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Aerospace Propulsion Engineer
Career Insights for Aerospace Engineer
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Based on Maryland data
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What they do
An Aerospace Engineer designs aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft using knowledge of engineering and physics, and tests prototypes to see if they work according to design. May specialize in aeronautical design and work with airplanes and helicopters, or specialize in astronautical design and work with vehicles used in outer space. May specialize in a particular area of design, such as aerodynamic flow or navigation.
$118,011 / year median in Maryland
+4% projected growth
Job Description
If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team at APL.We are seeking a Senior Aerospace Propulsion Engineer with expertise in scramjet or dual-mode ramjet design and high-fidelity modeling. You will support critical U.S. Department of Defense programs by designing, analyzing, and troubleshooting advanced hypersonic air-breathing propulsion systems.
The successful candidate will recognize the governing physics, frame ambiguous technical problems, select and defend appropriate analysis methods, and turn incomplete or conflicting evidence into actionable recommendations.
As an APL Senior Aerospace Propulsion Engineer, you will...
- Lead the design and analysis of integrated scramjet inlet, isolator, combustor, and nozzle flowpaths.
- high-fidelity CFD with finite-rate chemistry to compressible reacting-flow problems.
- Investigate phenomena such as shock trains, unstart, fuel-air mixing, ignition, flameholding, combustion stability, thermal choking, and propulsion-airframe interaction.
- Plan and assess verification, validation, mesh-sensitivity, and model-sensitivity studies.
- Compare computational predictions with ground-test, flight-test, and lower-order analysis results.
- Diagnose unexpected test or simulation behavior and recommend design, analysis, or test changes.
- Improve computational, meshing, post-processing, and high-performance-computing workflows.
- Communicate conclusions to Government sponsors, industry partners, and technical teams.
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship to other engineers. Qualifications You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you...
- Possess a bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
- Have five or more years of relevant experience, or equivalent expertise demonstrated through advanced research and technical accomplishments.
- Have direct experience designing or analyzing scramjet, dual-mode ramjet, or related high-speed propulsion flowpaths.
- Have substantial experience applying CFD to compressible reacting flows using finite-rate chemistry.
- Understand integrated inlet, isolator, combustor, and nozzle performance and operability.
- Have experience evaluating mesh quality, numerical convergence, modeling assumptions, and simulation credibility.
- Can independently frame unfamiliar technical problems, challenge assumptions, and develop defensible recommendations.
- Have experience with Linux and technical programming or scripting using Python, MATLAB, C++, Fortran, or similar languages.
- Possess strong written and oral communication skills.
- Are able to obtain a Secret level security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship. You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...
- Possess an advanced degree in hypersonic propulsion, combustion, compressible flow, or computational fluid dynamics.
- Have led an integrated scramjet or dual-mode ramjet design or analysis effort.
- Have experience with scale-resolving reacting-flow simulations such as LES or hybrid
RANS/LES.
- Have correlated CFD with direct-connect, free-jet, wind-tunnel, or flight-test data.
- Have experience with uncertainty quantification, design optimization, solver development, MPI, or GPU computing.
- Have experience with relevant tools such as CFD++, US3D, VULCAN-CFD, GridPro, Pointwise, Tecplot, Cantera, or equivalent tools.
- Have an active Secret clearance.