Thermal Engineer

at  Science and Technology Facilities Council STFC

THERMAL ENGINEER

Salary: Band E (Stem 1) £53,818 per annum
Hours: Full-Time or Part-Time (minimum 20 hours per week) (We understand the importance of work-life balance and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants)
Contract Type: Open-Ended.
Location: Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Harwell, Oxfordshire (Hybrid working)
Come and do the kind of engineering that made you want to be an engineer. Stretch your technical skills while building human understanding. Promote sustainability and create new materials. And, alongside world-leading scientists and technologists, shape projects that improve lives, and daily life, in the UK and far beyond.
Put simply, come and discover the impact you can make when you’re equipped, encouraged and inspired to perform to your very best. RAL Space is the UK’s national space laboratory and has over 50 years of experience in space programmes with significant involvement in more than 210 instruments on missions to date.
We are looking for an experienced space system Thermal Engineer to join the Thermal Engineering Group (TEG). Our day-to-day work ranges from studies for future missions through to the design and testing of high-profile instruments, such as the Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on the NASA James Webb Space Telescope observatory and the SPICE instrument for ESA’s Solar Orbiter. The successful applicant will work in multi-disciplinary teams to lead the development of thermal control systems.

WORKING WITHIN OUR ISO9001 QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, DUTIES INCLUDE:

• Leading thermal work packages
• Defining thermal control system architectures
• Building thermal models and undertaking analyses
• Planning, setting up and coordinating thermal tests
• Correlation and reduction of thermal models
• Authoring technical reports and communicating results to a range of audiences.
  To succeed in this role, you should have a degree in an appropriate technical subject, a sound understanding of heat transfer principles and proven experience as a space system thermal engineer. You must be willing to continue with your CPD and mentor others in the team. You should be able to think creatively and develop imaginative solutions to unusual thermal problems. An understanding of other space systems is advantageous.
  STFC values their employees by offering a benefits package designed to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes up to 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege holidays, flexible working hours, a workplace nursery, exceptional average salary pension scheme, social and sporting activities and societies and a subsidised restaurant.

This is a STEM role with the following primary requirements:

• Appropriate technical degree (2:1 or above) and/or proven experience in the space thermal engineering industry
• A consistent record of leading thermal system design, analysis and test in the space industry
• Production/presentation of design documentation
• Experience handling own workload and working to deadlines
• Experience managing the work of others (technical and schedule/planning)
• Knowledge and understanding of heat transfer
• Proven experience with commercial space thermal software
• Familiar with space thermal systems engineering processes and techniques
• Understanding of relevant standards (e.g., ECSS, ISO9001