Senior Combustion Engineer – Propulsion & CFD Innovation

Mach Industries Inc.; San Luis Obispo (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plans

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Mach Industries is seeking a Combustion Engineer to lead research, design, development, testing, and optimization of advanced combustion systems for gas turbine engines and propulsion applications. The role requires expertise in combustion science, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer and involves experimental investigations, data analysis, and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor's degree (Master's/PhD preferred) in a relevant engineering

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize combustion systems for gas turbine engines, propulsion systems, and advanced energy applications.
• Plan, execute, and analyze laboratory and engine-level combustion experiments to evaluate combustion efficiency, flame stability, emissions, ignition performance, and thermal characteristics.
• Investigate combustion dynamics, turbulent reacting flows, and combustion instability mechanisms using experimental and analytical techniques.
• Perform thermal-fluid analyses to improve combustor performance, fuel-air mixing, cooling effectiveness, and emissions reduction.
• Develop experimental test plans, define instrumentation requirements, and support combustion rig and engine testing activities.
• Analyze large experimental datasets using statistical methods and advanced signal processing techniques.
• Correlate experimental findings with CFD simulations and analytical models to improve design accuracy.
• Support root cause investigations involving combustion performance, operability, emissions, and hardware durability.
• Collaborate with design and systems engineering, manufacturing, test engineering, and program management teams to develop combustion hardware.
• Prepare engineering reports, technical presentations, design documentation, and test summaries for internal and customer reviews.
• Participate in design reviews and provide technical recommendations for combustor improvements and new technology development.
• Support qualification, verification, and validation activities for combustion components and systems.
• Stay current on emerging combustion technologies, sustainable fuels, emissions regulations, and propulsion advancements.

Skills

MATLAB

Python

Combustion fundamentals

CFD

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline

Master's or Ph.D. preferred with specialization in Combustion, Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Aerospace Propulsion, or Thermal Sciences

Tools

ANSYS Fluent

STAR-CCM+

OpenFOAM

Job description

Mach Industries is seeking a Combustion Engineer to lead research, design, development, testing, and optimization of advanced combustion systems for gas turbine engines and propulsion applications. The role requires expertise in combustion science, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer and involves experimental investigations, data analysis, and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor's degree (Master's/PhD preferred) in a relevant engineering