Research & Development Engineer

As Paragon Space Development Corporation celebrates over 33 years of delivering life support and thermal control solutions for extreme environments, we remain focused on what drives our success: our people. By any measure, Paragon is an exciting, dynamic, and rewarding place to build your career. Our goal is simple - hire exceptional talent and empower you to do work you truly enjoy.

Paragon is advancing a broad range of thermal control technologies, including integrated systems for orbital habitats, spacesuits, lunar in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) systems, and battery thermal-runaway containment enclosures. We also develop component-level solutions such as cryogenic fluid storage systems, atmospheric revitalization technologies, water recovery systems, coldplates, and high-turndown radiators. Learn more about what we do on our website.

Paragon seeks a battery R&D engineer (can be based in Tucson, Houston or Denver) who will develop battery technologies for both aerospace and terrestrial applications with a focus on nominal thermal control and thermal runaway mitigation. The R&D engineer leads generation and analysis of system requirements and development of architectural approaches and detailed specifications for novel technologies in a hands-on environment. The R&D engineer leads development of high-level and detailed proposals and design concepts consistent with requirements and specifications. The R&D engineer oversees design, testing and analysis activities. They identify, track and status technical performance to measure progress and ensure compliance with requirements. The R&D engineer also leads activities in support of Supplier Management with make/buy recommendations and coordinates engineering support throughout the lifecycle of the product. Critically, the R&D engineer is responsible for the planning of research projects to develop concepts for future product designs to meet projected requirements.

Requirements

• Lead execution of R&D programs, ensuring technical quality and rigor is met such that the end product meets systems requirements and customer expectations, all while remaining within program schedule and budget.
• Develop battery technologies for spacecraft, spacesuits, aircraft, or the military. Desired experience includes R&D in the areas of battery mechanical and electrical design, and battery management systems.
• Apply heat transfer, thermodynamics, and flow physics, particularly as they relate to the battery thermal design to accommodate both nominal thermal control and thermal runaway mitigation.
• Evaluate team member work and provide expert advice that will enhance the resulting concepts and designs.
• Participate in development of product line strategies and roadmaps - technical and business (e.g. new technology areas, partnerships, make/buy trades).
• Regularly present technical findings to customers and their technical advisors.
• Collaborate with transition partners (internal & external) to develop and execute transition plans for successful adoption and integration of developed products.
• Stay well versed in the leading edge battery technologies, including novel chemistries, designs, suppliers, and thermal runaway mitigations

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills/Experience)

• Bachelor Degree from an accredited course of study, in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Aerospace Engineering or equivalent field with 5+ years of relevant experience OR
• Master's Degree from an accredited course of study, in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Aerospace Engineering or equivalent field 3+ years of relevant experience OR
• Doctorate degree from an accredited course of study, in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Aerospace Engineering or equivalent field.
• 3+ years of experience as an R&D Engineer or Researcher, including leading proposals for US government customers or prime contractors.
• The candidate must have good verbal and written communications skills, and interpersonal skills to work with customers, teammates and suppliers.
• Experience with thermal control system analysis and design. Specific experience with Thermal Desktop and FloCAD is a plus.
• Candidate must be a US citizen or permanent resident (green card).

Desired Qualifications (Required Skills/Experience)

• Knowledge and experience with the engineering product lifecycle, ranging from requirements development through design, manufacture, test, and operations.
• Design and procurement experience with thermal control hardware including cold plates, heat exchangers, radiators, pumped fluid loops, heat pipes, phase change materials (PCM), and multi-layer insulation (MLI).
• Testing experience, including generation of test plans, knowledge of thermal test hardware, an understanding of data systems, instrumentation, and test data analysis, and aerospace/flight testing campaigns.
• CAD design experience is a plus, especially using SolidWorks.
• Experience working on NASA/aerospace, or other governmental development projects is a plus.