Principal Aerodynamics Engineer
External
Vardaspace · El Segundo, CAPrepare for this interview
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Requirements
- BS in an engineering of physics & 5+ years of relevant industry experience
- Significant contribution to aerodynamic development of a hypersonic vehicle that has flown or is expected to fly in the next 5 years
- Managed an aerodynamic or flight program that collected data from: test, CFD, flight, and other sources
- Experience running CFD and DSMC simulations of hypersonic and subsonic flows: (Fun3D, Laura, DPLR, US3D, Sparta, DAC, CBAero)
- Comfortable building structured and unstructured meshes in Pointwise
- Experience with Matlab, or Python languages
- Experience with wind tunnel campaigns
- Experience developing an aerodynamic database for a vehicle from scratch
- Basic technical breadth across other disciplines (avionics, software, GNC, etc.).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an aptitude for interdisciplinary technical communication.
- Must be able to obtain a security clearance
- Preferred Experience:
- MS or PhD degrees in Aerospace or Mechanical engineering, specializing in aerodynamics or fluid mechanics
- Familiarity with modeling vehicle dynamics in POST2 or similar tools
- Experience sizing ablative or non-ablative TPS
- Experience with flight reconstruction and post-flight performance evaluations.
- Experience with flight testing of new aerodynamic features and concepts.
- Hold a secret or TS clearance.
- Pay Range
- Principal Aerodynamics Engineer: $192,500.00 - $221,375.00/per year
- This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA
- Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
- You will be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards
Benefits
Additional Information
About Varda Low Earth orbit is open for business . Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. From life-saving pharmaceuticals to more powerful fiber optics, there is a world of products used on Earth today that can only be manufactured in space. Varda is accelerating innovation in the orbital economy by creating both the products and infrastructure needed so space can directly benefit life on Earth. Our mission is to expand the economic bounds of humankind. Our team is uniquely suited to accomplishing this goal, with leadership and staff comprised of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies and Silicon Valley. Varda was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov with significant backing from world class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital. Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, where we have offices and a production facility where our vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested. Varda also has offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL. Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem. Varda was founded under the belief manufacturing in zero-gravity is critical to unlocking new materials. We are actively working on spacecraft and technologies to make this possible and expand humanity's manufacturing capabilities. The ideal candidate will lead the aerodynamic development of Varda's next reentry vehicle - from rarefied entry, to hypersonic maneuvering, and subsonic terminal approach. The candidate must have experience with: 6-DOF reentry vehicle dynamics, hypersonic computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, and running wind tunnel campaigns. The ideal candidate should have been involved in the aerodynamic development of a currently-flying vehicle from cradle to grave.
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