Senior Aerospace Engineer: Performance & Design

Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc. (ESAero); San Luis Obispo (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness plans

PTO

Life Insurance

HSA

401(k) with company match

Paid holidays

Casual dress code

On-site work environment

Job summary

Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc. (ESAero) in San Luis Obispo, CA, seeks a Senior Aerospace Engineer focused on performance and design to advance new aircraft concepts and control systems.

This on-site role collaborates across disciplines and guides design decisions through analysis, modeling, and tools development. Candidates should have 5+ years in aerospace engineering, strong MATLAB/Python skills, and experience with flight performance analysis and conceptual design.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering or equivalent is required.
• 5+ years of relevant engineering experience.
• Proficiency with MATLAB and/or Python.
• Proficiency with aircraft flight performance analysis and conceptual design.
• Fundamental understanding of aerodynamics, stability & control, and related disciplines.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strong writing and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Conduct aircraft conceptual design and sizing studies.
• Analyze aerodynamics, propulsion, and flight performance.
• Set up and run vehicle and component optimizations.
• Perform analysis, simulation, and trade studies to support design decisions.
• Research technologies, analysis methods, and regulations to guide aircraft design.
• Develop, test, and implement software-based design tools.
• Mentor or supervise junior engineers and communicate results clearly.
• Collaborate with team to achieve project goals.

Skills

MATLAB

Python

Flight performance analysis

Aerodynamics & stability

MS Office

Writing & presentation

OpenVSP / VSPAERO

XFOIL

CFD tools (Altair/OVERFLOW)

Git

SolidWorks

C++

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering or equivalent

Master's degree in aerospace engineering or equivalent

Tools

Simulink

OpenVSP / VSPAERO

XFOIL

AVL

CFD tools (Altair/OVERFLOW)

Job description

Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc. (ESAero) in San Luis Obispo, CA, seeks a Senior Aerospace Engineer focused on performance and design to advance new aircraft concepts and control systems.

This on-site role collaborates across disciplines and guides design decisions through analysis, modeling, and tools development. Candidates should have 5+ years in aerospace engineering, strong MATLAB/Python skills, and experience with flight performance analysis and conceptual design.