Senior Thermal Systems Engineer

RobLawMax Recruitment is partnering exclusively with Kea Aerospace on this appointment

Help solve the thermal challenges of a solar-powered aircraft designed for long-duration operation in the stratosphere.

Kea Aerospace is developing the Kea Atmos - a solar-powered, remotely piloted stratospheric aircraft designed to fly continuously for extended periods at approximately 20km altitude, delivering aerial intelligence for applications including maritime surveillance, environmental monitoring and disaster management.

As development of the Kea Atmos progresses, Kea is looking for an experienced Senior Thermal Systems Engineer to lead thermal design, analysis, testing and optimisation across the aircraft.

Operating in the stratosphere presents a particularly challenging thermal environment. Extremely low ambient temperatures are combined with very low atmospheric density, limiting conventional heat rejection while different aircraft systems operate across very different thermal conditions.

This is an opportunity for an experienced thermal engineer to apply strong first-principles knowledge and modelling capability to a genuinely unusual engineering problem, and to see that work progress from analysis and design through physical testing and ultimately integration onto the aircraft.

The Role

Working as part of Kea's multidisciplinary engineering team in Christchurch, you will take a leading role in developing and optimising thermal management solutions for the Kea Atmos.

An initial area of focus will be the thermal performance of the aircraft's powertrain and associated systems, working closely with battery, avionics and other engineering disciplines.

You will:

• Lead thermal design, analysis, testing and optimisation across aircraft systems.
• Apply first-principles analysis, hand calculations and numerical modelling to understand and predict thermal behaviour.
• Develop reduced-order and 1D thermal models, including developing your own modelling tools and scripts.
• Use 3D CFD and multiphysics simulation where appropriate to investigate more complex thermal behaviour and de-risk designs prior to hardware build.
• Develop lightweight and energy-efficient thermal solutions while considering Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) trade-offs.
• Work with physical hardware through prototyping, testing and validation, correlating test results against analytical and numerical models.
• Work closely with mechanical, electrical, battery, avionics and other engineering disciplines to optimise system-level performance.
• Communicate analysis, findings and recommendations through clear technical reporting that supports engineering design decisions.
• Contribute across the full engineering lifecycle from concept and analysis through to testing, integration and flight hardware.

What We're Looking For

The core requirements for this appointment are:

• 8+ years of dedicated thermal engineering experience, with thermal design and/or analysis forming a significant part of your engineering career.
• Strong understanding of heat transfer and thermal fundamentals, with demonstrated capability in first-principles calculations and/or 1D thermal simulation and/or 3D CFD.
• Genuine programming capability, ideally using Python, although experience with MATLAB, C/C++ or other relevant engineering programming languages will also be considered.
• The ability to develop, understand and interrogate your own engineering models rather than relying solely on commercial simulation packages.
• Strong English communication and technical writing capability, including experience producing quality technical reports that inform engineering and design decisions.
• A relevant Engineering degree or equivalent experience.

Practical experience applying thermal analysis to physical hardware, including testing and validation, will be highly regarded.

Your Background

Previous aerospace experience is not essential.

Kea is interested first and foremost in finding an engineer with genuine depth in thermal engineering, strong fundamentals and the ability to apply those skills to real-world engineering problems.

Relevant experience could therefore have been developed within aerospace or space systems, but equally within areas such as:

• Automotive, EV or motorsport
• Battery, powertrain or electronics thermal management
• Defence and advanced technology
• Nuclear, energy or power generation
• Medical or scientific equipment
• Advanced product development and other high-performance engineering environments

Experience with high-altitude, low-pressure, space or other extreme environments would be advantageous.

Additional breadth across areas such as multiphysics analysis, FEA, structural dynamics, aerodynamics, electrical systems, mechanical design, CAD, materials, manufacturing and DFM would also be valuable within Kea's multidisciplinary engineering environment.

Why Kea Aerospace?

Kea offers the opportunity to work on a highly unusual engineering programme and to have genuine involvement across the full development lifecycle.

The Kea Atmos is designed, developed, tested and built in Christchurch, allowing engineers to remain close to the physical product and see their work progress from modelling and analysis through to hardware, testing, integration and flight.

As part of a growing and multidisciplinary team, there is also scope to contribute beyond a narrowly defined technical discipline and help shape engineering solutions as the aircraft continues to develop.

Kea offers an employee share ownership programme, paid overtime and a working environment focused on combining ambitious engineering with a sustainable work/life balance.

Location

The role is based at Kea Aerospace's Christchurch facility.

Given the specialist nature of the appointment, applications are welcomed from experienced thermal engineers based elsewhere in New Zealand or internationally who would consider relocating to Christchurch.

Relocation support may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

For security and safety reasons, police vetting will be undertaken prior to any employment offer.

RobLawMax Recruitment is partnering exclusively with Kea Aerospace on this appointment.

Please contact Peter Henderson on 027 441 9300 or apply here.