CFD Engineer

Socket.dev; Tucson (AZ); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Job summary

Tiberius Aerospace seeks a CFD Engineer to support aerodynamic and propulsion analysis for advanced air vehicle and munition programs. You will perform meshing, solving, and post-processing of high-fidelity CFD for internal and external flows across subsonic to high-supersonic regimes.

Collaborating with aerodynamics and propulsion engineers, you will turn design questions into CFD studies and translate results into actionable guidance for the team, with growth potential as programs mature.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of CFD experience in aerospace applications.
• B.S. or higher in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• Hands-on experience with major CFD solvers (Fluent, STAR-CCM+, CFD++).
• Must be a U.S. citizen and eligible for U.S. government security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Set up, solve, and post-process high-fidelity CFD for internal and external flows across flight regimes.
• Support inlet, combustor, and nozzle analyses and propulsion CFD workflows.
• Generate CFD databases to support vehicle performance modeling and trajectory simulation.
• Manage HPC CFD job submission, convergence and data management.

Skills

CFD experience

CFD post-processing

Clearance eligible

Education

B.S. in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Fluent

STAR-CCM+

CFD++

FUN3D

Kestrel

Job description

CFD Engineer - Aerodynamics & Propulsion

High-Fidelity Simulation | Internal & External Flows | Inlet, Combustor & Nozzle Analysis

Job Title CFD Engineer - Aerodynamics & Propulsion

Location Hybrid; remote considered for the right candidate

Employment Type Full Time

Department Engineering / Aerodynamics & Propulsion

Reports To Shawn Gilmore

Salary Range $100,000 to $150,000

Equity Yes

About Tiberius Aerospace

Tiberius Aerospace is a cutting-edge Aerospace and Defense company delivering advanced, mission-critical technologies for government and private sector customers. The company focuses on high-performance aerospace systems, secure engineering solutions, and the development of complex hardware built for demanding operational environments. Tiberius is scaling quickly and is looking for engineers who can operate with ownership, urgency, and technical discipline in a high-stakes environment.

Position Overview

Tiberius Aerospace is seeking a CFD Engineer to support aerodynamic and propulsion analysis for our advanced air vehicle and munition programs. This role is hands-on with the simulation stack: meshing, solving, and post-processing high-fidelity CFD for internal flows (inlets, combustors, nozzles) and external aerodynamics across subsonic through high-supersonic regimes. You will work closely with aerodynamics and propulsion engineers to turn design questions into well-posed CFD studies and turn CFD results into design guidance the rest of the team can use. This is an excellent role for an engineer who wants deep, hands-on computational experience on real flight hardware programs.

What You'll Do

• Set up, solve, and post-process high-fidelity CFD simulations for internal flows including inlets, combustors, and nozzles, and external aerodynamic flows across the flight envelope.
• Support inlet and nozzle flow path design studies using high-fidelity RANS or transient CFD as appropriate to the design phase.
• Generate aerodynamic and propulsion databases from CFD results for use in vehicle performance modeling and trajectory simulation.
• Develop and execute large-scale parametric CFD studies on commercial or government high-performance computing platforms.
• Support combustor and reacting-flow analysis workflows including fuel injection, atomization, and combustion process modeling as applicable to the propulsion architecture.
• Correlate CFD predictions against wind tunnel, direct-connect, or flight test data and help refine simulation setup based on observed discrepancies.
• Document CFD methodology, mesh and solver settings, and validation basis for each major analysis campaign.

Collaborate with the Aero-Propulsion and Flight Dynamics & Controls teams to ensure CFD-derived data products meet the fidelity and format requirements of downstream simulation users.

CFD Methods & Simulation Execution

• Develop and refine computational meshes for internal and external flow domains, balancing mesh resolution against turnaround time requirements for each phase of design.
• Configure and run RANS and, where required, transient high-fidelity CFD simulations (such as DES or DDES) for inlet and combustor performance, nozzle flow, and external aerodynamic characterization.
• Apply viscous-coupled panel methods or method-of-characteristics tools for rapid conceptual-level aerodynamic design studies ahead of higher-fidelity CFD confirmation.
• Post-process CFD results to extract performance metrics such as pressure recovery, distortion, thrust and drag bookkeeping, and aerodynamic coefficients, and package results into formats usable by the performance modeling and trajectory simulation teams.
• Support reacting-flow CFD setup for combustor analysis, including fuel injection and atomization modeling, working under the direction of propulsion engineers.
• Manage CFD job submission, monitoring, and data management on HPC platforms, troubleshooting convergence issues and solver stability problems as they arise.
• Support correlation studies comparing CFD predictions to wind tunnel, ground test, and flight test data, helping identify and document sources of discrepancy.
• Maintain CFD case documentation including mesh generation procedures, boundary condition definitions, solver settings, and convergence criteria for reproducibility and audit.

Operational & Cross-Functional Support

• Coordinate with Aero-Propulsion team members on CFD study scope, priority, and turnaround requirements relative to program design milestones.
• Provide aerodynamic and propulsion data products to the Flight Dynamics & Controls team for trajectory simulation and stability analysis use.
• Support test planning activities by providing pre-test CFD predictions used to define wind tunnel or ground test points and success criteria.
• Participate in design reviews and provide CFD-based technical support for aerodynamic and propulsion design decisions.
• Coordinate with IT or computing infrastructure support on HPC account access, software licensing, and computational resource allocation.
• Support documentation of CFD methodology and results for program milestone review packages.

What You’ll Bring

• B.S. or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• 2 to 5 years of CFD experience, which may include relevant graduate research, internships, or industry experience on air vehicle, propulsion, or munition programs.
• Hands-on experience with at least one major CFD solver (e.g., commercial codes such as Fluent or STAR-CCM+, or DoD/academic codes such as FUN3D, Kestrel, or CFD++).
• Working knowledge of meshing tools and mesh generation strategies for internal and external aerodynamic flow domains.
• Understanding of compressible aerodynamics and propulsion flow physics across subsonic through high-supersonic regimes.
• Proficiency in CFD post-processing, data reduction, and automation.
• Must be a U.S. citizen and eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with internal flow CFD for inlets, combustors, or nozzles on air-breathing propulsion systems.
• Experience with reacting-flow or combustion CFD modeling.
• Familiarity with transient high-fidelity methods such as DES, DDES, or LES for operability and distortion analysis.
• Experience running CFD on commercial or DoD HPC platforms, including job scheduling and parallel scaling.
• Background correlating CFD predictions against wind tunnel, ground test, and flight test data.
• Experience with high-dynamic, high-g, or gun-launched flight environments.
• Active or clearable to obtain a U.S. government security clearance.

What We're Looking For

A CFD engineer who is genuinely comfortable in the weeds of a simulation — mesh quality, boundary conditions, convergence behavior — and who can troubleshoot a stalled solver without escalating every issue.

Someone who understands that a CFD result is only useful if it is correctly framed, documented, and handed off in a format the next person can actually use.

An engineer who is eager to grow technical depth in propulsion integration and flight vehicle aerodynamics, with strong fundamentals and the right instincts to build on.

Someone who communicates results clearly, flags uncertainty honestly, and is comfortable saying when a result does not look right rather than passing along a number without scrutiny.

A team player who enjoys working closely with a senior lead, absorbing methodology, and taking on increasing analysis ownership over time.

Compensation & Benefits

Tiberius Aerospace offers competitive base compensation commensurate with experience, equity participation, comprehensive health benefits, and 401(k). Specific compensation will be discussed during the interview process.

Growth Opportunity

This role offers the opportunity to build deep, hands-on CFD expertise on real flight hardware programs, working directly with Aero-Propulsion colleagues on propulsion integration and vehicle aerodynamics for next-generation precision strike systems. As Tiberius scales through Series A and into full-rate development, this person will have the opportunity to take on increasing analysis ownership, lead CFD studies independently, and grow into a senior aerodynamics or propulsion engineering role.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Tiberius Aerospace Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Company maintains policies and practices designed to prevent discrimination or harassment against any qualified applicant or employee to the extent prohibited by federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law is prohibited. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or need an alternative method for applying, you may contact [e-mail] for assistance. Tiberius Aerospace Inc. participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your I-9 Form information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.