Thermal R&D Engineer

HRL Laboratories, an IBM company, pioneers the next frontiers of physical and information science. Delivering transformative technologies in automotive, aerospace and defense, HRL advances the critical missions of its customers to help them remove limitations and create competitive advantage. HRL then transitions the work back to customers – ready for real-world application. For more than 70 years, HRL’s rich portfolio of scientific discoveries and engineering innovations continues to build on each other — often in unexpected, profound and far-reaching ways. As a private company owned by IBM, HRL prioritizes purpose over profit, significantly advancing the state of the art.

HRL Laboratories advances critical structural and functional materials and semiconductor devices that enable precision navigation, quantum technologies and extreme-environment performance. With expertise from design through deployment, we deliver scalable, high-performance solutions that transform our customers’ missions. Our work leverages digital manufacturing and scalable microfabrication techniques to meet tomorrow’s toughest challenges.

The Thermal R&D Engineer will drive innovation in advanced thermal management technologies and serve as a focal technical contributor across multidisciplinary programs. A strong heat transfer background is required. Applicable expertise may include electronics or microelectronics cooling, hypersonics, heat pipes and vapor chambers, or other thermal domains. Experience in microfabrication, microelectronics, or 3D heterogeneous integration (3DHI) aligns especially well with our current and near term project mix. This role is ideal for someone with broad technical interests, creativity, and a passion for pushing the limits of thermal technology.

Key Responsibilities:

• Innovate new approaches, processes, and designs to address challenges in thermal management and push well beyond the limits of current technology

• Lead the development of novel thermal management components

• Serve as the primary thermal management focal on teams developing microelectronic, aerospace, and/or automotive systems, payloads, and/or platforms

• Collaborate closely with internal colleagues and external partners to achieve program objectives

• Plan, coordinate, and execute the design and fabrication of thermal management systems and microsystems

• Plan, coordinate, and execute thermal management test campaigns

• Communicate technical results through oral presentations, written reports, and publications

• Document inventions and support the patenting process

• Attend and present work at relevant technical conferences

• Write research proposals to support ongoing and future program needs

• Work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related discipline

• Postdoctoral experience or 1–4 years of industry or national laboratory experience is a plus.

• Detailed knowledge of heat transfer 

• Experimental laboratory experience planning, conducting, and analyzing heat transfer experiments

• Experience in scientific communication through technical presentations and journal publications

• Experience with microfabrication in a cleanroom environment (e.g., advanced packaging, MEMS, microelectronics, microfluidics) highly desired

• Experience with additive manufacturing / 3D printing (design, process, and/or materials)

• Experience with Finite Element Analysis and Computational Fluid Dynamics for thermal, thermal fluid, and thermo structural modeling

• CAD experience (e.g., SolidWorks or Inventor)

• Experience with MATLAB or Python

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to work for extended periods while standing or sitting at a computer workstation

• Familiarity with safe chemical handling practices and standard laboratory safety procedures

• Sufficient mobility to work within a laboratory environment

Special Requirements:

U.S. Person Status Required. Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government security clearance is a plus.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Pay Range : $140,700 - $175,950

• Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location (California). The range displayed on each job posting reflects the target range for new hire salaries for the position. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process

• Benefits: HRL offers a generous and very competitive total compensation and benefits package. Our Regular/Full Time benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401K match, gym facilities, PTO, Sick time, upward mobility, and an exciting and challenging work environment

• For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit: https://www.hrl.com/careers/benefits

Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At HRL, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

If you would like more information about Equal Employment Opportunity as an applicant under the law, please go to Employees & Job Applicants | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

For our privacy policy please visit: www.hrl.com/privacy

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.