Manager, Aircraft Design & Performance

Pivotal•Palo Alto, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Pivotal is a leader in the emerging market of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, designing, developing, and manufacturing light eVTOL aircraft. They are known for the BlackFly aircraft, the world's first light eVTOL to fly manned missions and enter the consumer market. Pivotal aircraft are efficient, compact, and simple, designed for various applications. Their distinctive tilt-aircraft architecture and scalable platform have been flying for over 10 years. The company is rapidly progressing with its next-generation aircraft, the Helix, towards general release and scalable production in early 2026. The Aeromechanical team at Pivotal is seeking a highly experienced and motivated Manager, Aircraft Design & Performance to join their team. This role is central to aircraft development, collaborating with propulsion, structures, flight controls, manufacturing, test, and executive leadership to shape future aircraft platforms.

Requirements

Master’s degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering or equivalent field
Experience with eVTOL, UAV, or unconventional aircraft configurations.
Experience developing conceptual and preliminary aircraft sizing tools.
Experience with CFD and aerospace analysis tools such as STAR-CCM+, XFLR5/FLOW5, OpenVSP, Simulia/3DEXPERIENCE, MATLAB, or Python.
Flight test, prototype development, or rapid hardware iteration experience.
Experience building internal engineering tools and automation workflows.
Experience balancing technical performance with manufacturing and operational constraints.
Applicants must be eligible for employment in the United States and willing to work onsite at our HQ office in Palo Alto, CA.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated experience in early aircraft development/sizing.
Comfortable owning major aircraft-level decisions with incomplete information.
Naturally gravitates toward first-principles engineering and rapid iteration.
Strong systems thinker capable of connecting aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, controls, and operations into a cohesive vehicle design.
Excited by ambiguity, rapid development cycles, and building unconventional aircraft with small, high-output teams.

Responsibilities

Lead aircraft-level design, sizing, and performance development for electric aircraft platforms.
Own multidisciplinary vehicle trade studies including weight, aerodynamics, propulsion integration, mission performance, stability, controllability, thermal constraints, manufacturability, and operational capability.
Drive rapid concept iteration and down-selection using simulation, analysis, testing, and engineering judgment.
Develop and maintain aircraft performance models and sizing tools to support design decisions and program planning.
Define high-level aircraft architecture and guide configuration development from early concept through prototype and flight test.
Work cross-functionally with propulsion, structures, electrical, software, controls, manufacturing, and flight test teams to drive integrated vehicle development.
Lead technical decision-making under aggressive timelines and evolving program requirements.
Support wind tunnel testing, propulsion testing, flight testing, and correlation of simulation models to real-world data.
Mentor and grow a small multidisciplinary engineering team while maintaining deep individual technical contribution.
Identify technical risks early and drive practical engineering solutions with a strong bias toward execution and rapid iteration.
Help establish scalable engineering workflows, analysis methods, and development processes appropriate for a fast-moving aerospace startup.