Thermal Management Engineer

Auto Mid-level (L4 equivalent) 2-5 years

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The job description

Tech stack. GT-SUITE, KULI, Star-CCM+, MATLAB/Simulink, thermal test instrumentation, refrigerant system design tools, 1D/3D co-simulation

About the role

You will join the thermal management team of an automaker designing the systems that keep batteries, power electronics, motors, and cabins at their ideal temperatures. The team owns cooling circuits, heat pumps, and thermal controls from architecture through validation. This role matters because thermal performance gates everything customers care about in an EV: winter range, fast-charging speed, and cabin comfort, and your system designs deliver all three from one integrated architecture. You will architect the coolant, refrigerant, and airflow systems that keep batteries, power electronics, motors, and cabins all in their happy temperature bands simultaneously. Your 1D system models will predict thermal behavior across drive cycles and fast charging, guiding pump, fan, and valve sizing with data rather than rules of thumb. You will also own cold-weather and hot-weather validation, because a thermal system proven only at room temperature will embarrass the program in its first winter.

What you will achieve

Deliver integrated thermal architectures meeting battery, e-drive, and cabin targets with winter range loss held under 25 percent at minus 20 C
Cut fast-charging thermal derate by enabling sustained peak charge rates through preconditioning and cooling capacity optimization
Own 1D system simulation (GT-SUITE/KULI) correlated within 5 C of test across drive cycles and ambient conditions
Drive heat pump system efficiency delivering 2 to 3 kW of heating per kW of electrical input in cold climates
Ship thermal controls strategies validated on HIL and in-vehicle, with no thermal protection interventions in rated duty

What you will bring

Must-haves

2 to 5 years of experience in automotive thermal management, HVAC, or powertrain cooling roles
Strong heat transfer and thermodynamics fundamentals applied to vehicle systems
Proficiency with 1D thermal system simulation (GT-SUITE, KULI, or AMESim)
Working knowledge of refrigeration cycles, heat pumps, and refrigerant selection (R1234yf, CO2, propane)
Understanding of battery and power electronics thermal requirements and limits
Experience with thermal test instrumentation: thermocouples, flow meters, pressure sensors, and climatic wind tunnels
Familiarity with coolant system components: pumps, valves, chillers, radiators, and PTC heaters

Nice-to-haves

Experience with 3D CFD (Star-CCM+, Fluent) for underhood or battery pack airflow
Knowledge of immersion cooling or advanced battery thermal concepts
Exposure to thermal runaway propagation testing and mitigation design
Understanding of cabin comfort modeling and HVAC controls calibration