Staff Thermal-Fluids Analysis Engineer

Ursa Major Technologies; United States; Remote; USD 155,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Parental Leave

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

HSA/FSA

Disability Insurance

Life Insurance

Voluntary Life

Emergency Medical Transport

EAP Program

401k with Company Match

Job summary

Ursa Major Technologies is seeking a Staff Thermal-Fluids Analysis Engineer to support propulsion design programs using CFD and 1D lumped-parameter modeling. You will analyze combustors, manifolds, and turbomachinery, provide design feedback, and collaborate across teams to meet system requirements.

You will build steady-state and transient models, anchor analyses with test instrumentation, and drive improvements in analytical methods while mentoring peers in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

• B.S. degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• 5+ years of combined fluids analysis experience (CFD and 1D).
• Experience with CFD tools (ANSYS Fluent/CFX preferred; StarCCM+ welcome).
• Experience developing steady/transient 1D models (ROCETS/GFSSP).
• Proficiency in fluids, thermodynamics, heat transfer; programming experience (Python).
• Excellent communication and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Prior safety-critical production experience.

Responsibilities

• Use hand calculations and steady CFD to predict fluid behavior in engine systems.
• Build steady-state and transient 1D models to predict operating states and startup behavior.
• Identify design improvements and collaborate with engineering teams.
• Coordinate with test team to anchor models with instrumentation.
• Support anomaly investigations by recreating measurements with transient 1D models.
• Own fluid models from concept to mature system improvements.
• Improve analytical methods and explore new tools.
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to peers.

Skills

CFD analysis

1D lumped-parameter

Python

Thermal-fluids

Communications

Safety-critical

Education

B.S. Mechanical/Aerospace

MS/ PhD preferred

Tools

ANSYS Fluent/CFX

StarCCM+

ROCETS/GFSSP

SINDA/FLUINT

Creo/NX

Job description

The future of aerospace and defense starts here.

Ursa Major was founded to revolutionize how America and its allies access and apply high-performance propulsion, from hypersonics to solid rocket motors, satellite maneuvering and launch. We design and deliver propulsion and defense systems that solve the most urgent and critical national security demands.

As a Staff Thermal-Fluids Analysis Engineer you will support all our product design programs through a broad variety of fluid analysis techniques. Our ideal candidate is one proficient in both CFD as well as steady-state and transient 1D (lumped parameter) fluid modeling. You will be exposed to all systems on our engines and the unique challenges each component presents. You will also be expected to leverage existing knowledge to solve difficult problems throughout an engine lifecycle.

You will be expected to assess the risk and performance of the hardware and to provide proactive feedback to our design team regarding how to improve their components based on the results of your work. We are seeking an individual who is excited about solving problems on the edge of technical capabilities by using their deep understanding of fluids, thermodynamics, combustion, and simulation. This individual will be able to apply that understanding to predict the performance of rocket engine components including combustors, manifolds, and turbomachinery.

We are looking for experienced analysts who will be responsible for the technical growth of Ursa Major’s fluid analysis capabilities. You will report to our Propulsion Analysis Team Lead.

• Use hand calculations and steady CFD to predict fluid behavior throughout the engine system and its components (e.g. assess pressure drops and mass flow distributions).
• Build steady-state and transient 1D models of our engines’ fluid systems to predict matters such as engine components’ operating states and engine startup behavior.
• Identify potential design improvements and collaborate with other engineering teams to develop our engines while ensuring they meet our system-level requirements.
• Work closely with our test team to request instrumentation necessary to anchor our analytical models.
• Support anomaly investigations by building transient 1D fluid models to recreate measurements recorded during engine operation.
• Ownership of fluid models of rocket engines and related systems. This will include support of concept and clean-sheet designs, as well as supporting mature system improvements.
• Improve upon Ursa’s analytical methods and seek out new approaches and tools.
• Provide professional development, mentorship, and technical guidance to peers.

Minimum Experience/Requirements

• B.S. degree in Mechanical, Aerospace Engineering, or a comparable field.
• 5+ years of combined fluids analysis experience (CFD and 1D, as detailed below).
• Experience in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) using commercial codes (ANSYS Fluent or CFX preferred, but knowledge of StarCCM+ or similar tools is welcome).
• Experience developing steady and transient 1D models of fluid system analyses ideally using ROCETS or GFSSP. Knowledge of SINDA/FLUINT, FloCAD, AFT Arrow/Fathom/Impulse, Flownex, Flowmaster, GT-SUITE, or comparable lumped parameter analysis tools would also be gladly accepted.
• Demonstrated experience in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer.
• Programming experience (Python ideal, but MATLAB or other high-level languages acceptable).
• Basic experience with 3D CAD software (Creo and NX are ideal).
• Experience with complex fluid-mechanical systems - our engines are the product of integrated combustors, turbomachinery, and control systems, all of which must be well understood and optimized.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, startup environment.
• Prior experience working on safety-critical systems in production environments.

Ideal Experience/Requirements

• M.S. or PhD degree in mechanical, aerospace engineering, or a comparable field.
• 10+ years of combined fluids analysis experience (CFD and 1D, ideally with heavy focus on the specific applications detailed below).
• Experience using CFD to predict performance in at least one specialty area: pump performance prediction, turbine performance prediction, cavitation/two-phase modeling, combustion modeling, or unsteady calculations.
• Experience using 1D models of fluid systems to predict transient phenomena such as water hammer or engine start-up.
• Analysis of cryogenic fluid systems, high-pressure pneumatics, two-phase or supercritical fluid systems, and compressible flows.
• Professional experience in rocketry or turbomachinery.

Colorado law requires us to tell you the base compensation range of this role, which is $155,000 - $190,000, determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities.

What we can’t quantify for you are the exciting challenges, supportive team, and amazing culture we enjoy.

Classification: Full-time Exempt

Benefits Include: (Please note, Interns are not eligible for benefits)

• Unlimited PTO - Vacation, Sick, Personal, and Bereavement
• Paid Parental and Adoptive Leave
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Tax Advantage Accounts (HSA/FSA)
• Employer Paid Short and Long Term Disability, Basic Life, AD&D
• Additional Benefit Options Including Voluntary Life and Emergency Medical Transport
• EAP Program
• Retirement Savings Plan - 401k with Company Match

Must be a U.S. Person (this includes U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents).

Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance.

We’re an equal-opportunity employer. You will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

No outside recruiters, please.