Aerospace Propulsion Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

About The Position

Are you excited to help shape the future of hypersonic propulsion and solve some of the nation's most challenging aerospace engineering problems? Do you want to tackle hypersonic propulsion challenges where the answers aren't already known? 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.

Requirements

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.

Nice To Haves

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.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and analysis of integrated scramjet inlet, isolator, combustor, and nozzle flowpaths.
Apply 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.