Senior Engineering Lead – Vehicle Performance & Dynamics

Horizon Aircraft; Lindsay; Hybrid; CAD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

No Holiday Cap

Competitive Group Benefits Plan

Company Stock Purchase Program

Hybrid Work Options

Job summary

Horizon Aircraft is seeking a Senior Engineering Lead – Vehicle Performance & Dynamics in Ontario. You will own the flight physics disciplines to deliver a world-class eVTOL product, guiding teams through design, testing, and certification.

The role requires hands-on leadership across aero, loads, flight mechanics, and thermal analyses, with extensive collaboration across stakeholders. The position emphasizes building a high-performance flight sciences team, maintaining rigorous engineering

Qualifications

• 10+ years in performance & dynamics in aerospace.
• Hands-on experience with eVTOL regulations (TC, FAA, EASA).
• Experience with ARP4754/ARP4761 and related standards.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Own the aircraft performance model including envelope, energy budgets, weight limits, and range/endurance.
• Lead aerodynamics discipline: rotor/propeller design, CFD campaigns, wind tunnels.
• Guide loads program: maneuver, gust, landing, and dynamic loads.
• Lead the 6-DOF flight mechanics model: trim, stability derivatives, controllability margins.
• Guide vehicle-level thermal analysis: heat rejection and margin reports.
• Lead NVH program: noise, vibration characterization and mitigation.
• Own the engineering flight simulator: datum configuration and validation.
• Author means of compliance for flight physics with aviation authorities.
• Build and lead the flight sciences team; manage vendors and partners.
• Uphold standards, ensure quality and timely delivery.

Skills

Flight dynamics

Performance modeling

Aerospace

Systems engineering

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

CFD analysis

Flight simulation

Job description

A career at Horizon is for those who want to do something extraordinary, yet with meaningful purpose. We take pride in pushing the boundaries of technology and customer experience to deliver something that has never been done before. We are a fast-moving organization that promotes a hands‑on approach, supporting each other through the tough spots, generating a close‑knit team with a family feel.

What we do here is hard, but then very few things worth achieving are easy. By joining Horizon, you will have the opportunity to work with our world‑class entrepreneurial team who are passionate about delivering something special.

What we need you to bring

Horizon is seeking an open, enthusiastic, experienced Senior Engineering Lead – Vehicle Performance & Dynamics. Your role takes ownership of the flight physics or flight sciences disciplines at Horizon, to deliver a world class product and capability. Working within a complex stakeholder landscape and often with immature, developing and changing requirements, you will be expected to be hands on, assist and guide our internal departments to scope, develop, and deliver solutions. This is a prominent position within our organization, which puts people at the heart of its success, with great follow-on prospects. As our team grows, we expect you to take on direct team management responsibilities.

Your Day‑to‑Day

• Own the aircraft performance model. Envelope boundaries, mission energy budgets, weight & balance limits, and range/endurance predictions; correlate continuously against flight test data
• Lead the aerodynamic discipline. Rotor/propeller design, CFD campaigns, wind tunnel programs, and airframe interference effects; approve aero databases used by FCS, structures, and simulation
• Guide the loads program. maneuver, gust, landing, and dynamic loads per applicable certification basis (SC‑VTOL, Part 23/27); issue loads envelopes to structures and fatigue teams
• Lead the 6‑DOF flight mechanics model. Trim, linearization, stability derivatives, and controllability margins; assess flying qualities against ADS‑33 / AC 29‑2 or equivalent
• Guide vehicle‑level thermal analysis. Motor, inverter, battery, and avionics heat rejection across all flight phases and environments; set thermal interface requirements and with your team produce margin reports for certification
• Lead the NVH program. Rotor, drivetrain, and airframe noise and vibration characterization; define vibration limits, manage acoustic test campaigns, and drive noise mitigation through design to meet community noise and cabin comfort targets
• Own the engineering flight simulator. Aero database configuration, model fidelity governance, and pilot‑in‑the‑loop evaluation programs; ensure the simulator remains a valid and controlled tool for FCS development, flying qualities assessment, and crew training support
• Author or review means of compliance for all flight physics–related airworthiness requirements; serve as primary technical authority with Transport Canada, FAA, or EASA on vehicle dynamics topics
• Build and lead the flight sciences team. Set technical standards, manage external vendors and research partners, and own the physics ICD to ensure timely deliverables to structures, FCS, propulsion, and flight test.
• Be an integral part of the team, projecting positive behaviours and influence onto the team
• Possess an in‑depth knowledge of the standards and specifications appropriate to the discipline
• Challenge the status quo, bring new ideas to improve engineering quality, productivity and timeliness of delivery
• Enforce standards, ensure rigor, resilience and continuous improvement in design solutions, meeting all regulatory requirements, conforming to specifications, quality and requirements within schedule and budget
• Stay up to date with, and implement the latest developments in your field
• Drive the continuous improvement of our processes to increase safety and efficiency

We are looking for people that will have the following qualifications and experiences: Demonstrated experience (10+ years) in a performance & dynamics role from aerospace, having worked across all phases of the lifecycle. Ideally you would have hands on experience eVTOL Certification regulations from the TCCA, FAA, and EASA. You must have experience working within ARP4754, ARP4761 and other relevant standards.

About Your Future Team

As part of the team, you will tackle challenges and deliver something that has never been done before. The team is currently full of multi-skilled individuals who are some of the first Engineers to have joined Horizon.

Benefits

• No Holiday Cap
• Competitive Group Benefits Plan
• Company Stock Purchase Program
• Hybrid Work Options

This is an incredible opportunity to be at the forefront of a ground‑breaking industry and work with a dynamic and innovative team. We offer a competitive salary, and the opportunity to work on some of the most exciting aerospace projects of our time.

If you have a passion for aerospace and eVTOL, and want to work on challenging and rewarding projects, please apply today!

Location

We are located just outside of Lindsay, in the Kawartha Lakes area of Ontario, Canada. Our team is onsite at our facility, as a group, a minimum of two days per week. We also have a growing team in the Ottawa area.

This role will be based in the Ottawa area, with occasional travel to Lindsay required. We offer relocation allowances in appropriate cases.

Not Quite Your Profile?

We would love for you to apply even if you have not met all the experience listed in this profile. We understand everyone’s career is unique and we welcome opportunities to broaden our knowledge in an open, diverse and inclusive way.