Thermal Mechanical Test Engineer, Silicon Packaging

About the role

This position focuses on the Starlink program, where you will manage thermal and mechanical testing for semiconductor packaging and board-level hardware. You will bridge the gap between simulation and physical reality to ensure the reliability of hardware produced for our global satellite internet network.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Build and execute finite element models and thermal simulations to forecast how boards and packages react to environmental and operational stress.
• Create process models to assist with production line setup and packaging investigations.
• Plan and run hands-on thermal and mechanical test campaigns.
• Measure heat spreading, junction temperatures, and system-wide thermal performance at the board level.
• Manage test equipment including thermal chambers, thermocouples, and infrared cameras.
• Compare empirical test data against simulation results to provide feedback to design and manufacturing groups.
• Oversee test planning and reporting for new hardware designs.
• Work with quality, production, and hardware design teams to apply test findings to manufacturing ramp-up.

Requirements

• Bachelor degree in an engineering, math, or science field.
• Minimum of 1 year of professional or academic experience in mechanical or thermal testing and modeling.

Nice to have

• Advanced degree in a STEM discipline.
• Practical experience with infrared thermography, thermocouple mapping, or power dissipation testing.
• Proficiency in simulation software such as ANSYS, Abaqus, COMSOL, Icepak, or Flotherm.
• Experience with 3D or reduced-order modeling.
• Background in correlating physical test results with simulation models.
• Familiarity with IC packaging thermal resistance parameters.
• Coding skills in MATLAB or Python for data processing.
• Experience in high-volume manufacturing or semiconductor packaging.

Skills & tools

• Finite Element Analysis
• Thermal simulation tools
• Thermal chambers
• Infrared cameras
• Thermocouples
• Python
• MATLAB

Practical notes

• You must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee to comply with ITAR regulations.
• You must be willing to work weekends or extended hours when mission deadlines require it.