Aerodynamics Engineer

Engineers work on advanced structural and material systems for space-based imaging and laser communications, thermal management solutions from cryogenic to hypersonic regimes, and aerodynamic design and assessment for unmanned aerial vehicles, airborne pods, and hypersonic platforms. Job responsibilities include building and executing large-scale design analysis of aircraft, presenting technical results to both internal and external audiences, and supporting multiple programs related to aircraft technology development and associated aero/thermal test activities.

 Aerodynamics Engineer

3 year contract

Pay Range: $65-$90/hr.

Hybrid: 3 days onsite (plus more potentially)

Clearance: Eligible to get Top Secret

The Structural & Thermal-Fluids Engineering Group develops first-of-a-kind prototype systems across underwater, ground, air, and space domains for high-impact national security missions. Engineers work on advanced structural and material systems for space-based imaging and laser communications, thermal management solutions from cryogenic to hypersonic regimes, and aerodynamic design and assessment for unmanned aerial vehicles, airborne pods, and hypersonic platforms. Solutions are realized through the integration of high-fidelity analytical and computational modeling, multidisciplinary simulation, environmental testing, and advanced materials, addressing demanding performance, size, weight, power, and environmental constraints that are at the forefront of current engineering capabilities.

The Group is seeking an engineer with expertise in aerodynamic design and computational fluid dynamics simulation of aircraft ranging from low-speed to hypersonic flow regimes. Job responsibilities include building and executing large-scale design analysis of aircraft, presenting technical results to both internal and external audiences, and supporting multiple programs related to aircraft technology development and associated aero/thermal test activities. We seek engineers who are excited to continuously learn about new tools, technologies and mission areas, and are able to apply their expertise to a wide variety of problems.

The successful candidate will be part of an interdisciplinary engineering team contributing to the development of operational prototype hardware, spanning the full program life cycle from concept development to fielding and test. The position may require special security clearances and travel to meetings and field sites.

Requirements:
• M.S. in Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering or related field. Candidates with a B.S. degree and 3 years of direct relevant experience will also be considered.
• Experience in aircraft design.
• Coursework in computational fluid dynamics and high-speed flows.
• Experience with modern numerical simulation tools for fluid dynamic simulation.
• Experience in programming to develop engineering algorithms.
• The ability to work in interdisciplinary teams.
• The ability to clearly communicate results in oral presentations and written reports.
• Experience with high-performance computing (HPC) environments for large-scale simulations.
• Experience with one or more of the following CFD solvers and meshing tools is also desirable: US3D, SPARC, FUN3D, Kestrel, Cart3D, Pointwise, and/or Link3D.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience implementing multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) frameworks.
• Experience in machine learning and surrogate modeling approaches for simulation.
• Relevant graduate level research.
• Familiarity with software development best practices, including version control (e.g., Git).

-Candidate should expect to be onsite 3 days onsite/wk at a minimum with flexibility to increase onsite presence as needed for program work.
-Interim clearance sufficient for start