Supervisor – External Aerodynamics & Aircraft Performance

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems; Poway (CA); On-site; USD 116,000 - 209,000; Full time

Job summary

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is seeking a Functional Engineering Supervisor to lead a team of aerospace engineers focused on external aerodynamics and aircraft performance for GA-ASI programs.

The role spans from hand calculations to CFD, wind tunnel plans, and flight-test support. The position resides in the Flight Technologies department in San Diego, CA, with responsibilities including personnel management, project execution, technical leadership, and budget/schedule

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in engineering with progressive experience.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Deep knowledge of external aerodynamics, wind tunnel testing, CFD, and uncertainty estimation.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of seven aerospace engineers in aerodynamics and CFD.
• Oversee external aerodynamics analyses, wind tunnel and flight test planning.
• Develop aerodynamic databases and assess S&C impacts of new payloads.
• Collaborate across disciplines and present results to customers and programs.

Skills

External aerodynamics

Aircraft performance

CFD

Team leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

C

C++

Fortran

Python

MATLAB

XFoil

MSES

Job description

Job Summary

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.

Job Summary

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.
We have an exciting opportunity for a functional engineering supervisor to lead a team of aerospace engineers working on external aerodynamics and aircraft performance for GA-ASI aircraft programs. Aerodynamic work ranges from handbook methods, computational methods, 2D airfoil codes to Navier-Stokes CFD, and wind tunnel, ground and flight test planning. Aircraft performance spans from textbook methods to flight test support and model substantiation. This position is within the Flight Technologies department in San Diego, CA. Responsibilities include personnel management and performance reviews, project management and execution of aero-performance tasks, technical leadership, collaborating with multiple disciplines, and the estimation of budgets and schedules.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage the workload for a team of approximately seven engineers, in coordination with other supervisors and with both internal and external customers.
• Manage, lead, develop, and mentor approximately seven engineers from junior to senior level with specialization in aerodynamics, aircraft performance and/or CFD.
• Review the work, documentation, and job performance of your team members.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance in the areas of external aerodynamics, aircraft performance and aerodynamic testing for aircraft ranging from subsonic UAVs with extensive natural laminar flow (NLF) to transonic UAVs with shock-laden flows.
• Manage and execute analyses regarding external aerodynamics. Examples include the creation of aerodynamic databases based on wind tunnel tests and/or CFD, and the assessment of stability and control (S&C) impacts of new payloads.
• Manage and execute tests focused on gathering data from experimental methods including wind tunnel test campaigns, ground tests and flight tests.
• Establish procedures and best practices for data collection in the building of flight science models.
• Understand and communicate error propagation from tests all the way from sensor readings up through major aerodynamic coefficients.
• Work across interdisciplinary teams and with the internal System Design and Test group to execute test events of varying scope.
• Manage and execute analyses regarding aircraft performance. Examples include the application of our in-house MATLAB performance code to generate performance charts for flight manuals, and the customization of our in-house aircraft sizing code to fly new designs through new missions.
• Provide advice on aircraft sizing, wing sizing, airfoil selection, and tail sizing for conceptual design of new aircraft concepts, particularly as it pertains to test matrices and database construction.
• Provide technical direction on adoption of new aero-performance tools and techniques to our internal Tools Development team.
• Collaborate with other groups within the Flight Technologies department to provide meaningful and actionable input on new designs as well as enhancements to existing GA aircraft.
• Present results within the Engineering Organization, to internal program offices, as well as to external customers and professional organizations.

We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows; twelve or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, ten or more years of experience with a masters degree, or seven or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education.
• Requires a strong and respectful communicator with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Requires very strong technical knowledge of external aerodynamics, including the creation of aerodynamic databases, wind tunnel testing, flight and ground testing, CFD, and the estimation of associated uncertainties.
• Requires a solid foundation in aerodynamics ranging from the subsonic regime well into the transonic regime, including natural transition.
• Requires experience with wind tunnel testing, ground testing and/or flight testing
• Requires familiarity with aerodynamic analysis tools of multiple fidelities, ranging from 3D inviscid tools and 2D airfoil tools to 3D Navier-Stokes CFD tools, and a strong understanding of assumptions and limitations of these tools.
• Requires very strong technical knowledge of aircraft performance, ranging from the creation of performance charts to the evaluation of flight test data.
• Requires a solid understanding of the aerodynamic stability and controllability requirements for aircraft, from both a mathematical and the regulatory perspective.
• Requires a strong understanding of aircraft sizing, wing sizing, airfoil selection, and tail sizing for conceptual design of new aircraft concepts.
• Requires a fundamental understanding of thrust-drag accounting methods as it pertains to wind tunnel testing, flight testing, and aerodynamic modeling.
• Requires solid programming knowledge (C, C++, Fortran, Python, preferably MATLAB).
• Requires occasional travel to wind tunnels, flight test sites, customer sites, and conferences.
• Highly desirable: experience with 2D airfoil codes, esp. XFoil and MSES.
• Highly desirable: experience with 3D inviscid solvers such as vortex lattice methods (VLM), lifting lines, panel codes.
• Desirable: experience with laminar flow and transition prediction.
• Desirable: experience with flying wings.
• Desirable: pilot’s license.
• Desirable: experience with airworthiness certification.
• Ability to obtain and maintain DoD Security Clearance is required.

Job Type: Full-Time Salary

Salary range: 116,480 - 208,505