Job Description:
As a Senior Flight Sciences Engineer focused on aeropropulsion, you will work across disciplines to enable the design, build, test, and flight of high performance unmanned aircraft. The Flight Sciences team encompasses aerodynamics, aircraft performance, aeropropulsion, stability and control, aerodynamic modeling, wind tunnel testing, and flight testing. Within this team, you will focus on how the propulsion system and airframe work together, including inlet and exhaust design, installed propulsion performance, and propulsion airframe integration.
This role is perfect for an engineer with a solid foundation in aerodynamics, propulsion, or flight sciences who is eager to grow, own challenging projects, and see their work move rapidly from concept to flight. If you thrive in fast paced environments, enjoy solving complex problems, and want to help build the future of autonomous aviation, we want to hear from you.
What you'll do:
- Support aeropropulsion design from the conceptual phase through flight, including inlet, duct, nozzle, and exhaust system definition
- Develop installed propulsion performance models, including inlet pressure recovery, distortion, spillage drag, nozzle performance, and installed thrust for Shield’s latest unmanned aircraft
- Analyze propulsion airframe integration effects, including thrust and drag bookkeeping, inlet and engine compatibility, and propulsion induced effects on aircraft performance and stability
- Contribute to flight sciences support through flight test data analysis, ducted fan and propulsion performance modeling, and correlation of models to test results
- Collaborate with propulsion, structures, flight test, and control systems engineers to ensure integrated, optimized, and safe aircraft performance
- Support wind tunnel, propulsion ground test, and flight test events, including test planning, instrumentation requirements, and data reduction
Required qualifications:
- You have a B.S. in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent
- You have 3 or more years of experience in aeropropulsion, propulsion integration, aerodynamics, aircraft performance, or another area of flight sciences
- You have a working understanding of gas turbine, ducted fan, or propeller performance and how installation effects influence aircraft performance
- You have a demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with computational fluid dynamics for inlet, nozzle, ducted fan, or internal flow analysis
- Experience with engine performance decks, cycle analysis tools such as NPSS, or propulsion system modeling
- Experience with inlet or propulsion wind tunnel testing, engine ground testing, or propulsion flight test
- Experience scripting or developing software in Python, MATLAB, or similar languages
- Experience with analysis of large data sets