Ablative Thermal Analyst l/ll

Location: Remote, with potential office access

Employment Type: Full-time

Department: Solid Rocket Motors

Position Summary

X-Bow Systems is seeking an Ablative Thermal Analyst to support the design, analysis, testing, and qualification of internal insulators and thermal protection systems for rocket motors and flight profiles.

The successful candidate will perform thermal response analyses of ablative materials exposed to severe internal heating, atmospheric entry, slag, and other high-temperature environments. This role will work closely with materials, structural analysts, ballistic analysts, manufacturing, test, and systems engineering teams to develop reliable insulation solutions. Similarly, the candidate is expected to support multiple programs and balance workload, level of effort, and different focus areas while delivering exceptional technical product.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute one-dimensional and, as appropriate, multidimensional thermal response analyses for ablative insulation systems.

• Evaluate material response, recession, charring, pyrolysis, heat soak, and temperature distribution.

• Translate internal combustion and aerothermal environments and test conditions into thermal analysis inputs.

• Build, modify, and maintain computational models using company-developed and commercial tools.

• Correlate analytical predictions with arc-jet, furnace, radiant heating, flight, or other test data.

• Perform sensitivity studies, uncertainty assessments, and design trade studies.

• Support material screening, sizing, and testing.

• Support design reviews and material review boards

• Prepare technical reports, analysis documentation, presentations, and verification materials.

• Collaborate with test engineers to plan instrumentation, define test objectives, and interpret results.

• Support root-cause investigations involving thermal protection system performance.

• Contribute to process improvements, manufacturing improvement, analysis automation, and engineering tools.

Required Qualifications

Level I

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, physics, or a related field.

• Academic, project, internship, or professional experience involving heat transfer, thermodynamics, thermal analysis, materials, or computational modeling.

• Familiarity with heat transfer fundamentals and engineering data analysis.

• Experience with at least one technical programming or analysis environment, such as Python, MATLAB, or a comparable tool.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary engineering environment.

Level II

• Bachelor's degree with approximately two or more years of relevant engineering experience, or a master's degree with relevant project or research experience.

• Demonstrated experience with thermal analysis, heat transfer, thermal protection systems, high-temperature materials, or related aerospace applications.

• Experience developing, running, or validating engineering analysis models.

• Ability to independently plan technical work, assess results, and communicate engineering conclusions.

• Experience with Python, MATLAB, Fortran, C++, or similar technical computing tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with ablative materials, carbon-based materials, ceramics, polymers, composites, or thermal protection systems.

• Knowledge of pyrolysis, charring, oxidation, recession, conduction, convection, and radiation.

• Experience with finite-element, finite-volume, or specialized thermal response software. This may include HERO, FIAT, CMA, ASCHAR, ITRAC, or others.

• Familiarity with internal combustion environments, aerothermal environments or atmospheric entry heating.

• Experience correlating analysis results with experimental data.

• Experience with version control, automated data processing, or model verification and validation.

• Graduate coursework or research in heat transfer, materials science, aerospace engineering, or related disciplines.

• Knowledge of engineering standards, configuration management, and formal technical reviews.

Additional Information

This position may require access to controlled technical data. Employment may be subject to applicable export-control, background-investigation, or customer requirements.