Job Title:
Principal Thermal Simulation Engineer
Reports To:
Director of Engineering
Department:
Engineering
Compensation:
Salary
Location:
Columbus, Ohio
Travel Required:
5% (1-2 trips per year)
Job Summary
BriskHeat is seeking an experienced Principal Thermal Simulation Engineer to serve as the company's technical authority for thermal modeling, simulation, and engineering methodology. This is a senior technical leadership role responsible for advancing BriskHeat's thermal engineering capabilities through improved simulation accuracy, engineering standards, digital engineering tools, and validated design methodologies.
Working closely with the Design Engineering, Thermal Engineering, and R&D teams, this individual will drive continuous improvement in thermal simulation practices, develop engineering tools and procedures that reduce product development time, mentor engineering staff, and provide technical leadership on complex customer applications.
The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in heat transfer and thermodynamics with practical engineering judgment, advanced simulation experience, and a passion for improving engineering processes.
Job DescriptionTechnical Leadership
- Serve as BriskHeat's technical authority in heat transfer, thermodynamics, and thermal simulation.
- Drive the continuous improvement and long-term evolution of BriskHeat's thermal simulation capability, including modeling methodologies, engineering standards, validation techniques, and best practices.
- Lead technical initiatives that improve engineering capability across the Design Engineering and R&D teams.
- Mentor and train Design Engineers in thermal analysis, simulation methodologies, and engineering fundamentals.
- Develop engineering documentation, work instructions, and training materials supporting thermal simulation and engineering best practices.
Thermal Modeling & Simulation
- Perform advanced steady-state and transient thermal analyses using Finite Element Analysis (FEA).
- Develop thermal models supporting BriskHeat heating solutions used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment and other demanding industrial applications.
- Analyze temperature distributions, transient heat-up performance, surface temperatures, thermal gradients, thermal efficiency, and potential thermal safety considerations.
- Optimize product designs through simulation-driven engineering.
- Evaluate complex customer applications and recommend practical thermal solutions based on sound engineering principles.
Simulation Standards & Validation
- Develop, refine, and maintain company standards for thermal modeling, simulation setup, material properties, engineering assumptions, meshing strategies, and result interpretation.
- Create standardized simulation templates and workflows that improve repeatability, consistency, and engineering efficiency.
- Validate simulation models through laboratory testing, analytical calculations, and correlation with product performance data.
- Continuously improve simulation accuracy while reducing engineering design cycle time.
- Support the development of predictive simulation methodologies that enable faster and more confident engineering decisions.
Engineering Process Improvement
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives across the Design Engineering organization.
- Develop engineering calculators, design tools, templates, and automated workflows that improve engineering productivity.
- Identify opportunities to improve SolidWorks modeling practices, engineering procedures, simulation workflows, and design standards.
- Evaluate opportunities to leverage Python, VBA, or similar technologies to automate engineering calculations and repetitive design tasks.
- Research and implement new engineering methods, software tools, and technologies that improve engineering capability and product development efficiency.
Customer Technical Support
- Provide engineering support for complex customer applications and unique thermal challenges.
- Participate in technical discussions with customer engineering teams to understand application requirements and recommend optimized thermal solutions.
- Clearly communicate engineering analyses, thermal trade-offs, and design recommendations to technical audiences.
- Support strategic semiconductor OEM customers.
- Travel occasionally to customer sites as required.
Required Qualifications
- Master's degree or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Sciences, Heat Transfer, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Physics, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related engineering discipline.
- 5–10 years of engineering experience in thermal analysis, heat transfer, or thermal product development.
- Strong understanding of thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and thermal systems engineering.
- Extensive experience performing thermal Finite Element Analysis (FEA).
- Experience with Ansys simulation software, preferably Ansys Discovery.
- Experience using SolidWorks and SpaceClaim or similar 3D CAD software.
- Experience developing and validating thermal simulation models.
- Ability to solve complex engineering problems using first-principles analysis.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical projects, mentor engineers, and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
- Strong work ethic with the ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across engineering disciplines.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here and above are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions of the position.
- Must be able to move boxes up to 10lbs
- Constantly operates a computer and other office equipment
- Must be able to move different positions to maintain different files
- Must be able to remain stationary up to 75% of the time
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here and above are representative of those that an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions of the position.
Disclaimer
The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this position. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time