Lead Performance & Sizing Engineer

Supernal•Irvine, CA

38d•Onsite

About The Position

Supernal is an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company that's developing an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle and the ground-to-air ecosystem to support the emerging industry. By creating a sustainable, integrated, and human-centered ecosystem, we are committed to taking a thoughtful and responsible approach to entering the AAM market with a product that meets the high level of safety and reliability in today's air transportation system. The future of mobility starts with people. We believe in creative thinking and collaboration to help build a better mobility experience for everyone, improving people's ability to move - whether for work or play. Join our dynamic team as we strive to be a part of something greater where potential powers tomorrow! Supernal provides an inviting open-space workplace designed to foster collaboration, which aligns with one of our core values. This position is required to work on-site 5 days a week. The Lead Performance & Sizing Engineer will lead and conduct the planning and execution of vehicle performance and sizing tasks for rotorcraft design and analysis, ground tests, and flight tests. The engineer will interface regularly with other engineers working on Configuration, Handling Qualities, Loads & Dynamics, Propulsion, Flight Controls, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), amongst others.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering field required
Minimum of ten (10) years of relevant experience (an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered)
Experience performing aerodynamics and performance analysis to evaluate new concepts and refine existing concepts
Experience with innovative, physics-based aerodynamics analysis and design methods
Experience with MDAO tools and methods
Demonstrable project planning and leadership skills
An understanding of aerodynamics engineering fundamentals, especially with regard to an aircraft
Capability to assess the aerodynamics and performance of vertical lift aircraft through analysis, test, and a combination of the two
Experience with rotorcraft or fixed-wing performance analysis techniques that builds on applicable educational experience
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Proactive delivery of communication and follow up
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
Ability to independently prioritize and accomplish work within time constraints
Self-motivated and forward-thinking
Proficiency with MS Office Suite

Nice To Haves

Experience performing analysis on VTOL aircraft preferred

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain aircraft sizing models that integrate aerodynamics, propulsion, weight estimation, mission profiles, and energy systems
Conduct vehicle-level performance analyses, including hover, climb, cruise, descent, and transition phases
Define and optimize mission profiles (range, payload, endurance, speed, reserve energy, etc.) based on operational and certification requirements
Perform trade studies on design parameters such as rotor configuration, battery capacity, wing loading, and powertrain sizing to guide conceptual design
Collaborate with aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, and controls teams to ensure consistency between subsystem performance and overall vehicle goals
Support simulation and modeling activities for energy management, control law tuning, and flight performance validation
Prepare technical documentation, presentations, and reports for internal design reviews and external stakeholders (e.g., regulators or partners)
Contribute to system-level requirements definition and support design optimization for performance, efficiency, and safety
Provide technical mentorship to junior engineers
Other duties as assigned