Powerplant Engineer

Dominion Dynamics; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company equity

Comprehensive health benefits

Equity based on impact

Job summary

Dominion Dynamics in Ottawa is seeking a hands-on Propulsion Engineer to own the propulsion architecture, select engines, model performance across flight envelopes, and integrate the powerplant into the airframe from design through production and field support.

This role demands strong engine-cycle analysis, airframe interface experience, and the ability to define ICDs and maintain aircraft health and maintenance interfaces, with opportunity to influence CAF-grade defence capability.

Qualifications

• Experience across engine selection, integration, testing, and in-service support.
• Strong engine cycle analysis and performance modeling.
• Hands-on airframe integration with nacelle, mounts, inlet/exhaust.
• Authoring and owning ICDs and defining subsystem interfaces.
• Comfort with design, production, and field problem disposition.

Responsibilities

• Run engine selection and trade studies across missions.
• Model engine performance across takeoff to descent.
• Lead full propulsion system integration with interfaces.
• Define maintenance and continued airworthiness concepts.
• Support production and flight-test planning and disposition of issues.
• Dispositions of NCRs/ECRs and field issues.

Skills

Propulsion design

Engine cycle analysis

Airframe integration

ICD ownership

Hardware field disposition

Job description

Location

Ottawa (Montreal and Toronto considered)

Reports to

Director of Aircraft Systems

Type

Full-time

The Role

The propulsion system is where the hardest tradeoffs on the aircraft collide — thrust, weight, fuel burn, thermal load, and airframe geometry all pulling against each other, with no room to defer the decision. You own that intersection. You'll select the engine, model its performance across the full flight envelope, and physically integrate the powerplant into the airframe — then carry it through production, flight test, and into the field.

This is a hands‑on, high‑ownership role. You set the propulsion architecture and the interfaces the rest of the aircraft is built around, and you stay with the system from first trade study to first start to continued airworthiness. When an engine issue surfaces on the line or in the field, you're the one who dispositions it.

What You’ll Do

• Run engine selection and trade studies — evaluate candidate platforms against mission profiles, scoring weight, thrust/power, SFC, emissions, acoustics, and lifecycle cost to downselect the optimal powerplant.
• Model engine performance across takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, and transient conditions — including installation losses (inlet recovery, nozzle losses, bleed and horsepower extraction) — using simulations to predict and validate steady‑state and transient metrics.
• Lead airframe integration of the full powerplant assembly (engine, inlet, nacelle, pylon, mounts, exhaust) — managing clearance, thermal protection, vibration isolation, servicing access, nacelle drag, mount loads, and fire zone boundaries with the structures and aero teams.
• Own the interface definitions — author and maintain the ICDs that fix every mechanical, fluid, electrical, and logical boundary between engine and airframe, and optimize the critical subsystem interfaces: fuel (feed sizing, heating, venting, shutoff), thermal/anti‑ice (bleed extraction, valve control), electrical (generator/starter extraction, harness routing, grounding), and avionics (control logic, CAS indication, health monitoring).
• Support production and flight test — back manufacturing and final assembly through installation and rigging, disposition NCRs, ECRs, and fit issues, and help write flight test plans, monitor ground runs (first start, dry/wet motoring), and analyze engine flight test data.
• Define maintenance and continuing airworthiness — establish baseline maintenance tasks, removal/installation procedures, and ICA; set requirements for engine health monitoring, vibration diagnostics, and LRU swap protocols; and support the field on failure analysis and service bulletins.

What You Bring

• Propulsion or powerplant engineering experience across the full lifecycle — from engine selection through integration, test, and in‑service support.
• Strong engine cycle analysis and performance modeling, including installation effects across the flight envelope.
• Hands‑on airframe integration experience: nacelle, mounts, inlet/exhaust, and the mechanical, fluid, and electrical interfaces that go with them.
• Authoring and owning Interface Control Documents and driving subsystem interface definitions across teams.
• Comfort at the intersection of design, production, and field — dispositioning real hardware issues, not just analysis on paper.

No defence background required.

Nice to Have

• Experience with engine simulation tools or building in‑house propulsion simulations.
• Control logic and engine indication/health‑monitoring (CAS, EHM, vibration diagnostics) exposure.
• Flight test participation — ground runs, motoring, and flight data reduction.
• Familiarity with continued airworthiness and certification (ICA, service bulletins, non‑conformance disposition).

We've hired people who didn't tick every box. If this is the work you want to do.

Why Join Us

Building something meaningful starts with the right people.

At Dominion Dynamics you’ll:

• Shape Canada’s future by building real defence capability for the CAF and our allies.
• Make decisions that ship in a high‑trust environment with short feedback loops and rapid iteration.
• Move fast, field faster, and work directly with the operator — our systems are in the field with the CAF now.
• Have an impact from day one with equity, responsibility, and direct access to leadership.

If you’re curious, hands‑on, and driven by the opportunity to make a difference, this is where you belong!

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary and company equity*
• Comprehensive health benefits
• Additional equity granted based on impact*

We use AI tools to support parts of the hiring process, including screening and reviewing responses. Final hiring decisions are always made by people and follow all applicable privacy and employment laws in Canada.

Equity awarded to full time employees only.