Lead CFD Engineer – High‑Speed Aerodynamics & Missiles

Zone 5 Technologies; Fort Walton Beach (FL); On-site; USD 149,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision, life

401k with company-match

Paid time off (3 weeks)

Sick time (40 hours)

Company holidays (12)

Job summary

Zone 5 Technologies is seeking an experienced CFD Lead to drive high‑fidelity CFD analysis for air‑launched effects and munitions. You will lead simulations across RANS/URANS/DES, validate against wind tunnel and flight test data, and collaborate with Propulsion, GNC, and Design teams to ensure performance under demanding launch and flight conditions.

The role requires mentoring other engineers, developing automated CFD workflows, and presenting findings at design reviews.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's often expected for senior roles.
• At least 8 years leading CFD in product-driven programs.
• Proficiency with major aerospace CFD solvers and meshing tools.
• Experience with validation against wind tunnel/flight test data.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-fidelity CFD analyses (RANS/URANS/DES) for missiles and interceptors.
• Document procedures for CFD-based aerodynamic databases.
• Allocate resources, timelines, and deliverables at program level.
• Validate CFD with wind tunnel/flight data and investigate discrepancies.
• Develop mesh generation and grid-convergence studies for complex geometries.
• Integrate aerodynamic data into vehicle design and performance models.
• Present results at design reviews and internal discussions.
• Mentor other aerodynamics/CFD engineers and review methods.
• Create automated workflows for HPC batch jobs and post-processing.

Skills

8+ years CFD leadership

CFD analysis

Python/MATLAB scripting

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor's in Aerospace/Mechanical Eng

Master's degree preferred

Tools

CFD++

OVERFLOW

FUN3D

STAR-CCM+

ANSYS Fluent

Pointwise

ANSA

Chimera Grid Tools

ParaView

FieldView

ANSYS Workbench

Job description

Zone 5 Technologies is seeking an experienced CFD Lead to drive high‑fidelity CFD analysis for air‑launched effects and munitions. You will lead simulations across RANS/URANS/DES, validate against wind tunnel and flight test data, and collaborate with Propulsion, GNC, and Design teams to ensure performance under demanding launch and flight conditions.

The role requires mentoring other engineers, developing automated CFD workflows, and presenting findings at design reviews.