Thermal and Fluid Systems Analysis Engineer

Job Summary

• Lead CFD studies of internal combustion engines, intake/exhaust systems, and propulsion-airframe integration using CONVERGE or similar tools 
• Develop and maintain MATLAB/Simulink models for engine performance, thermal management systems, and aircraft fluid systems 
• Analyze air cooling, liquid cooling, and fuel system architectures to support conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design phases 
• Perform thermal and fluid system trade studies to optimize cooling effectiveness, weight, and integration complexity 
• Conduct transient and steady-state simulations to evaluate system performance across the flight envelope 
• Define appropriate modeling strategies and fidelity levels for propulsion and thermal systems across program maturity 
• Support engine test planning, execution, and correlation of analytical predictions to experimental data 
• Collaborate with airframe, structures, and flight controls teams to ensure integrated system performance 
• Contribute to internal toolchain development, workflow automation, and advanced modeling capability 
• Participate in internal and customer-facing design reviews, test readiness reviews, and technical meetings 
• Contribute to a broad swath of novel remotely-piloted aircraft platforms  

Job Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows: nine or more years of experience with a bachelor’s degree, seven or more years of experience with a master’s degree, or four or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education. 
• Strong programming proficiency in Python and MATLAB for scientific computing and workflow automation 
• Security Clearance is desirable
• Demonstrated ownership of complete CFD workflows, including CAD preparation, mesh generation, solver setup, convergence assessment, and results post-processing 
• Strong foundational understanding of heat transfer, fluid mechanics, turbulence modeling, and numerical methods 
• Experience with aircraft fluid systems design and analysis, including air cooling, liquid cooling, and fuel systems 
• Solid understanding of internal combustion engine fundamentals, including piston engines, thermodynamic cycles, combustion processes, and performance characteristics 
• Strong proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink for system-level modeling and simulation 
• Demonstrated applied experience using CFD tools such as CONVERGE, STAR-CCM+, ANSYS Fluent, or similar for internal combustion engine analysis 
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOD Security Clearance is required.

• Experience with engine-airframe integration and propulsion system installation design 
• Experience developing reduced-order models or control-oriented models for real-time simulation 
• Familiarity with 1D system modeling tools (e.g., GT-SUITE, AMESim, Ricardo WAVE) 
• Experience with experimental engine testing, instrumentation, and data correlation 
• Demonstrated validation, verification, and uncertainty quantification (UQ) of propulsion system models 
• Experience with optimization methods applied to thermal management or propulsion system design 
• Knowledge of aircraft electrical systems and hybrid-electric propulsion architectures 
• Experience contributing to production-quality engineering software using modern development practices 

• Internal Title: Engineer V
• Experience Level: Senior (8+ years)
• Full-Time/Part-Time: Full-Time Salary
• Workstyle: Onsite
• Pay Range Low: 109,500
• Pay Range High: 187,875
• Job Category: Engineering
• Travel Percentage Required: 0% - 25%
• Relocation Assistance Provided?: Yes
• Clearance Required?: Desired
• US Citizenship Required?: Yes
• Clearance Level: Secret
• Employee Referral Bonus Amount: 1000.00