Sr. Principal Gas Turbine Performance Engineer (San Diego, CA)

Solar Turbines•San Diego, CA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

This role is for a Sr. Principal Gas Turbine Performance Engineer who loves the rigor of thermodynamics and the satisfaction of making models match reality, and is excited about using modern AI tools to amplify engineering impact. The engineer will sit at the crossroads of engine physics, product decisions, and real operating data, building performance models and software that influence everything from new product definition to test cell execution to fielded fleet operations. The Gas Turbine Performance Group leads concept and advanced cycle studies and delivers calibrated performance predictions for new and upgraded engines. They oversee performance during engine development, support production and acceptance testing, and enable product support teams worldwide with the tools needed to analyze, predict, and guarantee engine performance. A core part of their mission is building and maintaining the ecosystem (models, workflows, automation, and data pipelines) that turns thermodynamics + test + field data into decisions. Increasingly, their transient cycle models and calibrated physics tools are the foundation for AI-enabled digital twins—unlocking longer service intervals, better cycle-count capability, and improved efficiency through operational flexibility.

Requirements

B.S. / B.Eng. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering (or closely related field) plus 8+ years applying thermodynamics and performance engineering to real-world problems.
Strong foundation in gas turbine performance and thermodynamics (cycles, maps, matching, operability concepts, off-design behavior).
Demonstrated ability to work through ambiguity, manage multiple priorities, and deliver high-quality results under schedule pressure.
Clear written and verbal communication—you can explain model assumptions, results, and risk to both technical and non-technical partners.
Proven habit of finishing work with thoroughness and reliability (validation, documentation, and follow-through).

Nice To Haves

M.S. (or equivalent experience) with a specialty in gas turbine performance, aerodynamics, or closely related area.
Deep experience with modeling, calibration, and troubleshooting of gas turbine performance/operability in steady state and/or transient.
Strong engineering software skills—building scripts, code, or automation that makes other engineers faster and improves quality.
Familiarity with controls and control logic (or willingness to partner closely with controls teams).

Responsibilities

Analyze acceptance test and fleet/field datasets to trend performance, troubleshoot issues, and monitor aeromechanical/operability behavior across product lines.
Build, calibrate, and defend steady-state and transient performance models for new products, upgrades, and investigations.
Develop and maintain the internal software used across design, sales/applications, customer services, overhaul, and customer sites—improving usability, automation, traceability, and confidence in results.
Apply modern AI techniques: speeding up calibration and uncertainty exploration, enabling anomaly detection and diagnostics, creating reduced-order models that stay grounded in physics, supporting digital twin workflows using physics-guided learning approaches.
Collaborate with design, controls, test, operations, and digital teams to solve urgent problems quickly while also building long-term capability.