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Aerodynamics Engineer

San Luis Obispo, California, United States; United States

Join us at Zone 5 Technologies where innovation and cutting-edge technology drive pioneering advancements in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Based in the vibrant city of San Luis Obispo CA, we're seeking talented individuals to join and contribute to our growing team.

We thrive on pushing boundaries and inventing solutions to real-world challenges. Join a community of forward-thinkers who collaborate to create impactful products with a global reach. Our team, consisting of engineers and professionals, is prepared to overcome new frontiers and deliver innovative solutions in the field of unmanned aircraft systems.

We are seeking an Aerodynamics Engineer to join our Flight Sciences team. Our ideal candidate will have demonstrable experiences within the field of aerodynamics and have a drive to work on the aerodynamic design, analysis, and optimization of advanced Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).  

We are looking for candidates that embody a solid understanding of fluid dynamics, aerodynamic design, mechanical integration, aircraft design, and flight mechanics. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated use of tools in their tool belt ranging from hand calculations, computational methods wind tunnels, and/or flight testing of physical hardware in validating their designs and meeting their objectives This individual avoids siloing and consciously balances priority and speed with scaling products, and they have a mission focused on supporting our customers. 

 

Key Responsibilities: 

  • Perform aerodynamic design and analysis of wide range of UAS systems. 
  • Conduct low, mid, or high fidelity CFD simulations to assess aerodynamic or mechanical designs, and/or predict aircraft aerodynamic performance and stability. 
  • Develop and validate aerodynamic models using combinations of CFD, wind tunnel testing, and/or flight test data. 
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (structures, propulsion, controls, systems engineering) to integrate aerodynamic insights into the overall design. 
  • Assist in the development of flight test plans and post-flight data analysis. 
  • Preparing technical reports and design documentation. 
  • Present findings to key stakeholders and our customers.

Qualifications: 

  • A Masters's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field is strongly preferred.  
  • 2–5 years of working in aerodynamics for aircraft, UAVs, or a similar field. 
  • Experience with lower or mid fidelity aerodynamic modeling tools, e.g. 2D airfoil solvers, vortex lattice, lifting line, particle methods., or equivalence. 
  • Experience with any Navier-Stokes based CFD tools (e.g., ANSYS Fluent, STAR-CCM+, OpenFOAM, Fun3D or Overflow) and subsequent mesh generation and visualization software for analysis, or equivalence. 
  • Experience with data visualization tools, e.g. MATLAB & Python, Tecplot, ParaView and working in a version control environment, e.g. git. 
  • Industrial wind tunnel testing: model design, techniques, instrumentation, and data reduction.
  • Applied Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) tools for aircraft design and performance analysis. 
  • Applied designs in incompressible, compressible, and high-speed aerodynamics. 
  • Applied stability & control theory, flight dynamics, and performance analysis. 
  • A candidate does not have to have all of the professional experiences listed above to be considered. 
  • U.S. Citizenship or equivalent status required for defense-related work. Security clearance (or eligibility) is a strong plus. 

Preferred Skills: 

  • Aerodynamic detailed design and surfacing. 
  • Missile aerodynamics in lift/drag prediction, control authority, pitch/yaw/roll coupling. 
  • Flight testing, telemetry analysis, SysID, and/ or real-time simulation environments. 
  • Aerodynamics loads generation, dynamics, and aeroelastics. 
  • Certification processes, CFRs,  MIL-STDs.

 

 

Pay range for this role

$100,000 - $140,000 USD

What's in it for you:

Benefits: 

  • Competitive total compensation package 
  • Comprehensive benefit package options include medical, dental, vision, life, and more.
  • 401k with company-match 
  • 4 weeks of paid time off each year
  • 12 annual company holidays

Why Join Zone 5 Technologies?

  • Innovative Environment: Work on cutting-edge technology that is shaping the future of defense and aerospace.
  • Collaborative Culture: Join a team of passionate professionals dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
  • Career Growth: Opportunities for professional development and career advancement.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

If you are passionate about unmanned aircraft technology and want to be a part of a dynamic and growing company, we would love to hear from you. Apply today and join the Zone 5 Technologies team! 

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