Senior Thermal Engineer bei LeonardoCompany

Job Description:

Your Impact:

Leonardo is a global leader in defence electronics and delivers systems for situational awareness, electronic defence and surveillance across land, sea and air. The Radar and Advanced Targeting line of business, based in Edinburgh and Newcastle, is uniquely positioned as one of the world's top suppliers of radars, lasers and infrared countermeasure systems.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Thermal Engineer where you will apply your knowledge and experience to design and develop thermal management solutions for our cutting-edge products such as radar systems for Eurofighter Typhoon and Gripen aircraft or laser directed energy systems like Dragonfire.

Your duties will include:

• Develop innovative cooling concepts based on a sound understanding of mechanical engineering principles e.g. heat transfer, fluid dynamics and thermodynamics.
• Analyse and assess potential designs for thermal and flow performance against customer requirements using CFD, heat transfer analysis techniques and classical hand calculations.
• Define manufacturing technologies, specify materials and equipment that constitute the thermal management system.
• Provide guidance on thermal design improvements where necessary.
• Define test regimes and perform thermal and flow tests on equipment.
• Interface with various integrated project teams including mechanical, electronic, systems and optical/laser engineers.
• Support visits and meetings at other Leonardo sites, suppliers and customers when required.
• Convey the results of your work through presentations and formal written reports.
• In summary, take ownership of the thermal management solution and support all thermal aspects of product development from concept design through to test and certification.

What you’ll bring;

• Must have a degree in Mechanical Engineering or similar with relevant post-graduate experience in thermal engineering and electronics cooling.
• Have experience in the design, development and test of electronics packaging and/or aerospace equipment.
• A proven knowledge of thermal analysis and previous experience in developing equipment for extreme operating environments is essential.
• Be competent in the use of Ansys Icepak (or other thermal or CFD analysis software such as Flotherm or Fluent etc.) along with a proven knowledge of hand calculations.
• Working knowledge of Simens Amesim or Mathworks Simscape for 1-D system thermal modelling would be advantageous.
• Experience of environmental testing methods for design verification is desirable with knowledge of Mil-Std-810 and RTCA DO-160.
• Be a Chartered Engineer with the IMechE or equivalent. Alternatively, you must possess and be able to demonstrate that you have the UK-SPEC competencies necessary in obtaining Chartered status with the IMechE.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!

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