Senior Aerothermal & CFD Engineer

Castelion Corporation•Torrance, CA

About The Position

Castelion is seeking a Senior Aerothermal & CFD Engineer to develop computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and aerothermal solutions for its long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. The role predicts aerodynamic loads, pressure distributions, and thermal environments that inform vehicle design. The engineer will work hands-on with multidisciplinary teams to analyze, model, and validate complex fluid-dynamic and aerothermal phenomena from concept through flight test in a fast-paced, hardware-driven environment. The position also supports integration of aerodynamic and thermal analyses across flight sciences, thermal protection systems, structures, propulsion, guidance, navigation and control (GNC), and manufacturing. The engineer will correlate simulations with test data, develop efficient CFD methods and workflows, support design decisions, mentor junior engineers, and partner with program leadership on technical trades aligned with mission success. The role may require access to classified information or restricted U.S. Government sites, systems, or information. If designated, employment may depend on obtaining and maintaining required government clearance or authorization and satisfying applicable citizenship or other eligibility requirements. The position requires access to export-controlled information, so employment is contingent on eligibility to access applicable information without additional export licensing.

Requirements

Bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field.
At least 5 years of experience performing CFD and aerothermal analysis for aerospace or defense applications.
Strong background in compressible fluid dynamics, hypersonic aerodynamics, and heat transfer.
Experience with CFD tools such as STAR-CCM+, Fluent, FUN3D, CFD++, US3D, or equivalent.
Experience with turbulence modeling, shock-boundary-layer interactions, and high-temperature flow physics.
Familiarity with aerothermal-heating prediction and thermal-protection-system design support.
Experience generating aerodynamic load and heating environments for structural and thermal analyses.
Experience with scripting and automation using Python, MATLAB, or equivalent.
Familiarity with wind tunnel testing, arc-jet testing, or flight-test correlation.
Strong problem-solving mindset and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, hardware-rich, high-flight-cadence environment.
Ability to access applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing; if applicable to the designated position, ability to obtain and maintain required government clearance or authorization and satisfy eligibility requirements.

Responsibilities

Perform CFD analyses of hypersonic flight vehicles across a wide range of Mach numbers and flight conditions.
Predict aerodynamic loads, pressure distributions, and surface-heating environments for flight vehicle structures and thermal protection systems.
Analyze shock interactions, boundary-layer behavior, flow separation, and high-temperature flow phenomena.
Develop high-fidelity CFD models to support propulsion integration, control-surface design, thermal protection systems, and vehicle-configuration trades.
Work with flight sciences, TPS, structures, propulsion, GNC, and manufacturing teams to integrate aerodynamic and thermal analyses.
Correlate CFD predictions with wind tunnel, arc-jet, ground-test, and flight-test data to improve model fidelity.
Develop efficient meshing strategies, solver methodologies, and automated CFD workflows.
Support design reviews with aerodynamic and aerothermal analyses that inform technical decisions.
Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in CFD and aerothermal analysis.
Partner with program leadership on technical trades aligned with mission success.