Senior/Principal Performance & Aerodynamics Engineer

Senior/Principal Performance and Aerodynamics Engineer
Permanent | London | Salary £70000 - £90000 + equity

The Opportunity
Electus Recruitment is supporting an ambitious, well-funded aerospace and defence engineering business in the search for a Senior/Principal Performance and Aerodynamics Engineer.
This is an opportunity to join a small, highly experienced engineering team developing an advanced aerospace vehicle from the ground up. With initial concept work and programme direction established, the team is now preparing to take the design through detailed engineering, development and testing.
You will play a pivotal role in shaping the vehicle's aerodynamic design and flight performance, taking ownership of key technical activities and working directly with the engineering leadership team. This is an opportunity to make a significant contribution to a long-term development programme, with considerable technical autonomy and the opportunity to influence the direction of the business.

The Role
As Senior/Principal Performance and Aerodynamics Engineer, you will lead aerodynamic modelling, flight performance analysis and trajectory simulation activities, supporting the development of the vehicle from initial sizing through to detailed design and testing.
Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading flight performance analysis and trajectory simulation activities, including 3-DoF and 6-DoF modelling.
• Developing and maintaining aerodynamic models and aerodynamic databases.
• Conducting CFD analysis to support aerodynamic characterisation and design optimisation.
• Undertaking propulsion performance assessments covering relevant rocket and air-breathing propulsion systems.
• Leading aerodynamic design activities from conceptual sizing through to detailed characterisation.
• Analysing and validating results against available wind tunnel, flight test and reference data.
• Presenting technical findings and recommendations to engineering leadership and wider stakeholders.
• Providing technical guidance and mentoring to less experienced engineers.
• Contributing to technical strategy, engineering roadmaps and future product development.

About You
You will be an experienced aerospace or performance engineer with a strong background in aerodynamic modelling, flight performance and simulation. You will be comfortable taking ownership of complex technical challenges and working within a small, highly capable engineering team.
Ideally, you will bring:

• A degree or higher qualification in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics or a related discipline.
• Relevant experience in missile, rocket or aerospace vehicle performance and aerodynamics.
• Demonstrable experience developing and running trajectory simulation or flight performance codes.
• Strong understanding of propulsion performance characterisation.
• Practical CFD experience using tools such as ANSYS Fluent, CFD++ or OpenFOAM.
• Experience with aerodynamic modelling techniques, including empirical and computational methods.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to work from first principles.
• Experience with MATLAB, Python or Fortran would be advantageous.
• Previous technical leadership or mentoring experience would also be beneficial.

Candidates must have the right to work in the UK and be eligible to obtain UK SC security clearance. Existing clearance is not essential.
What's on Offer?

• Competitive salary dependent on experience.
• Equity participation.
• Opportunity to join a well-funded, early-stage engineering business.
• Significant technical ownership and influence over programme direction.
• A long-term development programme with secured funding.
• Close collaboration with an experienced technical leadership team.
• The opportunity to help establish engineering capability within an ambitious business.

This is an opportunity for an experienced performance and aerodynamics engineer who wants more than simply contributing to an established programme. You will have the chance to help build a new engineering capability and directly influence the development of an advanced aerospace platform.

How to Apply
If you have the relevant performance, aerodynamics and simulation experience and would like to find out more, please contact Neil at Electus Recruitment Solutions.

Electus Recruitment Solutions provides specialist engineering and technical recruitment solutions to a number of high technology industries. We thank you for your interest in this vacancy. If you don't hear from us within 7 working days please presume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. You are of course free to resubmit your CV/details in the future and we shall assess your suitability at that time.