchangers
• Experience with forced-air cooling, flow distribution, pressure-drop analysis, and fan performance
• Strong technical communication skills and ability to work independently across engineering disciplines
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Preferred Requirements:

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
• Experience with Macroflow, STAR-CCM+, NX thermal, or other thermal or CFD software
• Experience planning or supporting thermal tests, reducing test data, or correlating analysis models
• Experience with aerospace, defense, or other high-reliability electronic systems
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-810, RTCA/DO-160, or VITA-48

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch while you're working onsite, fully-stocked kitchen, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 500+ employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $150,000 - $230,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

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