Senior Propulsion Engineer - Combustion Devices (m/f/d)

isaraerospace; Parsdorf; Vor Ort; EUR 90.000 - 130.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Employee share program

30 days vacation

Company pension plan

Subsidised lunch

Rental clothing with laundry service

Zusammenfassung

isaraerospace is seeking a senior technical contributor to lead CFD analyses of liquid rocket engine combustion hardware. You will define models, mesh, solve, verify, validate, and translate results into actionable design recommendations for injectors, preburners, gas generators, igniters and main combustion chambers.

You will advance premixed and non-premixed combustion models, perform RANS/URANS and scale-resolving simulations like LES where justified, and collaborate across design, thermal,

Qualifikationen

• MSc or PhD in aerospace, mechanical, chemical or computational engineering.
• 5–10 years of rocket propulsion experience with CFD and hardware development.
• Deep knowledge of combustion physics, chemical kinetics, flame structure, turbulence-chemistry interaction.
• Experience modelling reacting premixed and non-premixed flows at engine-like conditions.

Aufgaben

• Lead CFD analyses of reacting flows from meshing to validation.
• Develop premixed, partially premixed and non-premixed combustion models.
• Run steady and transient RANS/URANS; LES where justified.
• Model injector and chamber flows including multiphase and real-gas effects.
• Collaborate with design, thermal, structures, materials, test, engine systems and manufacturing teams to converge designs.

Kenntnisse

English proficiency

CFD verification

First principles judgement

Ausbildung

MSc/PhD in aerospace/ mechanical/ chemical/ computational engineering

Tools

STAR-CCM+

Ansys Fluent

Python

MATLAB

Jobbeschreibung

Mission Brief

You will be a senior technical contributor within Combustion Devices, responsible for high-fidelity combustion CFD and the physical understanding required to design, assess and mature liquid rocket engine combustion hardware. You will apply reactive-flow simulation, combustion fundamentals and test correlation to injectors, preburners , gas generators, ignition systems and main combustion chambers, ensuring that designs are performant, stable, thermally robust and ready for manufacture and hot-fire testing.

Your Role in Our Space Mission:

• Own and execute CFD analyses of reacting flows in liquid rocket engine combustion devices, from model definition and meshing through solution, verification, validation and technical recommendation.
• Develop and apply premixed , partially premixed and non-premixed combustion models for rocket-relevant propellant systems and operating conditions.
• Perform steady and transient RANS/URANS and, where justified, scale-resolving simulations such as LES to investigate mixing, ignition, flame stabilisation, combustion efficiency and unsteady heat release.
• Model injector and chamber flows including atomisation, evaporation, multiphase effects, real-gas behaviour, conjugate heat transfer and wall heat flux where relevant to the design question.
• Assess combustion stability and operability, including flame dynamics, pressure oscillations, injector coupling, acoustic interaction, chugging and high-frequency instability risks.
• Build robust CFD workflows in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and Ansys Fluent, including geometry preparation, meshing strategies, solver setup, automation, post-processing and model-quality documentation.
• Correlate simulations against component, cold-flow and hot-fire test data; quantify model uncertainty and clearly define the limits of predictive confidence.
• Translate CFD results into practical design decisions for injectors, chambers, preburners, gas generators, igniters, cooling concepts and combustion-device interfaces.
• Work closely with design, thermal, structures, materials, test, engine systems and manufacturing teams to converge combustion-device designs and resolve multidisciplinary issues.
• Plan analysis and validation activities, review work from colleagues and external partners, and contribute to technical reviews, development roadmaps and risk-retirement plans.
• Advance combustion modelling methods, engineering standards and reusable best practices across the Propulsion organisation.

Qualification Checklist

• MSc or PhD in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, computational engineering or a comparable technical discipline.
• Typically 5-10 years of professional experience in rocket propulsion, with substantial hands‑on responsibility for combustion CFD and combustion‑device development.
• Deep knowledge of fundamental combustion physics, chemical kinetics, flame structure, turbulence‑chemistry interaction, ignition and extinction phenomena.
• Demonstrated experience modelling reactive premixed and non‑premixed flows under rocket‑engine‑relevant pressure, temperature and mixture‑ratio conditions.
• Advanced proficiency in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and/or Ansys Fluent for complex reacting‑flow simulations; strong capability in meshing, solver selection, convergence assessment and post‑processing.
• Strong understanding of liquid rocket engine combustion devices, particularly injectors, preburners or gas generators, main combustion chambers, igniters and associated thermal environments.
• Experience with CFD verification and validation, mesh and time‑step sensitivity, uncertainty assessment and correlation to experimental or hot‑fire data.
• Proficiency in Python, MATLAB or a comparable language for automation, data reduction and engineering analysis.
• Strong technical ownership, first‑principles judgement, clear communication and professional fluency in English.

Bonus Skills

• Experience with LES or other scale‑resolving methods for combustion dynamics, instability and injector‑chamber coupling.
• Experience with spray combustion, atomisation, evaporation, real‑fluid or real‑gas thermodynamics, conjugate heat transfer, radiation or reacting multiphase flows.
• Experience supporting rocket‑engine hot‑fire campaigns, defining instrumentation needs and diagnosing combustion anomalies from test data.
• Experience developing custom models, user‑defined functions, reduced chemical mechanisms, HPC workflows or automated CFD pipelines.

Benefits

• Employee Participation Program: Share in our success through our virtual company share program
• 30 days of vacation: Enjoy the days off to relax and recharge
• Company pension plan: Secure your future with our company pension plan, featuring a 20% employer contribution after the probation period
• Subsidised lunch: Stay energised with delicious, subsidised lunches every day
• Rental clothing with laundry se