Propulsion CFD Engineer: Thruster & Plume Expert

The Exploration Company; Bordeaux; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The Exploration Company is seeking a Propulsion CFD Engineer to lead CFD analyses for propulsion components and thruster plumes in support of spacecraft design. You will simulate internal flow, perform design trades, and contribute to vehicle-level integration decisions.

You will model plume characteristics, assess forces and thermal impacts on adjacent subsystems, and help translate CFD results into actionable design inputs.

Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in aerospace or related field, with 3+ years of hands-on CFD experience relevant to propulsion or fluid dynamics.
• Proficiency with CFD software such as ANSYS Fluent, STAR-CCM+, OpenFOAM, or equivalent.
• Experience modeling compressible, multiphase, and/or rarefied gas flows relevant to propulsion valves and thruster plumes.
• Familiarity with plume characterization methods such as DSMC or continuum-rarefied coupling is a strong plus.
• Strong grounding in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and gas dynamics fundamentals.
• Experience correlating CFD predictions against test data.
• Familiarity with scripting or automation (Python, MATLAB) for meshing, post-processing, or workflow automation.
• Fluent in English. German and French are an asset

Responsibilities

• Perform CFD simulations of propulsion components — valves, regulators, orifices, injectors, feed lines — to characterize internal flow and loads.
• Support design trade studies by predicting component-level performance across operating envelope in steady and transient conditions.
• Identify and help resolve flow anomalies such as cavitation, choking, or flow separation.
• Model thruster plume characterization from near-field expansion to far-field rarefied flow and assess effects on surfaces.
• Support system-level trades on component sizing, thruster placement, and plume shielding.
• Validate CFD models against test data to build model confidence and maintain workflows for timely design reviews.

Skills

CFD experience

Aerospace

Python

MATLAB

English fluency

Multiphase flow

Plume modeling

Education

MS or PhD in aerospace

Tools

ANSYS Fluent

STAR-CCM+

OpenFOAM

Python

MATLAB

Job description

The Exploration Company is seeking a Propulsion CFD Engineer to lead CFD analyses for propulsion components and thruster plumes in support of spacecraft design. You will simulate internal flow, perform design trades, and contribute to vehicle-level integration decisions.

You will model plume characteristics, assess forces and thermal impacts on adjacent subsystems, and help translate CFD results into actionable design inputs.