Aerodynamics Analyst — CFD & Hypersonics Expert

Rocket Lab; Auckland; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Auckland, New Zealand, is seeking an Aerodynamics Analyst to join the Thermofluids Analysis team. You will predict aerodynamics and aerothermal environments for Electron and Neutron across all mission phases, generating aerotables and validating CFD analyses.

Responsibilities include modeling plumes, defining re-entry architecture, collaborating with design/test engineers, and ensuring positive margins through numerical and physical testing.

Qualifications

• A degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or similar field.
• 1+ years industry experience, ideally from the Aerospace, Automotive, or Marine industries.
• A keen physics and first principles-based approach to problem solving.
• Expertise with one or more industry standard CFD packages: Fluent, CFX, STAR-CCM+.
• Experience in engineering programming, especially using Python (including Python packages numpy, pandas, scipy, matplotlib, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability executing to changing deadlines in a high-pressure and fast-paced work environment.
• Experience using NX CAD and Teamcenter packages (or comparable industry standard packages) with emphasis on model interrogation and defeaturing for subsequent analysis.
• Experience with sensor selection and data post-processing/ interpretation (accelerometers, strain gauges, thermocouples etc.).
• Experience with one or more industry standard thermal modelling packages: Thermal Desktop, THERMICA, NX SST
• Experience in mentoring junior engineers

Responsibilities

• Generate aerotables and characterise vehicle performance—covering stability, control authority, loads, pressure distributions, and aerodynamic design of vehicle control surfaces
• Perform, validate, and document CFD analyses of external flow across hypersonic, transonic and subsonic regimes, and characterise aerodynamic and heating environments, transients, and separation events
• Model plumes and plume interactions (base heating, PIFS, impingement) and define re-entry architecture, including ballistic coefficients, ConOps, and compartment venting
• Work closely with design and test engineers to iterate design concepts, determine test requirements, and demonstrate positive margins through numerical analysis, and physical test
• Works closely with the GNC team to enable them to safely land and recover Neutron’s 1st Stage
• Process and interpret ground test and flight data—confirming MPE bounds, detecting out-of-family results, and resolving sensor configuration issues

Skills

Physics-based problem solving

Python programming

Mentoring

Deadline-driven

Education

Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Fluent CFD

CFX

STAR-CCM+

NX CAD

Teamcenter

Thermal Desktop

THERMICA

NX SST

Accelerometers data post-processing

Job description

Rocket Lab in Auckland, New Zealand, is seeking an Aerodynamics Analyst to join the Thermofluids Analysis team. You will predict aerodynamics and aerothermal environments for Electron and Neutron across all mission phases, generating aerotables and validating CFD analyses.

Responsibilities include modeling plumes, defining re-entry architecture, collaborating with design/test engineers, and ensuring positive margins through numerical and physical testing.