Senior Aerospace Engineer​/Aircraft CAD Integrator

Senior Aerospace Engineer / Aircraft CAD Integrator

Location: Suffield, CT
Schedule: Onsite, 5 days per week

Liquid Piston is developing next-generation propulsion technology for aerospace, defense, and advanced mobility applications. Our compact rotary engine technology delivers high power density in a lightweight package, creating new possibilities for VTOL aircraft, UAS, hybrid-electric propulsion, and other demanding applications.
At Liquid Piston, engineers have the opportunity to work on technology that moves quickly from concept to hardware to testing. This is a highly collaborative, hands-on environment where you will have meaningful ownership and see the direct impact of your work.
If you enjoy solving difficult engineering problems, working across disciplines, and turning innovative concepts into real hardware, this is an opportunity to make a significant impact on the development of advanced aircraft and propulsion systems.

Liquid Piston is seeking a Senior Aerospace Engineer / Aircraft CAD Integrator to play a key role in the design and integration of our fixed-wing VTOL and UAS platforms.
You will own the top-level aircraft CAD model and be responsible for understanding how the entire aircraft fits together. You will work across structures, propulsion, avionics, electrical systems, cooling, controls, and other disciplines to ensure that individual subsystem designs come together as a functional, buildable aircraft.
This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who enjoys being close to both the design and the hardware. You will help move aircraft designs from concept through detailed design, prototyping, integration, ground testing, and flight-test iteration.
The ideal candidate has experience owning a full-vehicle or major-system CAD assembly and is comfortable working in a fast-moving R&D environment where engineers are expected to take ownership, solve problems independently, and work across traditional engineering boundaries.

• Own, maintain, and continuously improve the top-level aircraft CAD model.
• Integrate structures, propulsion, avionics, electrical systems, cooling, controls, and other aircraft subsystems into a cohesive vehicle configuration.
• Manage interfaces between engineering disciplines and identify fit, clearance, packaging, and interference issues before they reach the build.
• Coordinate CAD models and design inputs from multiple engineers, vendors, and external partners.
• Resolve conflicting geometry, outdated references, and integration issues to maintain an accurate and reliable aircraft model.
• Design and develop aircraft structures, mechanical systems, and subsystems associated with Liquid Piston's hybrid propulsion technology.
• Evaluate how subsystem-level design changes affect aircraft-level weight, CG, mass properties, packaging, and performance.
• Perform aircraft-level engineering and configuration trade studies.

• Support the fabrication, assembly, integration, and testing of aircraft components and systems.
• Work directly with technicians and manufacturing personnel to identify and resolve design and build issues.
• Participate in ground and component testing and ensure test articles accurately represent the released design.
• Support flight-test preparation, aircraft configuration reviews, and post-test design iterations.
• Rapidly incorporate lessons learned from testing into subsequent aircraft designs.
• Support design reviews, including SRR, PDR, and CDR, with accurate and current aircraft-level models and drawings.

• Establish and maintain practical configuration-control processes appropriate for a small, rapidly evolving engineering organization.
• Manage part numbering, revisions, design changes, and released documentation.
• Maintain drawing packages and ensure released drawings accurately reflect the current aircraft configuration.
• Document aircraft interfaces, design rationale, and CAD model structure to preserve critical engineering knowledge.
• Work with external suppliers and engineering partners to incorporate designs and analyses into the aircraft configuration.

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of applied engineering experience in aerospace, UAS/UAV, defense, advanced mobility, or another complex product-development environment.
• Demonstrated experience owning a…