Propulsion Engineer - Flight-Ready Engine Tuning & Testing

Poseidon Aerospace; Alameda (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation support

Equity

Health benefits

6% Retirement matching

Unlimited PTO

Free lunches

AI tools

Job summary

Poseidon Aerospace in the San Francisco Bay Area is seeking a Propulsion Engineer to lead the propulsion team from engine assembly to flight-ready calibration, testing, and validation. This is a hands-on role centered on engine assembly, design, tuning, and qualification via testing.

If you have interest in aviation, hands-on test environments, and high-performance engine tuning, join us to advance propulsion for autonomous cargo aircraft.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience tuning, calibrating, and bringing up EFI piston engine systems: aviation, motorsport, engine-swap, or standalone-ECU backgrounds are strongly relevant.
• Experience qualifying or validating engines on a test cell, dyno, or test stand, and ideally through ground and flight testing.
• Practical knowledge of aviation and automotive fuels (AvGas, MoGas) and their effect on calibration.
• Comfortable working at the bench and on the aircraft, with strong, self-directed troubleshooting instincts.
• Strong collaboration skills to communicate verification findings and design feedback clearly across disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Calibrate the engine across the full aviation operating envelope: fueling, ignition, idle stability, transient response, knock, and closed-loop strategy on a standalone ECU, with the propeller governor tuned to performance and reliability targets.
• Run the engine test program on an instrumented test stand: break-in, bring-up, performance mapping, and endurance/qualification runs that prove each engine flight-ready.
• Bring up the integrated engine from assembled hardware through verification: Outfit assemblies, prepare systems, diagnose faults, and close out anomalies.
• Operate test instrumentation and DAQ: Specify and collect required data to drive propulsion system improvements and validation in a safe and traceable manner.
• Translate & Present findings: Distill, document, and present data to validate requirements, limits, and drive design changes. Work closely with other teams to refine and improve propulsion systems.
• Refine & Develop the break-in, operating, inspection, and maintenance procedures: Document and collect the procedures that carry the propulsion systems through test stand runs, ground runs, and flight tests.

Skills

EFI tuning

4-stroke engines

Dyno test stand

Propulsion systems

Diagnostics & troubleshooting

FOD & shop safety

Tools

Engine Dyno

DAQ systems

Data acquisition

Job description

Poseidon Aerospace in the San Francisco Bay Area is seeking a Propulsion Engineer to lead the propulsion team from engine assembly to flight-ready calibration, testing, and validation. This is a hands-on role centered on engine assembly, design, tuning, and qualification via testing.

If you have interest in aviation, hands-on test environments, and high-performance engine tuning, join us to advance propulsion for autonomous cargo aircraft.