Senior Aerodynamics Engineer - Supersonic Flight & ADB Lead

Wardstone; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Wardstone in El Segundo, CA seeks a senior aerodynamicist to own the aerodynamics of interceptors, shaping the vehicle’s exterior and maintaining the aerodynamic database for flight simulations. You’ll work closely with founders and with mechanical, GNC, and propulsion engineers to take design from concept through wind tunnel testing to flight.

You will run CFD/analyses across Mach numbers, verify stability, and participate in flight data validation to improve models.

Qualifications

• BS in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering; MS/PhD preferred.
• 5+ years of applied aerodynamics experience on flight vehicles.
• Experience building aerodynamic databases for flight simulation.
• Strong command of supersonic aerodynamics and stability and control.
• Hands-on CFD experience with Star-CCM+, Fluent, FUN3D or Cart3D.
• Proficiency in Python or MATLAB for analysis and automation.
• Must be a U.S. person eligible for ITAR clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own the aerodynamic design of the outer mold line with the mechanical team.
• Design and size the control surfaces and fins for the flight envelope.
• Run trade studies on body shape, nose shape, and layout.
• Build the aerodynamic database for 6DOF simulations and keep under version control.
• Quantify uncertainty in the ADB for Monte Carlo analysis.
• Use Missile DATCOM and CFD for fast trades and detailed analysis.
• Analyze stability, control effectiveness, and transonic/supersonic regimes.
• Estimate heating and distributed loads for mechanical design.
• Model propulsion–aerodynamic interactions with the propulsion team.
• Plan and run wind tunnel tests; correlate data with flight results.
• Support flight tests with pre-flight predictions and trajectory reconstruction.

Skills

Aerospace Engineering

Aerodynamics

Stability & Control

Python

MATLAB

Data Reduction

U.S. Person for ITAR

Education

B.S. in Aerospace Engineering or Mechanical Engineering

M.S. or Ph.D. preferred

Tools

Star-CCM+

Fluent

FUN3D

Cart3D

Missile DATCOM

Git / Version Control

Python

Job description

Wardstone in El Segundo, CA seeks a senior aerodynamicist to own the aerodynamics of interceptors, shaping the vehicle’s exterior and maintaining the aerodynamic database for flight simulations. You’ll work closely with founders and with mechanical, GNC, and propulsion engineers to take design from concept through wind tunnel testing to flight.

You will run CFD/analyses across Mach numbers, verify stability, and participate in flight data validation to improve models.