Senior Combustion Engineer - Propulsion Systems R&D

Mach Industries; San Luis Obispo (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plans

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Mach Industries in the United States is seeking a Combustion Engineer to lead research, design, and optimization of advanced combustion systems for gas turbine engines and propulsion applications, integrating combustion science with thermal-fluid analysis.

You will plan and execute lab and engine tests, analyze data with MATLAB/Python, and collaborate across engineering teams to translate findings into robust hardware and improved performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical or related engineering discipline.
• Master's or Ph.D. preferred with specialization in Combustion, Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Aerospace Propulsion, or Thermal Sciences.
• 4+ years of experience in combustion research, propulsion systems, thermal-fluid sciences, or related engineering disciplines.
• Experience designing and conducting combustion experiments and analyzing data.
• Proficiency with MATLAB, Python, or similar engineering tools and CFD software.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize combustion systems for gas turbine engines and propulsion applications.
• Plan, execute, and analyze laboratory and engine-level combustion experiments evaluating efficiency, emissions, ignition, and thermal characteristics.
• Investigate combustion dynamics, turbulent reacting flows, and instability mechanisms using experimental and analytical techniques.
• Perform thermal-fluid analyses to improve combustor performance, cooling, and emissions reduction.
• Prepare instrumentation plans, support combustion rig and engine testing activities, and correlate CFD with experimental results.

Skills

Combustion fundamentals

Gas turbine combustion

Thermodynamics

Heat transfer

Experimental testing

Data analysis

MATLAB

Python

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master's or Ph.D. preferred

Tools

MATLAB

Python

ANSYS Fluent

STAR-CCM+

OpenFOAM

Job description

Mach Industries in the United States is seeking a Combustion Engineer to lead research, design, and optimization of advanced combustion systems for gas turbine engines and propulsion applications, integrating combustion science with thermal-fluid analysis.

You will plan and execute lab and engine tests, analyze data with MATLAB/Python, and collaborate across engineering teams to translate findings into robust hardware and improved performance.