Nikola V.-Director/Co-founder
Check rate
Experience
Director/Co-founder
thermIT consulting
- providing expertise in thermal analysis and thermal management in aerospace, EV automotive, energy, biomedical and biotech
- cooling system design
- energy storage design
- cryo-preservation solutions
- thermal analysis
- notable clients (Lilium, X-therma, AIB)
Thermal engineer (remote contractor)
Lilium
- Propulsion system cooling development and thermal integration of engine and propulsion vectoring systems (PVS)
- PVS thermal management achieved with air cooling and without additional active components resulting in weight reduction and increased reliability
- Conceptual studies and trade-offs for electric engine cooling concept
- Technical go-to person for propulsion vectoring system thermals
- Methods used: hand calculations, 1D, 3D CFD analysis
- Test requests, test planning and test support
- Thermal validation on open bench servo and the servo control units
- Released 3 technical description specification documents and multiple engineering notes
- Liaised with the equipment suppliers
Thermal Team Lead
Rimac Automobili
- Increased the team from 2 to 10 people
- Lead 1D and CFD activities (method development and validation)
- Introduced advanced CFD modeling (conjugate heat transfer for powertrain and battery thermal management, multi-phase flows in filling and air entrapment issues)
- Organizing and distributing work according to Agile methodology, reviewed the work from colleagues spread across multiple projects (usually 5-10 projects at the time)
- People development, business continuity and process development
- Coordinated and managed expectations from internal and external stakeholders (Rimac Nevera, Porsche, Ferrari, AMG, ARB, Hyundai, Koenigsegg, etc.)
CFD Engineer
Rimac Automobili
- Aerodynamic and thermal modeling (CFD, Conjugate Heat Transfer, 1D, spreadsheets)
- Cooling concept design
- Feasibility studies for internal and external customers
- Electric powertrain (EM, Inverter, gearbox) cooling and lubrication
- EV battery and power electronics cooling
- Supporting the development of Rimac C_Two, Porsche, Hyundai, and other established OEMs in electrifying their vehicles
Gas Turbine Combustor Cooling Engineer
General Electric
- Hot path component cooling design (key achievement: lead inventor of patented 3D printed burner front plate, resulted in increase in efficiency, decrease in manufacturing cost and pollution, implemented and selling)
- Aerodynamic and thermal modeling (CFD, FEM, 1D)
- Additive manufacturing (3D printing) design for combustor and turbine (GT13 E2, 7FA.05)
- Test definition and test rig data evaluation (GT36, GT26 HE)
- Supported 9HA.02, 7FA.05, GT36, GT26, GT13 (inlet, combustor cooling, turbine cooling, diffuser aerodynamics and thermal stress analysis)
- Export control tagger
- Worked as a part of international teams
Industry experience
See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.
Experienced in Energy, Automotive, and Aerospace and Defense.
Business area experience
See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.
Experienced in Product Development, Research and Development, Quality Assurance, and Project Management.
Summary
Mechanical engineer with a decade of professional experience as a thermal and simulation engineer in multidisciplinary teams developing high-end products in industry leading and disruptive technology companies.
Especially skilled at first principles thinking, cooling concept design, thermal calculations, aerodynamic and heat transfer analyses.
Demonstrated ability to build competencies and a team from ground-up. The go-to person for thermal behavior of the systems, validation activities and cross-disciplinary technical discussions.
Experience in aerospace, power generation and automotive.
Skills
Analytical Thinking
Thinking From First Principles
Thermodynamics
Fluid Dynamics
Cfd (Fluent, Openfoam, Cfx, Starccm+, Matlab Simscape)
Effective Communication Skills
Ability To Work Under Pressure
Cfd Tools: Ansys Fluent, Openfoam, Cfx, Starccm+, Icem, Fluent Meshing, Centaur
Fem: Ansys Mechanical (Beginner)
Cad: Catia V5, Solidworks, Spaceclaim
1d Tools And Scripting: Matlab Simscape, Simulink, Flowmaster, Compass, Basic Python Scripting
Languages
Education
University of Zagreb, FAMENA
Master of Mechanical Engineering, Energy Engineering · Mechanical Engineering · Zagreb, Croatia · Magna cum Laude
Statistics
Experience
Expertise
Qualifications
Profile
Frequently asked questions
Have questions? Find more information here.
Nikola is based in Zagreb, Croatia and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.
Nikola speaks the following languages: Croatian (Native), German (Advanced), English (Advanced), Italian (Advanced).
Nikola has at least 12 years of experience. During this time, Nikola has worked in at least 5 different roles and for 4 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 4 months. Note that Nikola may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.
Based on recent experience, Nikola would be well-suited for roles such as: Director/Co-founder, Thermal engineer (remote contractor), Thermal Team Lead.
Nikola's most recent position is Director/Co-founder at thermIT consulting.
In recent years, Nikola has worked for thermIT consulting and Lilium.
Nikola is most experienced in industries like Energy, Automotive, and Aerospace and Defense.
Nikola is most experienced in business areas like Product Development, Research and Development, and Quality Assurance. Nikola also has some experience in Project Management.
Nikola has recently worked in industries like Aerospace and Defense, Automotive, and Energy.
Nikola has recently worked in business areas like Product Development and Research and Development.
Nikola holds a Master in Mechanical Engineering from University of Zagreb, FAMENA.
The availability of Nikola needs to be confirmed.
Daily rate distribution
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Average rates for similar positions
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 12 Sep 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
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