Aerodynamics Engineer, Propulsion Integration; III​/IV San Luis Obispo, California; United

San Luis Obispo, California;
United States

At Zone 5 Technologies, we're redefining what's possible in unmanned aircraft systems. Our team of engineers and innovators is developing cutting‑edge autonomous solutions that push the boundaries of UAS technology – solving complex challenges that matter.

We're building the future of UAS capabilities, and we're looking for exceptional talent to join us. If you're driven by hard problems, energized by rapid innovation, and ready to make an impact on next‑generation flight systems, you belong here.

We are seeking a Aerodynamics Engineer with propulsion design and integration experience to join our Aerodynamics team. Our ideal candidate will have demonstrable experience within the field of air‑breathing propulsion integration and design, analysis, and optimization in advanced Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).

We are looking for candidates that embody a solid understanding of fluid dynamics, aerodynamic design, engine inlet and exhaust design, mechanical integration, and aircraft performance. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated use of tools in their tool belt ranging from hand, 1‑D/2‑D calculations, computational methods, wind tunnels, and flight testing of physical hardware in validating their designs and meeting their objectives.

This individual avoids siloing and consciously balances priority and speed with scaling products, and they have a mission focused on supporting our customers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for aerodynamic design of turbine engine flow paths (inlet, exhaust, secondary flows) on high performance UAV.
• Conduct low, mid, and high fidelity CFD simulations to assess aerodynamic, mechanical, thermal, and aircraft performance impact of designs.
• Develop and validate aerodynamic models using combinations of CFD, wind tunnel testing, and/or flight test data.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (structures, propulsion, controls, systems engineering) to integrate aerodynamic insights into the overall design.
• Assist in the development of bench test, wind tunnel test, and flight test plans and data reduction and analysis.
• Ownership of simulation propulsion modules and modeling fidelity.
• Working proficiency and practical understanding of engine performance and modeling.
• Preparing technical reports, presentations, and design documentation.
• Present findings to key stakeholders and internal/external customers.

Qualifications:

• A Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field is strongly preferred. Bachelor's degree plus relevant experience required.
• 3-5 years of inlet/duct design and solving problems in aero‑propulsion and integration of aerodynamics for aircraft and/or UAVs.
• Demonstrable experience building and maintaining low and mid fidelity aerodynamic modeling tools.
• Applied experience with a Navier‑Stokes based CFD tool (e.g., ANSYS Fluent, STAR‑CCM+, OpenFOAM, Fun3D) including geometry preparation, mesh generation, and simulation debugging.
• Experience with data visualization tools, e.g. MATLAB & Python, Tecplot, Para View and working in a version control environment, e.g. git.
• Industrial wind tunnel testing: model design, techniques, instrumentation, and data reduction.
• Applied designs in subsonic, transonic, and high‑speed aerodynamics.
• U.S. Citizenship or equivalent status required for defense‑related work.
• Security clearance (or eligibility) is a plus.

Bonus Skills and Applied Experiences:

• Expertise in Inlet/Exhaust Aerodynamic design and surfacing.
• Aerodynamic bookkeeping of inlet installation effects and losses (ram, drag, moments, etc.)
• Engine performance modeling via common industry tools (NPSS, Gas Turb, AxSTREAM, etc.)
• Expertise in inlet distortion and inlet/compressor interactions.
• Rocket propulsion design and simulation.
• Flight testing, telemetry analysis, and / or real‑time simulation environments.
• Working knowledge of applicable industry standards (MIL‑STD, SAE ARP, etc.)

For candidates based in San Luis Obispo, California, the annual base salary range for this role is $120,000 - $190,000/year USD. The final compensation package will be determined based on factors including but not limited to experience,…