Senior Aerodynamics Engineer

wardstone.space•El Segundo, CA

About The Position

You will own the aerodynamics of Wardstone’s interceptors, shaping the vehicle’s external design, building and maintaining the aerodynamic database (ADB) used by flight simulations, and running analyses to predict vehicle flight behavior. The vehicle must maneuver at supersonic speeds while meeting the size limits of existing launchers. You will work directly with the founders and mechanical, GNC, and propulsion engineers, taking aerodynamic design from initial concept through wind tunnel testing and flight, then using flight data to improve models. The role reports to [the founders / Head of Engineering].

Requirements

B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
5+ years of applied aerodynamics experience on flight vehicles.
Experience building aerodynamic databases for flight simulation.
Strong command of supersonic aerodynamics and stability and control.
Hands-on CFD experience with tools such as Star-CCM+, Fluent, FUN3D, Cart3D, or similar.
Experience with engineering-level aerodynamic prediction tools such as Missile DATCOM or similar.
Proficiency in Python or MATLAB for analysis, data reduction, and automation.
Must be a U.S. person as defined by ITAR (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual).
Must be eligible to obtain a U.S. security clearance.

Nice To Haves

M.S. or Ph.D.
Aerodynamics experience on missiles, interceptors, rockets, or other high-speed vehicles.
Experience planning and running wind tunnel tests.
Experience with aerothermal analysis or high-speed heating prediction.
Experience correlating models with flight test data or reconstructing trajectories.
Familiarity with 6DOF simulation and how GNC uses aerodynamic data.
Experience with OML design within packaging and launcher constraints.
Prior early-stage startup experience.

Responsibilities

Own the aerodynamic design of the outer mold line (OML) with the mechanical team, balancing drag, stability, maneuverability, and internal volume.
Design and size control surfaces and fins to provide the authority required by GNC across the flight envelope.
Run configuration trade studies, including body shape, nose shape, and control surface layout.
Build an aerodynamic database of force and moment coefficients across Mach number, angle of attack, sideslip, and control deflection, including damping derivatives.
Deliver the ADB in a format directly usable by the GNC team’s 6DOF simulation and maintain it under version control.
Quantify uncertainty in the ADB to support meaningful GNC Monte Carlo analysis.
Use engineering-level tools such as Missile DATCOM for fast trades and CFD for detailed analysis.
Analyze stability, control effectiveness, and transonic and supersonic flight regimes.
Estimate aerodynamic heating and distributed aerodynamic loads for mechanical and thermal designs.
Model propulsion and aerodynamic interactions, including plume effects, with the propulsion team.
Plan and run wind tunnel tests, including coordinating with test facilities, defining test matrices, and reducing data.
Correlate the ADB against wind tunnel and flight test data and update models.
Support flight tests with pre-flight predictions, post-flight trajectory reconstruction, and aerodynamic analysis.